May 25-27
Yesterday we had over 50 participants in my weekly artist Zoom meeting and it was a lively discussion, thanks Connie for sending artists there. At least a dozen new participants asked to sign up for my weekly Tuesday morning reminder e-mail.
The jury date and time are now set based on the availability of the three jurors. Wednesday April 6th at 4:00 PM eastern time, the day after my regular Zoom meeting for artists. I'll extend the deadline for submission until the day prior to the jury, April 5th. It'll be my regular weekly link and password for my Zoom meetings which I'll post earlier that week. It will be recorded and available to download from my web site if you can't make it.
Instructions for submitting on my web site but with extended deadline to April 5th.
https://bermangraphics.com/blog/holding-a-mock-jury-on-zoom/
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
October 12 & 13, 2024
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Downtown Ann Arbor and Kerrytown District
Saturday 10am-8pm* & Sunday 10am-4pm
100 Artists
Deadline: March 10, 2024
Application fee: $30/Booth fee starts at $325
The Guild of Artists & Artisans is proud to present the fourth annual A2 Artoberfest. A2 Artoberfest is a celebration of the arts and takes place along downtown Ann Arbor’s Ann Street and N. Fourth Avenue into the charming Kerrytown District. Surrounded by parking for artists and fairgoers and adjacent to many distinctive stores, beautiful galleries and exceptional restaurants of Kerrytown Area and downtown Ann Arbor, this jury-selected show features approximately 100 jury-selected fine artists and free admission.
Join us for this intimate fall event that draws an audience of approximately 20,000 fairgoers to celebrate the arts in the beautiful downtown Ann Arbor!
*Event will include after-hours events from 6-8pm on Saturday. Artists booths can close at 6pm but have the option of staying open until 8pm.
More info: https://www.theguild.org/fair/a2artoberfest/
Contact: Nicole McKay nicole@theguild.org
July 18, 19, & 20, 2024
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Main Street in the heart of Ann Arbor
Thursday & Friday 10am-9pm, & Saturday 10am-8pm
250 Artists
Deadline: February 9, 2024
Application fee: $50/Booth fee starts at $675
The Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair is the largest of the three official partner fairs that comprise the award-winning and highly respected Ann Arbor Art Fair. Roughly 400,000 people attend the event each year. The Summer Art Fair is located on Main Street in the heart of Ann Arbor as well as Liberty, State, and South University Streets, stretching from its charming downtown to the campus of the University of Michigan.
It is run by The Guild of Artists & Artisans, a non-profit Artist Member Organization whose mission is to provide marketing opportunities to artists. It is the only show run by and for the artists. It is consistently ranked as one of the Top 100 Art Fairs in the Country.
Apply Now:
https://www.theguild.org/
Contact: Nicole McKay nicole@theguild.org
4.The verbage "Your Medium" is confusing and extraneous. I would prefer you to remove it from My Page. Just show the actual work products and note.
5. The size of the photograaphs on the righthand side and the writing fonts have been made larger and more viewable.
Thank you,
J. R.Beatty
September 28 & 29, 2024
Birmingham, Michigan
Streets surrounding downtown's Shain Park
Saturday 10am-6pm & Sunday 10am-5pm
125 Artists
Deadline: March 10, 2024
Application fee: $30/Booth fee starts at $350
Common Ground’s Birmingham Street Art Fair celebrates 50 years in 2024. Approximately 150 jury-selected artists will be featured on the streets surrounding downtown Birmingham's Shain Park with more than 80,000 fairgoers attending annually. Additionally, the fair includes a silent auction tent filled with beautiful artwork to bid on which directly benefits Common Ground.
Common Ground is pleased to continue its presenting partnership with The Guild of Artists & Artisans. This collaboration helps Common Ground maintain its status as an important regional resource helping youths, adults and families in crisis while ensuring the continuation of this highly-respected fine art fair.
More info: https://www.theguild.org/fair/common-ground-art-fair/
Contact: Nicole McKay nicole@theguild.org
|
Crested Butte, Colorado
818 Red Lady Avenue
Friday 12Noon-5pm
Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm
110-130 artists
Deadline: March 16
Application fee: $35 Booth fees start at $600-$1250
JOIN US FOR OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!
