Greetings To all in the artist community. I have just joined Art Fair Insiders and the people who run your organization thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself. That brings us to this blog entry.

First and foremost, I need to say that I am not an artist; I am the husband (25 years) of an artist. Her name is Christine Bartling and I’m sure many of you know her. She is a Chicago-based jewelry designer who has been plying her skills for more than 30 years. I have been associated with your community on the fringe for the entire time we have been married. I began as a set-up/teardown guy, and then assumed additional responsibilities for internet/website capabilities as those technologies found their way into my wife’s world.

As time progressed and the economy deteriorated, I have assumed the additional responsibilities of Art Fair sales assistant and now, administrative coordinator. Since sales per event have diminished, circumstances dictate that Chris enter more events. Along with that strategy comes more entry deadlines, booth fee deadlines, launching a new line on Etsy, you get the drill. Enter the husband (me) who stands ready to relive Chris of the administrative horror show, so she can focus on the creative side of her world.

That brings you up to speed on why I am here. I have many questions (and I will get to those) but I also have my experience (working art fairs for 20+years) that I am willing to share with all of you who ask. I am a HUGE believer in the blog concept as a way of sharing information and experiences with an audience that has a common interest. I look forward to getting to know your community and to make all of our lives better.

Thanks,

Art Lane

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  • Welcome,  My husband is also an Art Husband but not as diversified as you are.  He is my moral support, my critiquer of both my booth and my designs, my roadie, my dinner date, my lunch getter, and my booth sitter.  And when he can't come to the show, he is my pet sitter.  Right now is also my care taker while I am recovering from foot surgery.  Art husbands/wives are so important to the artist's well being  There value can not even attempt to be measured. 

  • Hi Art and welcome aboard :)  Good to see such an involved husband in his wife's art :)

  • Hi Art,

    Welcome to ArtFairInsiders! We are happy to have you join our online community, where veteran and newbie artists, patrons, and promoters all contribute to making this a lively online community and dynamic site. 

    Many topics have already been discussed here before you joined us. You might like to try a search of your topic before you post your question. Just put your topic -canopy tents, jurying fees, Ann Arbor Art Fair, etc.- into the search bar at the top of the right side of the page. You might be surprised that someone has already asked your question. I think you'll find a lot of information here to help answer those questions, and there are many helpful friendly fellow artists here as well.

    We also ask that all new members take a few moments of their time to read the code of conduct. You will find it at http://www.artfairinsiders.com/page/code-of-conduct. There are a few guidelines that all members will need to follow because , as in any social community, we all need to work together.
    All the best,

    Connie Mettler
    Caroline Kwas

    p.s. The best way to make this system easy to use is to click on the "Follow-Email me" link at the bottom of each Forum discussion that interests you. That way the system will email you automatically whenever anyone responds. It's a great time-saver.

  • Hello Art!

    I noticed that you have an appropriate name, being an "art husband"! Welcome to our online world!! I know, I for one am looking forward to seeing your contributions here at AFI. We have a great group here, from newbs to vets- when trolling the forums, use the search function to find specific info- it's a lovely little tool! There is a lot of info here, and as we are all as unique as our mediums, there is much to teach, and much to learn. The blogs are fun, informational, sometimes silly(we all need to let our hair down sometimes and vent) and I know I for one can spend hours just trolling the forums and blogs, when I SHOULD be in the studio creating! Glad you found us, hope to hear about your adventures, and "meet" your Artisan wife! Again Welcome to the site and enjoy!

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