Greetings. I'm doing a paper for an art class on the topic of how an artist evaluates which art shows are worth applying to and attending. To provide some background, I had a show booth for several years and had limited success; now I'm preparing to re-enter the market and want to do a better job. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts to share on the subject. Specifically, I have the following questions, but feel free to chime in with other thoughts if you have them.
-- As a beginning artist, how do you know if a show is out of your reach, talent-wise? I could apply to the Top 20 shows on Sunshine's 'Best Of' list, but with the stiff competition it's a waste of my time and application fees. How do you judge what "tier" you're at as an artist? And how do you find shows at that level?
-- How do you judge the level of craft vs. fine art content of a show? In my last foray into the art fair world, I ended up in several "craft shows", and it was a waste of a weekend. But based on the promotional material I'd received, the shows seemed more "art" and less "craft". How does one tell, without travelling to see a show in person?
-- How do you judge the sales potential of a show, or the amount of walk-through traffic it will receive specific to your particular work?
-- Do you have a preference between paid admittance or free-gate shows? Is it a better show if there's music or some other entertainment attached?
-- The two times I applied for and worked first-time shows were a disaster. Is there ever an occasion where you would consider attending the first year of a show? What factors would have to be in play for you to agree to attend a first-year show?
-- The farther away you have to travel for a show, the more it costs and greater commitment it requires. How do you judge how far to range from your home base, and what factors would prompt you to extend beyond the usual range?
-- Are there any other factors you use to evaluate whether you want to do a show?
-- Are there any other forums or avenues I should use to pursue the answers to these questions?
Thank you very much for your time!
Monique
-- As a beginning artist, how do you know if a show is out of your reach, talent-wise? I could apply to the Top 20 shows on Sunshine's 'Best Of' list, but with the stiff competition it's a waste of my time and application fees. How do you judge what "tier" you're at as an artist? And how do you find shows at that level?
-- How do you judge the level of craft vs. fine art content of a show? In my last foray into the art fair world, I ended up in several "craft shows", and it was a waste of a weekend. But based on the promotional material I'd received, the shows seemed more "art" and less "craft". How does one tell, without travelling to see a show in person?
-- How do you judge the sales potential of a show, or the amount of walk-through traffic it will receive specific to your particular work?
-- Do you have a preference between paid admittance or free-gate shows? Is it a better show if there's music or some other entertainment attached?
-- The two times I applied for and worked first-time shows were a disaster. Is there ever an occasion where you would consider attending the first year of a show? What factors would have to be in play for you to agree to attend a first-year show?
-- The farther away you have to travel for a show, the more it costs and greater commitment it requires. How do you judge how far to range from your home base, and what factors would prompt you to extend beyond the usual range?
-- Are there any other factors you use to evaluate whether you want to do a show?
-- Are there any other forums or avenues I should use to pursue the answers to these questions?
Thank you very much for your time!
Monique
Replies
I didn't expect any easy answers or a catch-all source of info; part of the challenge of art-for-money is that we have to constantly write our own how-to manuals. I was seeking information on how other, more experienced people make these decisions, and there's a lot of good thoughts in the posts.
Ultimately I know the only way to establish which shows work for me is through trial and error. But as you all know, the first few years are tough and avoiding mistakes is the key to continuing.
Again, thanks to everyone who's posted so far. And if you haven't posted already but have thoughts, please feel free to share!
-- As a beginning artist, how do you know if a show is out of your reach, talent-wise? I could apply to the Top 20 shows on Sunshine's 'Best Of' list, but with the stiff competition it's a waste of my time and application fees. How do you judge what "tier" you're at as an artist? And how do you find shows at that level?
Experience, experience, experience!
"Competition" will be at every show you do. So only you can judge what competition is beyond you. So you look for well known promoters. You research them. You ask others about them. But the absolute BEST way to evaluate a show is to walk it beforehand. That's called research. It's called homework.
Also, NEVER go by SA's Top 685 anything list. That is for sales figures only and nothing else. You can have a show full of B/S and if the B/S merchants fill out the audits, and made tons of money, the show is ranked. Commit that to memory.
-- How do you judge the level of craft vs. fine art content of a show? In my last foray into the art fair world, I ended up in several "craft shows", and it was a waste of a weekend. But based on the promotional material I'd received, the shows seemed more "art" and less "craft". How does one tell, without travelling to see a show in person?
