Does Michigan need a new art fair? I can see the disbelief registering on your face right now. But you know, life goes on, people need entertainment and a break from the gloom. What are you doing in April? Look at this:
April 17-19 Novi, MI Rock Financial Showplace 200 artists Deadline: January 26 Full disclosure: I am consulting with the owners of this really nice exhibition building to help them create a classy event that will bring patrons in. If you know me you know I've been involved in the art fair business for over 25 years, wearing many hats: artist partner, show director, art fair organizer and have participated in over 400 art fairs. Why you should be interested: 1. Great date 2. Organizers who know the Detroit marketplace and have the energy and financial resources to create buzz over the event 3. A strong marketing team who market various kinds of events at this venue all year long 4. A quality exhibition space in a very upscale suburb of Oakland County, frequented by thousands just about every weekend 5. They are seeking to partner with arts organizations and charities to present an art fair that is connected to the local community 6. Fair booth fees There will be a spring and fall art fair. These dates were recently vacated by Sugarloaf who has decided not to come to Michigan again. The Sugarloaf event had many loyal customers who will be very pleased to see this new incarnation of the event. In addition to that the Rock Financial Showplace managers are planning a more upscale event to fit the local clientele.
Expect charity tie-ins, a show designer to make the venue attractive and low key entertainment to keep the patrons in the building and lots more. Visit:
GreatLakesArtFair.com for more information--the site is not quite beautiful yet...but will soon reflect the quality we anticipate. Apply at:
www.zapplication.org P. S. Early applicants receive free electricity and a chance to be have their images used in publicity. The question remains: will people come and buy art? A friend told me this morning when we were talking about whether or not this was a good move that during the Depression all kinds of entertainment sprang up (movies had their heyday) to entertain people. They needed relief. Do you know anyone who shops for fun? I'll bet you do. I'll bet you've met one or two of them in this profession. Am I suggesting people drive in from far away, or fly? Not necessarily. But there are a lot of artists within a near drive for this event, for whom the expenses won't be too bad. What happened to Sugarloaf? To the best of my knowledge they had a loyal cadre of exhibitors who traveled to their fairs who no longer wanted to come here, too expensive, so they pulled out. Their particular type of event had not really caught on with the Midwest exhibitors, so although there are a fair number of them eager to participate this April, it was no longer a sustainable economic venture for them (Sugarloaf). If I have this wrong please let me know.
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Do I know you? No, we have never met but let me introduce myself and my wife Linda.
LInda started making necklaces out of precious and semi-precious stones after the restaurant she worked at, Bill Knapps went belly-up several years ago.
After accumilating more inventory than she could ever wear in a lifetime, we got the idea to take the 'leap-of-faith' and do a small craft show. We made $52 and I said to myself, 'Hmmm, there might be something to this.' So I started making necklaces and earrings and started doing some of the bigger high school shows. That's when we met Debbie LaPratt (Art-Is-In Market in Livonia). We applied to the Crafters Clearance show and she sort of became our 'mentor' and helped us avoid some of the pitfalls that a lot of beginnners make.
Four years ago when the BIg Lot's store where I was a manager closed it's doors in March, I realized that the busy Summer Season was before us (when we could never do any shows because I could NEVER get off work) so we decided to do 10 shows back to back, add up what we made and compare it to what I would have made if I had still been working at Big Lots. The decision was easy.
So, here we are @4 years later and actually making a living doing about 45 shows a year. We are also jurors for a few shows.
Some of the shows we have done are Port Huron, Art on the Avenue, Pinckney, Art in the Park, Tawas Shoreline Art Show and Marysville Fine Art Fair.
Preview some of our work and read a brief artist statement at:
www.CraftLister.com/AuthenticCreations
Hope this all gives you a sort of 'snap-shot' of us. I have been in sales all my life and will do anything to promote the business in general. We have a 1,200 person email list and 'market' every show we do. If every artist did this we could increase attendance at all the shows internally. Just think about this. No two artists do exactly the same shows. If a customer picks up my schedule and then maybe 3-4 other artist's schedules, there would be dozens of shows that they might be able to attend. And what better person to sell to other than a person that is accustomed to shopping Art Fairs or Craft Shows already?
