Hello dears! Last summer I did 3 art fairs and learned a bunch. This year I want to fill out my booth with some thrift store furniture (chiefly this small hutch, really tiny and lightweight) and a small shelf. Has anyone had a bad experience with items getting damaged in the rain? It rained for all three art fairs I did last year. All three.
I'm also springing for electricity to brighten up my tent. Any thoughts on outdoor lights and arrangements?
Also, I love the curtain look for tents. Any thoughts on attaching curtains to the back of my tent to go on either side of my vinyl banner?
I'm also looking for advice on displaying flat prints!
You can check out my etsy shop here.
Thank you so much and can't wait to see you if you're at a Chicago art fair this summer!
Replies
Hi there! I have unfortunately never dealt with outdoor lights, although I'll be following to see any advice you get...
As for furniture - yes, rain is a challenge! I have damaged some furniture in my booth (mostly chairs and smaller display made of wood) due to this, so being aware of several things would be important:
- make sure your canopy doesn't leak: when I had a pop-up tent I had a really hard time keeping my artwork and display (I'm a jeweler) dry, and lost some wood display due to warping. That's the biggest danger I can see for you if you have the pop-up tent in your photo. You can use ways to waterproof the tent canopy for drips (can find info online as to how), but a strong rain may cause pooling of water on the roof which would be dangerous for your wood furniture if you get some.
- if you are on grass, wood will get damaged. That's how I lost these cool wood tall chairs I used to have - the feet rotted out. Make sure they are on floor covering or have rubber based bottoms.
- and - if you are in Chicago (like me, hi!) humidity. Wood based furniture and display will warp over time just due to the humid weather over time.
So, if you don't want to spend a lot and are okay with periodically replacing the furniture, they could be okay for a season or two if you take measures to keep as much moisture away as possible. I certainly like the look, so I wouldn't discourage you; but just be aware.
Oh! And I've used curtains, they can be fun. Best way is to have sta-bars on the top and bottom of your walls (can get at Flourish.com for pop-up style tents) or other kinds of solid poles to hang them on; they look a lot cleaner and add some style to walls too. I'd be aware like Larry said, though, to have white walls down for booth shots and to show off your work more vs. totally open display.
Hope that helps!
This is so helpful! Last year I did the Midsommarfest and it rained pretty much the whole time. My sturdy little tent actually braved the rain quite well. I glued a can to a frisbee and put that inside the pole to create extra tension so luckily no water pooled up! It felt silly but it worked haha!
Looks like you have 2D artwork. Instead of filling the booth with things you don't make (like the sunflowers), fill the walls with your art and have a small table or desk for sales. Also your canopy should have four white walls, three of which should be hung behind your art so you don't create any distractions and people can concentrate on artwork they want to purchase.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100