All art show artists who create their own work are continuously disadvantaged by (1) buy/sell operators, (2) group operations (3) mass manufactured items, (4) co-artist teams who exhibit in multiple shows on a given weekend (5) people who jury in with a certain body of work only to display a totally different (sellable) body of work at the show and (6) people who jury under 2 or 3 mediums with the same work. I'm seeing these situations at almost every show. If we're ever going to create a level playing field, it has to STOP!
BUY/SELL: We all know that's where the "vendor" buys product somewhere else at a very low price (i.e. overseas or even the U.S.) and merely sells it at a show at high margins and/or volume, when the vendor had no involvement in the creation or production. There is absolutely no place for that in a fine art show. Don't tell me that we need to give customers "something they can afford". Patrons who want that kind of product already have an outlet (almost every chain store in USA).
GROUP OPERATIONS: I've seen this a few times with jewelers (and it might also exist in other mediums), where one manager has 2, 3 or more people apply to a show under their individual names; yet all product is owned and managed by one central manager. It is likely that the product is either buy/sell or mass produced. Each booth might have a different style (silver vs. gold, vs. something else), but the central manager collects all the monies and apparently runs the entire operation, even though the promoter thinks he/she has several individual artists creating their own work. This is deceptive and, when proven, the artists and manager should be banned.
MASS PRODUCED ITEMS: Artists who create and produce their own work are seriously disadvantaged by people who subcontract their product to mass production factories. In these situations the "artist" is no more than the outside sales person for the product. He/she may have created the original design, but is no longer involved in production because it is mass produced by any idiot that can push the machine start button and take the finished product off the machine.
CO-ARTIST TEAMS EXHIBITING IN MULTIPLE SHOWS: I've seen many instances where Co-Artist Teams actually exhibit at two shows on a given weekend. Upon inquiry, I hear that "oh, this is my work and that is his/her work". Yet they applied as a "team" of co-contributors. It's not a problem for two people to have different works. But when they apply as a team, and do not exhibit as a team, that is a problem! They are stealing a booth from another more deserving artist.
JURY IMAGES DO NOT MATCH BOOTH DISPLAY: I'm seeing this more often every month. Artists having difficulty jurying into a top shows with their "saleable" art are sending jury images with totally different bodies of work. The problem arises when the artist sets up his booth with only his saleable items and never shows the juried body of work. Art shows should always have a notebook with the jury slides and booth shot to compare the actual artist booth display at the show. Where it is not consistent, artist should be confronted and told he/she cannot exhibit bodies of work which were not juried into the show. No exceptions!
MULTIPLE MEDIUMS: I've seen people who submit applications into two or three mediums and over time get accepted into each of the mediums. Yet when their display is the same work. It has to be one or the other. It CAN'T be all three.
I just exhibited at the Scottsdale Arts Festival. I was near someone who I suspected as a buy/sell or mass production operation. When I saw that the name plate had two co-artists names but I only saw the one same person exhibiting all weekend, I was even more suspect. Now I have googled their name, found out about their production company that has been selling their items wholesale since 1972, company listed as 11-50 employees, sells through numerous retail outlets and does 40+ shows a year, etc. I continued to search and found one of the co-artists listed as a participant in Howard Alan's Juno Beach Art Show, which happened the same weekend they were in Scottsdale.
I have since sent a lengthy letter to the Scottsdale promoter and informed them of my findings and asked that they take action.
Perhaps this was the "straw that broke the camel's back", so to speak, at least for me. I've just read the blogs about certification and others to try to fix what's wrong with our industry. Certification is not the answer! The buck is always going to stop with the promoter. So it is up to all of us to educate the promoters and inform them of wrongdoings as they occur. But not just so they can slap the hand of the current artist, but to take corrective action in the future and perhaps even ban the offending artist.
And it's not just enough to take action at the current show. It is essential for promoters to communicate with each other and compare notes. I know a lot of times a director at one show is a juror at another show and vice versa. This is where each promoter's database of offending information should be shared with each other.
This is the only way we will make the playing field level for all.
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Comments
I agree with everything you said except for Jury Images do not match booth display, I mean sometimes when you enter a show or two and get excepted and sell your work you no longer have those particular artworks what are you to do, if you have been accepted on the merit of your work then it's something you have to live with! I can understand if you are juried in with oil paintings and show up with jewelry but come on!
I believe that good promoter will notice and they may tell you okay we look at it but there very few that will take that artist out of the event that day.