Take care and keep up the good work on the site and your blog, I hope this info I sent helps us ALL. Once the Government gets a foot-hold in this business it'll be almost impossible to get rid of them.
Joe Ignaczak
Hamtramck, Mi
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Thinking of hitting the road for the art fairs? Where will you be spending the nights? The price of lodging does bite into the narrow profit margin artists try to maintain, but here is some good news. Artist, Ynon Mabat, has started a new community, Lodging4Artists.com.
Artists join as members for $12/year and place their name and location on a list. All members of the service can then contact one another about being able to stay at their homes if they do a show in that town or are just traversing the country.
This is an idea whose time has come. Like this website it requires your participation to make it successful. I encourage you to check it out and report back to me any experiences you have. Sounds tailor-made for artists planning to head to Florida this winter.
Good luck, Ynon, with this venture!
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In addition to the problems engendered by the crashing of the computer servers at Juried Art Services this week that halted the applications to the Chicago area Amdur Productions events, here are a couple of other events that have extended their deadlines.
Krasl Art Fair, St. Joseph, MI - July 11 & 12, new deadline: January 18
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI - July 15-18, new deadline: January 19
Amdur Productions, 12 Chicago area events, new deadline: January 28
In recent weeks I have had the opportunity to receive some administrator training on these online services. What is probably obvious to you, but what only just dawned to me, is that now that applications are online, when a deadline says "June 2 - midnight", that that is what happens. At that time the computer receiving the data closes the application. Long gone are the days when applications were actually closed when the postman dropped off the mail at the art fair office, allowing a nice piece of "wiggle room" in the deadlines.
There is a nice list of art fairs with their calls for entries at my other website: ArtFairCalendar.com/call for entries. These events support this site and ArtFairCalendar.com whose mission is to bring patrons to art fairs. Please visit that page and take a hard look at the opportunities presented there. Thank you.
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Posted by Connie Mettler on February 16, 2009 at 10:17am
In his review of the arts in Pittsburgh, Bob Hoover of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, not only reports on some of the bad news--but lo and behold has some good news in the way of interesting critical commentary and good ideas for making some good news!
His analysis of the NEA and how arts funding is being passed around is hopeful that there are still people out there who know and act on the use of arts funding for the good of all. Especially interesting is the Bush funding of the arts and the outgoing head of the NEA, Dana Gioia's, good handling of the well-endowed NEA. Since I am a busy reader I'd been well aware of the Big Read program that spread around the nation in recent years, but hadn't realized that I had the NEA to thank for that. One of my favorite 2008 activities was attending a "conversation" with three Michigan related authors (Richard Ford, Jim Harrison and Tom McGuane) at Michigan State, an offshoot of this program.
In the cutting of the budget for Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Art Festival, Hoover suggests adding authors to the program (isn't writing an art? he asks) instead of more cheese fries. The Detroit Festival of the Arts (dead in the water for 2009) always included authors and partnered with the Detroit Public Library for cultural offerings, so this seems a great idea. Artists, wouldn't you rather have an author next to you than the elephant ears?
Read Hoover's article here: Coming: Rough Year for Local ArtsRead more…
Come check out Cafe Handmade's Weekly Virtual Craft Show. We Have over 70 great Artists to see. Visit us at www.cafehandmade.com. We have a couple thousand of people visiting us every week, and we continue to grow.If you haven't already signed up for our eNewsletter please do so on our site, you'll be automatically entered everymonth in our Reader Rewards. 1 lucky reader will win a $50 shopping Spree the first monday of every month. 1st Drawing is to be drawn on April 6th. Get extra chances in the drawing by completing the Scavenger hunt at www.cafehandmade.com.We're excited to see we are growing at a rapid pace. We appreciate all the artists, and the people who visit every week.Thank youRead more…
Artists are not well known for getting showcased on popular TV programs, but be sure you tune in Sunday morning to CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood to see glass artists Eric Markow and Thom Norris. Considered to be the premiere woven glass artists in the world, Markow and Norris will demonstrate their artistry their studio where you can see them melt glass and work their magic.