There is no more idyllic backdrop for a fine arts event than the eclectic and historic town of Crested Butte. With iconic views of the Rocky Mountains surrounding the outdoor venue, the "Premier Arts Event in Colorado" attracts a savvy and sophisticated art-buying clientele from across the country. Embarking on its 50th year in the arts festival industry, this nationally recognized event invites world class artisans and 12,000+ art enthusiasts to mingle during 3 days of visual, performing, and culinary arts with activities for the entire family throughout the weekend.
|
The Crested Butte Arts Festival wants to ensure that you have a positive experience while joining us. During the Festival, the following amenities are offered to all artists:
More info: https://www.crestedbutteartsfestival.com/
Contact: Chelsea Dalporto-McDowell chelsea@crestedbutteartsfestival.com
|
June 29 & 30, 2024
Duluth, Minnesota
Park Point Recreation Area
Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm
100 Artists
Deadline: March 15, 2024
.Application fee: $35/Booth fee: $300
Summertime on Park Point conjures a sense of rolling waves and seagulls soaring over rare beach grass and one hundred year old pines. And for one weekend each year, it brings artists and art lovers together in a festive setting that welcomes one and all. The region’s longest standing outdoor visual arts showcase returns to Minnesota’s favorite sandbar annually for 52 years. Park Point is an affluent community in the heart of the city of Duluth. "The Point" as it is affectionately called, is a unique environment and a destination in a destination town.
The Park Point Art Fair was awarded 10,000 dollars from the city of Duluth to forward its mission. Much of that money will be spent on marketing efforts making this an important year to participate and set the stage for more future support.
"I love the community spirit! I appreciate how many Park Point residents volunteer to help. And there is a special connection between the artists that is stronger than other shows. Most of all the community shows up to support the artists, even with rain in the forecast. I noticed that many visitors came with empty tote bags and were planning to shop for art."
The weekend event, which draws an estimated 10,000 visitors, offers the chance to meet 100+ juried artists showing and selling fine art and craft, while enjoying live music, good eats, art making magic and more—all in a stunning setting on the shores of Lake Superior.
More info: http://parkpointartfair.org
Contact: Carla Tamburro coordinator@parkpointartfair.org
A variety of people come to art events and everyone may be looking for something different and they’re all in different phases. Some people come just to browse and other come with cash in hand itching to buy.
As an exhibitor at events, knowing what these phases are and how to treat people in different phases is crucial to succeeding in any business. The sales funnel that we are going to go over is not our invention. It’s been used for years with great success and this post should be used as a starting point to launch you into understanding more about what your consumers go through before they buy your product.
At every event or art festival hundreds, if not thousands, of people come by your booth and look at your art.
It’s not that they don’t want to buy your art. It’s that before they saw your booth, they didn’t even know you existed and had no time to go through the sales funnel. Now that they know you exist, they enter the awareness phase.
The awareness phase of the funnel is easy to enter and leave very quickly. They just found out who you are and what kind of art you do and now, most likely, they move on and forget about you. So, how do you get that festival-goer to move down the funnel into purchasing from you?
Moving people from the awareness phase into the interest phase is all about presentation. This is when all that booth design comes into play. If they don’t come in to look at your arts or crafts, they definitely won’t be buying.
We won’t go much more into booth design because of how much material is already written on the subject on the web. Just make sure you do your research and be constantly improving. The sales funnel works like a real funnel, the more you have at the top, the more people trickle down and purchase.
This is the phase where the potential customer knows who you are and likes your product. They haven’t yet thought about buying but at least they like your stuff!
They are now ready to do some product research on their own. How much everything costs is the most obvious part of this phase. The consumer may also want to know what the piece is made of, what inspired it, etc. If it is a craft that has a function what is that function? How long will it last? Where in their house would it go?
This doesn’t mean they don’t want to buy! Just not today. If you don’t help them progress down the funnel then they may never buy. So in this step, it’s crucial to get their contact info! Their name and email at least. Giveaways work great for this.
Here are some ideas:
Put one of your pieces as a prize for a giveaway. To enter, they have to give you their name and email. You can easily do this with a tablet.
Another idea is to offer a 10% coupon if they give you their info. At the very least offer them some candy or a bottle of water in return for following you on Instagram.
This way you can email market to them when you have new art. Of course, this requires you to have an email marketing plan which is free if you use MailChimp. That way you can push them to your website or Etsy page when they are ready to buy down the road.
Let’s say you have a newer type of art, whether it’s a unique painting or piece of jewelry, people passing by your booth have never seen it before. They leave without buying from you and they are very interested in your product. Now, they are at home figuring out where your piece would go or when they would wear it. On top of that, they are now researching artists like you to see who else makes what they want.
They are researching prices, quality, shipping times, etc. If you make an amazing seashell necklace and sell it for $150. A consumer will go online and see if they can find something similar to what you sell, but less expensive.
This is why getting their email is so important, so you can tell them what makes your product unique and worth every penny of that $150. Whether it’s because you handmake each one or they are all from the same local beach to which the consumer may have an emotional attachment. Or maybe you flew to Fiji because you can only find a specific shell there.
Without telling them this info how would they know? The traffic levels of many art festivals make it impossible to tell everyone all the details that you’d like.
