I recently commented on what I speculated was the possible collapse of the Bayou City art shows. I didn't really offer anything helpful to possibly aid the Art Colony Board in their future decision making. Frankly I didn't know what to say or if it was appropriate for me to suggest anything. I'm not on any boards or committees or even a member of an art group. But I kept thinking about what a complete waste it is to sit and watch two good shows start the nose-dive into mediocrity. Then this morning I got a reminder from the Art Heist committee about sending in a high-res picture of my art donation. I found I couldn't just say nothing. I hope I am not causing trouble but I honestly believe these shows deserve every chance they can get to become great and if that means offending the Art Colony Board with some well-intentioned criticism them so be it. This is my answer to them:
Dear Art Heist Committee,
After carefully weighing the expense vs odds of making a profit I sent notice yesterday requesting a refund and will not be participating this year. This decision was not made lightly and I sincerely hope the event is successful. However, I know from my past decade of art show experience that 450 artists is an overwhelming number...not just for patrons to easily visit but also (and most important to my decision) for me as an artist to have a fair-to-good chance of making a living profit.
Art shows are akin to going gambling on the weekends for artists and its my job to get the best odds that I can. I will offer some suggestions to your Art Colony Board that I hope will be taken in the spirit in which they are offered; genuine concern for both of your shows, respect for every volunteers' effort and acknowledgment of the pressure you all work under due to the obligations you have to help support your non-profit partners.
Consistently bring a reliably high ratio of Buyers-per-Artist to the event
Make some difficult decisions about how many non-profit organizations you can realistically support.
Gate fee $2 to $5 max. Absolutely no need to sell “tickets”
Limit number of artists to 200 – 300 maximum
Eliminate the Art Heist or at least hold it during non-show hours. Better to have a quality artist & patron party Friday or Saturday evening.
Zero tolerance for buy/sell
Stage acts are not necessary but low-key local musicians are nice. A high-profile line-up does not attract a fine art buying crowd
Basic amenities like free, convenient parking, good quality food/drink vendors, low gate fee (if any) and very few “distractions” from the artwork are highly recommended
Spend your time and money on building a devoted patron base but don't waste effort on too much window dressing. Houston has something like 2 million people...your primary goal should be to get AT LEAST 100,000 of them to come to each show and then build on that every year.
Finally, the art show world is very friendly and I would think that if your director contacted other successful shows they would generously offer helpful insights into the do's and don'ts of running a top fine art show these days.
A few recommendations:
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
Plaza Art Fair
Cherry Creek Arts Festival
Saint Louis Art Fair
Sausalito Art Festival
Gasparilla Festival of the Arts
There is so much more to be said but right now I am just hoping that your board will consider how alarming it's decisions have been recently and decide to listen to artists/patrons/other show organizations before continuing too far down this new path.
Thank you for your time and effort and I wish your organization much success this year and in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Ivory
Insectworks
Comments
Well said! Every concerned artist should consider speaking out. There is power in numbers. What you said could be said about many shows out there now. I hope they are listening.
Jennifer-Your letter was perfectly written and very well stated. What I have seen and continue to see at shows is the distraction factor. Fine art/craft shows should have, as the main and most important feature, the art and the artists who make it. I did over 25 shows last year and 2/3 of them had a barrage of distractions that had nothing to do with the art. These distractions included everything from entertainers who were not paired well with art shows to non art vendors who seemed to be making a fortune while many of us worried all weekend if we would at least break even. The distraction factor needs to stop. I agree that these shows that have 400 plus artists are overwhelming for a patron and they are just too big. I go to the St. Louis show every year as a patron and at around 160 ( I think) artists it is the right size to spend an afternoon/evening and see all of the work. When shows are so big that a patron cannot see all of the work in one visit, the shows are really hurting the artists. A patron would have to be committed to spending the weekend at the giant show to be able to see all of the work. Most of the people I have encountered at shows simply can't make a full weekend committment. When evaluating shows to apply to, I think it is important for artists to consider the size of the show (bigger is not always better) and to consider the distraction factor. I could do a whole blog on the distraction factor, but in a nutshell consider entertainment selections, read reviews of the show and talk to other artists about it. On more than one occasion last year I was in shows where the art was an afterthought. Those were very expensive lessons I had to learn!
There were so many reasons to do the show (its' great reputation, for one) and reasons not to (sudden decisions to make up a shortfall by adding artists). I am so glad to hear about the people who did well. Making smart decisions is so important in making a profit in this business. Glad for you, Margo. Wendy, hope you don't have misgivings now.
Thanks so much for your honesty. I wondered all weekend how we "might" have done and was also extremely curious about the attending artist' success. Glad to hear you did well.
I do agree the art heist was a huge disruption.
I completely understand what you are saying and completely understand why everyone is upset. Here is my confession -I am one of the late add ons that paid the application fee and got rejected. I was notified on the weekend before while doing another 3 day show that I was accepted. It was confusing and I worried about the fall out and the consequences and coming up with the $500 that I wasn't planning on spending plus travel and lodging, but I had to take advantage of the situation. I am glad I did because I made several sells and talked to many patrons who were very upbeat and glad to see so many artist they had never seen before. I say this is a confession because I might have pulled out as well if I was in the first round of acceptance, but I do not regret or feel bad. It was an exhausting experience because of being last minute and of course all the walking and hauling and pulling everyone out of the mud in the Rodeo lot, but I would not have missed it for the world.
Nicely worded, but the chances of this board actually listening to good advice are zero to none. Past history bears this out.
Another story: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/greater_houston/entertainment/bayou-...
I wonder how many artists decided to cancel this show and ask for a refund. Why am I wondering that??? We were rejected from this show. Imagine our surprise when late last night we were suddenly accepted with an urging to quickly pay our booth fee via ZAPP!! We were never officially waitlisted and now we're accepted?
We already have commitments and plans for this weekend and since we were never officially waitlisted, had no plans to travel to Houston this weekend and quite frankly just can't rearrange our schedule on a whim due to family commitments. Guessing they are having a hard time getting enough artists to fill the 450 spaces and after several artists
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