But if you live in Chicago get right down to Navy Pier this weekend and you can meet them at SOFA and see these glass stars.
"With formidable technical skill and a keen eye for color, Markow and Norris prove that you don't need a loom - or even fiber - to weave." Craft Magazine
The only other person in our art fair world that I know of that has been profiled on this program is photographer Clyde Butcher with his luminous black and white images from the Everglades.
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September 4-7 downtown streets, Pontiac, MI 150 Artists Deadline: April 7 This is a great example of an old-fashioned street festival that turns into a magical village at night under the lights. Arguably the best promoted event in the country, you will meet people from all walks of life who are drawn to its mix of fine art, great music and tasty food. The event mirrors the diverse cultures that comprise this large metropolitan area. Consistently ranked in the Top Twenty art fairs by Sunshine Artist,
Arts, Beats & Eats revels in its late summer weather that brings out throngs of people to enjoy the arts. The art fair is deliberately small, only 150 artists, and held in an easily accessible area (for both artists and patrons),
that is separate from the food and music. Expect excellent artist amenities provided by a seasoned staff that know what an artist needs to be comfortable through the festival hours. You cannot be in the metropolitan Detroit area on this weekend without being aware of the reach of
Arts, Beats & Eats promotion on the radio, TV and print media. Many people attend out of curiosity but return time and again because of the exciting festival ambiance. If you enjoy urban audiences, want to meet a lot of people drawn by the multiple events and have a great presentation that will stand out, this is the place for you. This is one of the seminal art fairs, one that will have you energized by its vitality and pleased by its sales. Applications available online at:
www.juriedartservices.com Or for more information:
www.ArtsBeatsEats.com or
Lisa@artsbeatseats.com or
connie@artfaircalendar.comRead more…
From the Pittsburgh Business Times today:
"The 50th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival will be a 10-day affair, instead of the nearly three-week event of years past.
“In response to feedback from participating artists and audiences, we have decided to change the festival to a new 10-day format,” J. Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said in a statement. “Given our planning timeline and current budget, the concentrated period will allow us to focus on ensuring the quality of the programming.”
The festival will be held from June 5 to 14. It will include an Artists Market, live outdoor concerts and events for children.
McMahon said he expects attendance to be robust regardless of the shortened length of the festival. Past attendance estimates have ranged from 400,000 to 600,000 people."
This is an interesting development. In the past the event lasted for 21 days with three shifts of artists exhibiting their work, one group for each week. This seems to me like a good way to revitalize the event, albeit making a more challenging application for the artists.
What do you think? Is this a good thing for artists? for Pittsburgh? Let me hear from you.
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The call for entries for this event in downtown Royal Oak, MI, on June 13 and 14 has been extended to March 13 and 14. Mark Loeb, organizer for the event for the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce has this to say:
Hi Connie- Clay, Glass and Metal Show is still needing more metal as this is the first year accepting that medium and not getting enough applications for that medium yet. Anything you could do to help me would be appreciated. We're fine on the other media.