The consumer has now decided to purchase. At this point, people will start negotiating with you. Many talented artists fall short on the business sides of things and learning to skillfully negotiate will serve you in all parts of your business.
In this phase the purchase is made; however, the customer journey is not over. You want thrilled customers that talk you up on social media and tell all their friends about how you are the next Michelangelo.
In order to delight your customers think about the following aspects of the purchase process:
How do you pack up your art?
Think of the best packaging you've seen. One reason it was so great was that the packaging was specifically chosen to fit the product. So, do you wrap your art it in a newspaper and then put it in a plastic grocery bag? Or do you pull out measured boxes that fit the product perfectly and tie a bow on it?
Some art can be big and/or heavy so how do you improve the delivery process?
Do you offer to help people take heavy or bulky pieces of art to their car? If you have a huge picture or a wooden table with the words “FREE DELIVERY!” on a sign next to it, do you think that would eliminate a consumer’s concern?
It’s the things after the purchase that work wonders to solidify an amazing impression in a customers mind leading to repeat sales and referrals.
Understanding where your customers are in the funnel will you allow you to treat them differently and market to them more efficiently. While some people seem to go through the whole funnel within minutes and purchase. They most likely have been thinking for a while about getting something like your product and you happen to be in the right place at the right time.
September 28 & 29, 2024
Madison, Indiana
Downtown Madison along the Ohio River
Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm
200 Artists
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Application fee: $25/Booth fee: $350
At the end of September each year, Madison’s National Landmark Historic District welcomes around 40,000 visitors during the two-day Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art. The festival is Southern Indiana’s premier outdoor juried arts & crafts festival featuring approximately 200 exhibitors. This festival is free to the public and designed for the whole family to enjoy, although pets do need to remain home.
Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art is a non-profit organization operating under the umbrella of Visit Madison, Inc. For the last 50 years, a committee of volunteers and coordinators have worked hard to ensure this festival has something for everyone. Along with them, hundreds of volunteers, City of Madison employees and the Mayor of Madison work together to make the entire Chautauqua weekend a success.
Testimonials
"Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art is dedicated to the arts, the artists, and their patrons! I recommend this art show in every way as the show you don't want to miss!"
"This is a great show and the organizers clearly care about the quality of the event and the artists as well. The attendance and buy-in from the community is great and the location couldn't be more beautiful. I appreciate the security at the event as well."
In addition to the fine artists and craftsmen showcasing their handmade work, the festival features continuous live entertainment, a riverfront food fest, kid’s activities, and an entertainment garden with local craft beer.
For more info: madisonchautauqua.com
Contact: Kara Hinze info@madisonchautauqua.com
August 10 & 11, 2024
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Flat Iron Park
Saturday & Sunday 10am-4pm
80-90 Artists
Deadline: March 31, 2024
Application fee: $35/Booth fee: $255
The 44th Annual Art in the Park is a juried art fair sponsored and produced by the Geneva Lake Arts Foundation, Inc (GLAF), a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation formed to encourage individual artistic growth and excellence, as well as to increase community exposure to the arts. The Foundation is composed of about 150 local artists who proudly display their work at Gallery 223 in Lake Geneva. This event is the primary fundraiser for GLAF.
Amenities
Booth sitting services, easy load-in and load-out, one parking spot, welcome package, bottled water, continental breakfast, food vendors, and great views of Geneva Lake.
Awards
One Best of show for $500, seven Awards of Merit for $100 each, and one John Larson Memorial Award for animal-themed artwork for $500. Judging is conducted on Saturday morning by a panel of GLAF Members. Awards are presented and posted on Sunday morning.
Learn more: https://www.genevalakeartsfoundation.org/
Contact: Jeff Russart aitplakegeneva@gmail.com
Arctic wolves inhabit the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland but are referred to as polar wolves or white wolves. Despite the sheer beauty of these animals, they are incredibly difficult to photograph. They survive in frigid Arctic temperatures.
Anyone who has ever seen an arctic wolf can attest to their beauty, whether in print or person. This is what draws so many photographers to try and capture arctic wolf pictures. There truly is something majestic about these canines that pulls so many people to them. Countless stories, fables, and myths have depicted these animals as courageous and fearsome creatures. While their real-life counterparts aren’t magical creatures in a literal sense, those who have interacted with them may say otherwise.
Explore More: Horse Pictures, Bald Eagle Pictures.
We are pleased to inform that the call for
the Artists-in-Residence Program in 2020 at AIR-HMC, Budapest has been opened. For applying, please write us for more info and application form to
bszechy@yahoo.com .
We are looking forward to receiving applications of artists who have interest in our program.
Beata Szechy,(HMC)
http://www.hungarian-multicultural-center.com/
