I have gone back and forth all week on whether or not to post about this show. I don't want to be a negatron. However, I just went on Zapp to see how much I paid for my booth space and it was $375. (that was for a corner booth). I don't know how much it was for a normal booth, but $375.?? For a first time show with a first time art festival promoter? Well, I guess it's shame on me really, for signing up for the experience.
Here's my disclaimer before you read any further: I had a zero show. So take my words with a large pile of salt.
It had been many years since I had been to St. Pete so I wasn't sure what to expect. My last show there was Mainsail, maybe 15 years ago.
The show is located in downtown St. Pete and it piggy-backs on to the established CraftArt craft fair. Set up was the day before and it was a little worrisome to watch the show promoter setting up the easy-up registration booth right at the time we were supposed to be setting up. The neighborhood is a business district that looks like it's seen better days, like maybe 50 years ago. The storefronts on the block I was set up on were a mix of vintage clothing, tattoos, a used record store and a quick mart advertising "cigarettes and beer!" Oh and almost every other store front was an art gallery. You might think this was a good sign. On closer inspection, it seemed to me that all the galleries were really just glorified artist's studios with a storefront, which to me is a signal of CHEAP RENT! which is never a sign of a thriving high end business area. In fact, the promoter, David Frutko is the artist/owner of one of them (it's called the Sebastion Thomas Gallery, and I don't know who Sebastian Thomas is but all the work in the gallery was David's). Frutco is the head of EventsSt.Pete.org, according to his LinkedIn profile (which, by the way, mentions nothing about his being an artist, which I found curious).
I got to the show early on Saturday to finish setting up and I noticed that the ratio of homeless people to the other kind was, I dont know, eight to one, maybe before 10am. There were a few that really seemed to be upset that the art show had invaded their usual territory. The crowd got thicker and more well- heeled after the show opened. My own personal impression (based on 20 years of studying crowds at art festivals) was that high-end buyers were very few and far between. I did hear a RUMOR, that someone sold an $18K painting. I also heard a RUMOR, that the guy who won the painting award also sold two big pieces. I HOPE these rumors are true, for all our sakes. For myself, I couldn't even sell a $45. print. I'm thinking maybe if I'd dropped the price to $10. I might have sold a few. No, thank you.
There was a very nice breakfast for the artists both days.
Artist parking was down two city blocks and over one, but on Sunday I was able to stay in the empty lot behind my booth without any complaints. Thank God.
A funny thing happened with the judging. It has been so long since I've won a prize at an art festival, I rarely pay any attention to it, but there were actually some heavy hitters in the art festival artist world at this show, and they have very definite views about how an art festival should be judged, and they are very vocal. On Saturday morning one of the volunteers came by and told me to make sure my name sign was up because the judges were coming. I never saw or heard a judge, and my name sign never got that little red dot. On Sunday morning David Frutko came around with a list of the prize winners and the list plainly said "photography" NO AWARD GIVEN. That's when the talking campaign began. I heard several photographers going, almost, booth to booth complaining about the outrage. I heard one photographer telling the story twice to different people, and I never left my booth! Well, don't you know? The squeaky wheel gets greased! Frutko came around later that day with a new list of award winners, including one for photography- Yippee!
Breakdown went smoothly (for me, thanks to the SWEET parking space), and I was out of there, extremely ready to put this one behind me.
Now, it is highly likely that there were a few artists who were really happy with the show and will return. I know my next door neighbor (high end to the point of telling me that he didn't do the Grove last year because the year before they didn't give him a prize, well, I don't know if that's a sign of being high-end or just plain arrogant,) did not sell a single thing either.
So, this is my take on this show. Next year I will go somewhere else, or I will stay home and maybe have a yard sale.
Comments
Great comments from all. The St. Pete show was my first one and I made one sale for $20 the entire weekend. I did have a few people that I spoke with order items online and my fiance and I had a chance to scout some of the "cheap" rent locations for commercial spaces. I am mainly a fashion/wedding photographer and in Miami, I generated plenty of business without having a studio and it seems like the Tampa Bay area doesn't work the same way lol.
I had a good experience meeting many of my fellow artists and since it was my first show, I didn't feel too badly about making one sell on site. My prices could have been lowered and probably would have made a few more sales, but I'm not really complaining. The photography is more of a hobby for me and I did well enough this weekend in Delray Beach that I can cover my booth fee for St. Pete and Delray.
In 2012, I'll be more selective with shows and will try and stay away from shows in economically down areas and from first time promoters. Hope all had a great Thanksgiving!
I did really well at the CraftArt2011. I was apprehensive about the show because I had just done the Telfair Museum show in Savannah and it was very slow. I did not get out of the booth because it was really hot and I had a shady spot. I thought that the show probably was good for most, but I guess not.
I am becoming addicted to "artfairinsiders.com"! I love reading all your posts and comments. I came here with the intent on learning about artists who do art fairs. I am learning quickly and well thanks to the plethora of information available here.
I wanted to chime in on the St. Pete ARTSCAPE 2011 discussion. Obviously, I am an artist and have a studio on Central Ave. When you all were setting up and starting the show, I looked down from my studio balcony. All I could see was tents, tents, and more tents. It was exciting to watch. I really wanted to see how this show would go for you all. In our studio building, sales have been awful this year. It is so bad, I am thinking of packing up my studio and laying low for a year or two. There hasn't been one month when I made enough $$$ to cover even my studio rent (let alone even a tiny percentage of general overhead, supplies, time, effort, etc.) I knew it wasn't ME or my art because nobody around here is running to the bank.
As I gazed down on all the tent tops, I wondered how you would all do. I am so sad that many of you didn't make oodles of money, but it confirms what I have known this year in my St. Pete studio. There is very little money for art these days. It is sad, but true.
I wish you all great, good luck in your art travels. Let's all hope things get better soon.
:-)
Sheree Rensel
Wow. I didn't realize how much fun it is to write a blog post that people actually comment on. You guys may have created a monster.
And yes Connie, I have seen my fair share of good shows through the years and I'm so grateful for them and for this industry in general that has given me a way to make a living, (or these days try to make a living).:)
Many, many years ago Maria you were our neighbor at Artscape in Atlanta, Ardath Prendergast was trying to keep art fairs alive there -- do you remember it? It rained like crazy the whole weekend. I'm thinking we probably didn't make booth fee, but you had a great show -- at least it looked like nothing was going to keep the people out of your booth. Just to say, folks, Maria knows how to sell art in challenging circumstances ;)
@Maria: Hahaha! (Readers: The rumbling sound you hear is Vaughn, being thrown under the bus!!) :-)
Maria, so sorry to hear you had such a disastrous show. Thanks for the review though and hopefully your next show will wipe the memory of this one away.
This was the extent of my business-like research on whether or not to do this show: I asked Steve Vaughn what he thought. I asked him which show he would do, Artscape or Kissimmee, as I had been accepted into both.
He said "You can't sell art in Kissimmee."
I paid my booth fee.
Thanks a lot Steve Vaughn!!! I bet I could have made $45 in Kissimmee! LOL.
We have to keep our sense of humor about these things...
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