Jurying is next Friday, so I reset the deadline on Zapp to allow apps until Thursday night. THANKS
Mark Loeb
Integrity Shows
734 216 3958
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Cafe Handmade is dedicated to the reader experience and promoting artisans! We are excited to announce our new Cafe Handmade Reader Rewards!Cafe Handmade will hold a drawing on the first Monday of each month and one lucky winner will receive $50.00 to shop in any of our Reader Rewards Sponsored Shops. They can spend $10 at shop A, $25 at shop B, and $15 at shop C. Cafe Handmade will send a credit to the shop in the amount the winner would like to spend there.There are two ways readers can enter the drawing.1) Subscribe to our eNewsletter. Everyone on the eMailing list will be entered into the drawing every month.2) Participate in our Weekly Scavenger Hunt (another exciting new feature on Cafe Handmade) and will be eligible for up to 4 entries a month.Its that easy! The winner will be drawn using Random.org on the first Monday of each month.So, Im sure now your asking how to become a Reader Rewards Sponsor and what is in it for you?A Reader Rewards Sponsor will receive:* Dedicated post with all participating shops 125x125 ad. Shown here.* Program will be mentioned in the weekly eNewsletter. We will rotate ads from participating shops week to week* Increased traffic to your shopYou can click on our site for details if your interested in becoming a Reader Rewards Sponsor.The first drawing will be on Monday April 6th.Click here to sign up.Sign up before March 1st and your 90 day paid period wont begin until then.We are very excited about this and hope you are too!
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Posted by Connie Mettler on November 25, 2008 at 10:26am
This man, William Hork, was well known throughout the Chicago art community for his love of art and his love of connecting with other art aficionados and his love of selling art--a triple threat.
"He defied stereotypes and 'didn't want to just sell you a piece of art. He wanted you to know all about it," said his office manager, Janet Seitzer.
Read his story at the Chicago Tribune. The art world has lost a great booster.
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From Amy Amdur:
January 15, 2009 6:16:48 PM GMT-05:00
Dear Artists:
The company handling our digital jury, Juried Art Services (JAS) experienced record volume on January 12 which caused their computer server to crash beyond repair. JAS reports that most of the applications received after December 24 were lost. It is necessary for artists to go to www.amdurproductions.com and hit "Apply Now" and confirm that your application is complete and correct. If your application is not retrievable, it will be necessary for you to apply again. If you have paid previously by credit card or check, hit the new button that says: "Previously Paid."
To give everyone a fair chance and the time to apply or reapply, we will waive all late fees, and extend the deadline to January 28. Notifications will go out as planned by email by February 9.
We are so sorry for the inconvenience. We have more than 2000 places for artists at our summer shows and hope to see you this summer.
Please feel free to call us with any questions at 847-926-4300.
Amy Amdur, Amdur Productions
To apply to our festivals, please visit www.AMDURPRODUCTIONS.COM
Application deadline has been extended to January 28. All late fees have been waived.
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if you should be so lucky to have someone come in your booth with fabric/color samples or what i like best a tape measure...at least you have a serious customer. they are in your booth because they like your work and it is your job to convince them that YOU are the best ...if it's not the perfect color can you change that? if your art is one of a kind and you really repeat nothing...then it becomes your job to make them realize the value of the work and how it will make a statement that will be a joy for them to live with. it certainly should not be an insult to the artist when people want to match...be nice and positive and helpful...guess that sounds like too much like work to most of the "artists" but as a craftsman i know it can make a difference in your sales. we are not better than our customers and consider this...they have the money!vicki munntired furniture maker of 30 years...connie, i know the article was not really about this subject but this is just what i wanted to say.
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Welcome to Cali Hobgood-Lemme from Chicagoland who joined ArtFairInsiders.com today and became member #100 of this new social marketing network for artists. A welcome also to Ann Light, Jay McDougall, LizAnne Jensen and Michele LeVett who are #'s 101, 102, 103 7 104!!
My many thanks, really, to all 104 of you who are helping to build this site into a strategic resource for art fair artists as we enter into the Brave New World of really scary economic times. Alarming as it is, I know you are all resourceful people who will find a way to make this work for yourselves. This website can be one of the tools to make your way into 2009 and beyond.
Please use it to ask questions of one another, share your expertise, start discussions, and dispense wisdom. Invite your friends to participate, that is the quickest way to stay in touch with trends and the news in the business.
