I've always thought that there are two types of people who do art shows, and probably many that fall in between. Most are those that are creative and can take advantage of the concept of art shows by using that creativity to earn a living and support a family. And there are people that cant deal with the real work world and don't get along well with others. Its relative easy to tell which type that is when you're set up next to someone you either get along or don't get along with.
I became interested in photography in the early 1970’s and found that I had an innate understanding and love of the medium. I carried a camera everywhere and took pictures every day. It became an obsession. I spent a few weeks one summer on Monhegan Island (Maine) and ran into a woman who was selling her etchings. She had them spread out on a bench in front of the restaurant where most of the people ate. Intrigued by the concept of selling artwork, the following summer I brought a few boxes of my own matted photographs and the sales paid for my summer vacation. That same woman told me about a few shows in New York City that she had been exhibiting at. I made some calls and got the applications and I once I did my first show I was hooked.
Back then everything was low tech. There were no professional looking displays, everything was hand made. My first display was built with 1x2’s and pegboard with clear plastic thrown over the top if it rained.
There were no uniform bodies of work and no jury slide photographers to photograph them. Those specialties didn't exist yet. And it was relatively easy to get accepted to almost every show you applied to. You learned about shows by word of mouth from other artists, and once I learned about Sunshine Artist Magazine, I would pour over it from cover to cover looking for shows to apply to. I moved from doing mall shows to outdoor shows where you could earn more money in two days outside than for a week in a mall where you spent most of your time reading books and eating.
Once I started doing art shows on a regular basis, I became part of a "family" of artists. Friendships developed and we looked forward to seeing the same people from show to show, maybe sharing breakfast or dinner with them and you watched each others family change and children grow up. Doing art shows was a fun way of earning a living.
Technology started to affect the art show business, as it did everything else in our world. Displays began to look more professional. Bodies of work became tighter. Shows started getting more competitive. Even vehicles became more suited for transporting art.
Things were good through the end of the 1990’s. Some artists consider 9/11/2001 as the date things began to slide downhill because people cut back on non essential spending. But if you think about it, change was inevitable. Art shows became more about the money than about the art. Baby boomers were starting to age, they were the artists and the buyers of the artwork. The Internet had a substantial affect as people began to make purchases on line. You could find all sizes of art at very low prices at the big box stores. Costs related to art shows began to rise as sales dropped and artists began to earn less money. Then the move to online applications happened and the number of people applying to shows increased making it more difficult to get into shows where they would earn less money.
For some, the move from 35mm jury slides to digital jury images and the online application system became the reason or blame for the downhill trend. Better quality images of your art were now within reach of everyone, not just those artists who had hired a professional jury slide photographer in the past. With higher quality images being prepared by more and more artists, it was inevitable that applications would become more competitive.
So where will it end? Shows are no longer fun to do and artists no longer are able to make the money they did in the past. And that's where I'm going to end this essay.
Larry Berman
Digital J u r y Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
Comments
I am loving this post. I LOVE to create my art. I feel like if I took a drug that gives me peace and takes me to a special place while I am doing it, I feel passion, connection, relaxation. Every time I do a show I feel my business growing. Either creating new relationships with customers or with friend artists, or learning something new, better marketing strategies, how to display my booth better, new ideas when I hear feedback etc etc.
Last September I had to take a job in a big department store to be able to pay for booth fees, materials, invest in prints, new displays, new iPad for CC transactions, enclosed trailer so I can start traveling to shows outside IL etc. I have young children so for me going to FL to do shows during Chicago winter was difficult. On top of that my husband got sick so I went from a part time to a full time retail job so I could get insurance for all my family. Well...I HATE THAT JOB! It is so hard to do something that you don't love and we as artists have the gift to enjoy doing what we create and it feels SO good when somebody appreciates what you did with so much passion and love..I work during the week, paint at night and continue doing my shows every weekend. Every time I am ready to quit I have another expense to make so I wait another pay period, and I say, OK, this is the last month...but I am still there, unhappy and miserable
Having to work long shifts, a 25 year old manager and demanding spoiled customers that you have to put a smile and do whatever they want you to do otherwise they threaten you to write a letter to the corporate office or the general manager is SO frustrating.