So the damage is done, what you do now. I believe that they will block that artist the following year. I think I can only count with one hand how many times an artist has been thrown out of the event that day b.c. they are breaking the rules. Think about the problems and how many customers will leave is this get out of hand. I understand your points but in our now we need to focus in our sales, producing quality product that will allow you to enter to any show.
These things as much they make me fume it is always been part of the game. I wish a promoter will put some input into this.
Oscar - your comment that if we see buy / sell we should be looking for other events. I agree, if there are better events within the same time period / weekend, however, not everyone is going to get accepted all at the better events, buy/sell is getting into some of the good events, we don't have the option of just not doing any shows so what is wrong with trying to alert directors of your suspicions? Let the directors police their own show, if they get enough artists expressing concerns they should at least do a little more investigation.
Exactly Oscar. I've talked on here before about the photographer I call Mr. WalMart. He sells passable photography at very low prices. I've seen him outsell me and I've outsold him. The bottom line is that if he and I are at the same show, one of us is at the wrong show.
I forgot or in case you guys did not notice. I am base from Chicago IL. I work in Frame store in Evanston, IL. There a group if they still around Artist Society Assoc. They use to do a lot street shows (entry level). Guess what happen after they start letting buy and sale in the show.
If the customer start tell you about buy and sale items you know is time to start digging the grave.
What I am trying to tell you is: if you notice something wrong with a show and or artist notice the same thing why would you put yourself in the same spot. That does not make sense. Complain to promoter may help you feel better but you tell that wont happen again.
I do not want to get rude. How can you tell 100% sure that is buy and sale. This usually apply to Jewelery and sculpture (glass, metal etc). If you notice why in the name of God you will apply next year. If you have that much time to look an artist to proof that he is buy and sale to me something is wrong with you. Should you looking for better event for your art or better yet creating art or even better you top of line art piece.
One more time that is not your job. Let the promoter deal with that. Do you think I start complaining when another photographer sale a 8X10 matted print for 20.00 and I sale the same size for 50.00. If notice that means I am in wrong place I should not apply to the show.
Last time I check if the show is full with low end and sale are not there we drop the show. If you see to much buy and sale or promoter has that reputation we do not do the show. We artist drop the show and the promoter.
Here is one thing if you do not want to or walk Wells St art fair that is your choice but you are missing a lot. You can walk the show up to 4 pm before all the party start. If you do the show like I do and is must show for me b.c. the potential. The cost to get to Old Town Art Fair and Wells is the same. Old Town booth fee is 500 and Wells st is 425. The donation fee for both show is the same. Parking is the same. Do not complain about expenses you are in Chicago IL what you are expecting. That is like going to New York or inside of Universal Studio and expect stuff to economical. Get real people. Fountain Square has never been a great show. Not even when the chamber of comm run the show and use to cost 140.00 for your booth space. It was better run by Amy but same results that in the past and present. Is not Chicago Special Events fault that show is support it by art buyer. I you need to learn about the company and what is going before you start running bad ads for the promoters.The staff of Special events are very polite and they do a good job considering the limitation that the buss. in that street and the city give them.
Just be fair, is your choice. I am always think two winter forward not just now . The now was take care two winter ago. Buss 101.
and Oscar, add Fountain Square in Evanston to my list of no-gos. Produced by the same people that organize Wells Street (Thanks Scott, I remembered!!) they have ruined a wonderful art festival. A lot of artists that used to do that show won't anymore because there is too much 'junk' at the show.
Oscar, it matters to me. I won't go to Wells Street anymore because of the circus that it is. And then to top it off, I have to pay an entry fee on top of ridiculous parking rates that make Coconut Grove look like a bargain. I will stick to the Old Town Art Fair and go home after I have visited that show.
Oscar - i worked for a person who was once quoted as saying "A New Englander doesn't worry about the winter they're in, they worry about the next winter." How does that apply? It's fairly straight forward. You go to a show and you worry about your sales at that show. You notice your neighbor is selling stuff cheaply and has UPC stickers all over their "work". You don't bring this up to the organizer or the show organizer sees this and does nothing, they'll get them the next go 'round. Well, while you're busy not noticing a lot of people *are* noticing. They now know there's buy/sell going on at the shows this promoter puts on. Word gets around and the art buyers don't bother next year. Why go? It's all cheap mass produced stuff. Now it's the next show or next winter, if you prefer. The buyers aren't there because you didn't speak up at the first show. Or people are there but they want a huge discout like that "artist" next to you was giving last year. And the yar after that, if the show survives, they want even cheaper stuff. Because you weren't concerned about the next show.
Worry about that next winter.
So ignoring it means you help that spiral. You may make good money at that first show but you need to be just as if not more worried about that next show and the one after that.
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