When I saw Cali's name pop up on the list today I was amazed to see that she has been in the business for 16 years. I remember seeing her when she was beginning. Then I saw her exhibit at the Ann Arbor Street Fair this summer and her expertise was readily apparent.
Can we make it to 200 by 12/31/08? Please help. This site will only be as good as you can help make it.
I am opening a new discussion tonight and look forward to your participation in the discussion section of the site. It is a question I am often asked and is a good one for the old-timers to help the newcomers with:
I’m an artist in tarpon springs, FL and I’m just starting to market my work. I have original pieces but also prints (in various sizes) and greeting cards. I’ve gone to a lot of local gift shops and ask them how they acquire their merchandise while all of them have said vendors. Are there any ideas/resources on how I can sell my work? I’d like to eventually do art shows but need some income on the smaller merch first. Katie S.Read more…
I really thought I knew about all the Florida shows worth mentioning but this event,
CraftArt 2008, in downtown St. Petersburg, held on November 22 and 23, was brought to my attention by a comment
Matthew Hatala made on the topic "
Did Anybody Make Any Money This Weekend?"
Collette Fortin of Neptune Hot Glass making the sale I visited the event's website:
http: //www.floridacraftsmen.net/main.html and found a classy website and some really nice events. Then I looked at their exhibitor list and saw lots of people I know. This looks like a very cool event. Can anyone tell me more about it? They give out $16,000 in awards and the very good news is that glassblowers
Berry Davis and
Collette Fortin of Celina, OH, won the Best of Show prize of $5000! Congratulations, Berry and Collette. If you aren't two of the hardest working people in this business, I don't know who is. They don't have a website but I did find a place where you can purchase some of their paperweights:
ObjectsofEnvy.comRead more…
I am a subscriber to Don Crozier's newsletter from the Best of Missouri Hands and a recent issue included two separate opportunities for health insurance for artists. I have investigated them only cursorily, but am going to list them here for your investigation.
1. From Joan Merrell: I may have already sent this in, but my calligraphy organization has just joined the Open Arts Network through Fractured Atlas, a group dedicated to getting affordable health and liability insurance to artists (as
well as branching into other helps for learning to run an art business or group, get grants, etc.). The more people involved, the better the insurance deals and it costs NOTHING for a group like BOMH (Best of Missouri Hands) to join. If you are interested go to www.fracturedatlas.org to check it out, Adam Natale is the contact person.
2. From Scott Snail: As some of you may know, I'm a local sculptor living in the Metro East and teaching on both sides of the river. I'm also a board member of the Potters Council, a national nonprofit ceramic artists group sponsored by the American Ceramic Society. We offer a range of benefits for members including a web presence in our members' gallery with (soon) online sales, as well as member discounts on things like Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines, books published by the American Ceramic Society, workshops and conferences that we sponsor, credit card services, shipping, rental cars, dental, optical and chiropractic services, hearing aids,
and now:
HEALTH INSURANCE!
After a number of years of searching, we have contracted with a reputable insurance firm to offer group health insurance benefits to members, at rates much better than any individual plans we know of, and comparable to many employer-based group plans.
No, I'm not shilling for anyone but the Potters Council, and there's no money in it for me or anyone else involved. But, we are a young and still growing organization, and every new member strengthens our ability to offer more and better benefits in the future. For things like group insurance, and even shipping discounts, there is strength in numbers!
Membership is open to anyone, and runs $40 a year. We're not just for potters, but for anyone working in clay, at any skill level. In fact, we don't even limit it to that. While many of our benefits will be of interest mainly to ceramics people, a lot of our benefits (like health insurance) would be worthwhile to anyone who needs those services and could use a discount. Increased membership benefits everyone involved, so even if you are a painter, a printmaker, a photographer, a poet, or whatever, it might be worth looking into. Anyone is welcome to join, even if you've never worked in clay and don't plan to. Maybe we'll recruit you later! (Just kidding.)
Seriously, it's a pretty good deal. Not free, for sure, but a lot cheaper than most other options, and we'd love to have you as a member.