My art customers are different. They buy something that you made, they respect you and admire you and some of them come back year after year to get another of your creations, they become your friends, they find you interesting. That is what life is about for me. I rather be happy and love what I do. I am hoping I can leave that job soon and now that I almost have all my booth fees covered, my images from a professional studio so I can have a better website, and my new iPad I am ready to continue with what I love to do :) I just need my enclosed trailer...ONE MORE PAY PERIOD, please, just one, I hope I can make it! Now I will have to get my own insurance but as long as I am doing what I love I don't care. It's hard to be able to afford all my expenses but working from home, feeling interior peace and seeing my kids every day is priceless.
My work is diverse - with many styles emerging. My best memory so far is when 3 heart transplant recipients walked in my booth and made a bee line to my prayer boards. They each choose one - clutching them to their hearts - and welling up with tears.
Creating art that has a healing response is the best feeling in the world!
Kathy Rose
But the story doesn't end there. He came back to the VIP party Friday night at Orchard Lake. I recognized him right away, and greeted him. I started to say that I remembered him from Birmingham, but he made a curious gesture to signal me not to say anything to his companion. He was with a younger guy, and said that he'd been looking for me all night. He walked up to the piece that he had previously purchased, and the two of them spent some minutes discussing it. They left, and later came back to the booth. Much to my surprise, he purchased another print of the piece he had already bought! Since he had signalled me earlier, I could only guess that he was buying it as a gift. It was one of the stranger moments I've had this year.
I have a tremdous respect for veterans like Larry and can understand the frustrations from those that paved the way. Time marches on, and people seem to follow. Attrition means new opportunities, new energy, and the stimulation of competition. The show world is not for the faint of heart, and I fully understand the physical demands, as well as those skill sets for good marketing and creative presentations.
I am just now finding repeat customers.How cool is it for someone to approach you at a show, say hey and tell you how much the enjoy the work. And buy another.
But I can aslo see the downside of things. I try to stay positive, and appreciate what a privlidge it is to have the opportunites to show and sell what I do, but also to meet the people sharing the experiences. Hard to do when it rains, or there are no sales but I have made myself a promise, that being when it's my time to ride into the sunset, it will be with a smile in my heart.No hand grenades will be tossed.
I'll tell you why....
I did my first show over a decade ago and the purchasers of a hand-batiked framed piece STILL come up to me at shows and tell me how much they love the piece.
I had a 17 year old boy in my booth last month who was simply fascinated by the whole idea of silk painting and the things that you can do. His comment [verbatim] was..."whoa, my mind is blown by how all of these colors work."
Elderly ladies frequently come to my booth and look at my hand-stiched wall hangings.
Do I make as much money as I'd like?
Nope.
However, the immediate benefit of having someone come in and simply enjoy what I have made is awesome.
Sure, art shows have changed over time. We need to adapt or quit doing 'em. What has not changed is that people have an intrinsic beauty "chip" and enjoy and appreciate the things that we can create.
Larry Berman
Digital J u r y Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
I don't mind the very competitive nature of getting into shows. It drives me to improve my work and it's presentation, which, for me, has resulted in higher sales. I thoroughly enjoy the business aspect of doing art shows, and find that I am pretty good at it. Marketing is both a science and art in itself, and I enjoy studying examples of brilliant marketing (a recent prime example is the Old Spice Guy campaign, especially the twitter videos).
For those who bemoan how hard things are now that the industry (it IS an industry) has changed, you may want to ponder the slogan from a t-shirt I had in college. EVOLUTION: Adapt, Migrate, or Die!!
I remember doing the Central Park South in NYC once, Larry, didn't you camp on the floor of our hotel room there across from the show?
I also enjoy going to art fairs. Since I'm involved in the operations of several I save my money to spend at those shows -- that is where I shop. It is still a thrill. One of my slogans for ArtFairCalendar.com is "Art Fairs - the last interesting place to shop in America."
Geez, what am I doing here reading and commenting on these posts. I'm supposed to be putting together the artist web images for Arts, Beats & Eats. Now I have 11 minutes to do that.
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