Feel free to visit the website for more details about the organization: http://www.ceramicartsdaily.org/potterscouncil/
I would be very interested in learning if anyone investigates these options and what they learn from them. It seems like an impossible task, finding affordable health insurance for the self-employed. Yet, on that topic, here in Michigan we became members of the local Chamber of Commerce some years ago and were then eligible for the health insurance that was available to Chamber members. AND it was very affordable.
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or should the painting BE the sofa?
I know some of you cringe when a customer enters your booth with color samples of fabrics and paint samples. You will love this article which explores the art vs. furniture debate and shows you how to pimp your house. Me, I'm out to recreate that chandelier....
Art Meets Interior: Highfalutin’ Ways to Pimp Your HomeRead more…
From yesterday's mailbag:
Hi Connie, I thought you should know about a story concerning Indianapolis' Penrod show. My Indy art fair friends said it was all over the news yesterday. The treasurer embezzled $380,000 of Penrod Society funds. Organizers say the 2009 show will go on, but artists have to wonder how much money will be available for advertising, etc. Also, does this spell a hike in booth fees in subsequent years. The gate fee for this year may also jump... Just FYI. L. H.
Early each September the Penrod Society hosts the
Penrod Art Fair on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Museum. It is a pretty classy event showcasing not only an art fair but performing artists such as the Indianapolis Ballet and all the arts organizations of the area. Read the whole story at the
Indianapolis Star. The comments below the story are interesting too, again discussing whether or not this is an "art fair" and what the guy (an accountant) did with the money. An acquaintance from college believes it is in the hands of bookies. And the wonders of the Internet, I even found this video:
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/crime/380K_stolen_from_Penrod_Art_SocietyRead more…
From the Pittsburgh Business Times today:
"The 50th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival will be a 10-day affair, instead of the nearly three-week event of years past.
“In response to feedback from participating artists and audiences, we have decided to change the festival to a new 10-day format,” J. Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said in a statement. “Given our planning timeline and current budget, the concentrated period will allow us to focus on ensuring the quality of the programming.”
The festival will be held from June 5 to 14. It will include an Artists Market, live outdoor concerts and events for children.
McMahon said he expects attendance to be robust regardless of the shortened length of the festival. Past attendance estimates have ranged from 400,000 to 600,000 people."
This is an interesting development. In the past the event lasted for 21 days with three shifts of artists exhibiting their work, one group for each week. This seems to me like a good way to revitalize the event, albeit making a more challenging application for the artists.
What do you think? Is this a good thing for artists? for Pittsburgh? Let me hear from you.
Cafe Handmade is dedicated to the reader experience and promoting artisans! We are excited to announce our new Cafe Handmade Reader Rewards!Cafe Handmade will hold a drawing on the first Monday of each month and one lucky winner will receive $50.00 to shop in any of our Reader Rewards Sponsored Shops. They can spend $10 at shop A, $25 at shop B, and $15 at shop C. Cafe Handmade will send a credit to the shop in the amount the winner would like to spend there.There are two ways readers can enter the drawing.1) Subscribe to our eNewsletter. Everyone on the eMailing list will be entered into the drawing every month.2) Participate in our Weekly Scavenger Hunt (another exciting new feature on Cafe Handmade) and will be eligible for up to 4 entries a month.Its that easy! The winner will be drawn using Random.org on the first Monday of each month.So, Im sure now your asking how to become a Reader Rewards Sponsor and what is in it for you?A Reader Rewards Sponsor will receive:* Dedicated post with all participating shops 125x125 ad. Shown here.* Program will be mentioned in the weekly eNewsletter. We will rotate ads from participating shops week to week* Increased traffic to your shopYou can click on our site for details if your interested in becoming a Reader Rewards Sponsor.The first drawing will be on Monday April 6th.Click here to sign up.Sign up before March 1st and your 90 day paid period wont begin until then.We are very excited about this and hope you are too!