Never believe the pretty brochures the promoter sends out. Some say they are in the "Top 100" but neglect to inform you that was in 1998! And they keep printing the same pretty brochure year after year. And you must again do your own homework. You're trying to take the easy way out, and it doesn't work here. You must, at every opportunity walk a show before you decide to do it, or form a close and trusting network of friends, and exchange information. A stranger who does metal isn't looking at the same customer as a 2D artist. And some exhibitors think $1,000 is a "fantastic" show, while others won't get out of bed for a $1,000 show.
So you did a "craft show". Did your legs fall off? No. Did you learn anything? I hope so. So it wasn't a "wasted weekend".
-- How do you judge the sales potential of a show, or the amount of walk-through traffic it will receive specific to your particular work?
You can't.
In this economy, the people aren't spending like the did even 3 years ago. And no promoter in my book can tell you what kind of potential buyer will attend any show. That's just part of this business.
-- Do you have a preference between paid admittance or free-gate shows? Is it a better show if there's music or some other entertainment attached?
I like paid attendance shows. Those customers know what to expect and are willing to pay to get in. They're buyers, not browsers out for a nice day in the park with us as the "entertainment".
Music? Yeah, I really love being within earshot of local rock garage band playing at full volume. Or somebody selling CDs of their piano playing. And they play callllming, sooooothing music for three days. Some have been known to put their fellow exhibitors to sleep!
-- The two times I applied for and worked first-time shows were a disaster. Is there ever an occasion where you would consider attending the first year of a show? What factors would have to be in play for you to agree to attend a first-year show?
All I need is an open weekend. And if I make money beyond the expenses, that's more than I would have made if I sat on the couch. If I walk out with $500 above the show fee, good for me! That's money for supplies!
But that show must be within 75 miles, so there's no hotel. So I will do first time shows.
-- The farther away you have to travel for a show, the more it costs and greater commitment it requires. How do you judge how far to range from your home base, and what factors would prompt you to extend beyond the usual range?
I drew a 250 mile radius around my home. I can fill my 40+ show schedule quite easily within that range.
This is not an easy business. It's not for the faint of heart. You WILL do shows where you will make little or no money, simply because the people didn't want what you had that particular weekend. Or it rained. You cannot avoid that. You just deal with it and go on to the next show.
There are no easy answers.
Do you see high quality art in the photos? Do the booth tents look professional? Is there a booth map you can look at that shows booths organized for traffic flow or are there a lot of dead ends and side traps (little pockets of booths that lead away from the main traffic flow). Does the list of artists within categories seem to have a lot of weird, funky stuff (corncob pipes, Raggedy Ann dolls, etc.)? If there are thumbnail images of accepted artists from last year's show, is the quality what you were hoping for? Does the map show a lot of music stages, especially situated among the art booths? Is the number of artists commensurate with the size of the town/city? Is the local economy good, so-so, or dead in the water?
But most of all - do the on site photos show LOTS of people, or just a few wandering around? Those few could be artists looking for friends in a dead show!
A new show can be awful or great; mostly the former. Don't do one more than a few hundred miles away so that your expenses aren't too bad. My success rate is more bad ones than good ones, though the good one this year made up for the two bad ones I did!
A few quick comments and hopefully answers...
When researching a show, check out that show's website. They often post participating artists' jury images, which will help you judge both the quality level and balance of a show.
For me and many artists I know, subscriptions to the Art Fair Sourcebook have been invaluable. Listings for shows include contact info, deadlines, rankings and ratings compared to other shows (separated by fine art, fine craft and traditional craft), percentages of various mediums and actual numbers of artists in each medium the previous year. There is also a list of the top ten earners for the previous year by medium (such as 2D, abstract, drawing) and those artists' best-selling price points. There is also a written description of the feel of the show, reviews by other artists, and information on load-in and -out, level of supportiveness to artists, and a brief description of the show's jury process.
Of course, as you get into doing more shows, you will meet other artists who will also have a good feel for shows where your particular work might do well. The show most recommended to me by other artists did in fact end up being my best show every year.
Good luck!
Sheila
Let me first say I have only been doing the art fair circuit for 4 years, so I am by no means as experienced as others on this site, but here are some thoughts.
I am a 2-D artist, pastel on paper, on the contemporary side and not for everyone. (I am assuming you are a 2-D person by your comments). I agree with you that for us, craft shows are not worth our time. I try to do shows that at least have a 50 -50 mix, or even all fine art. It has been my observation that some top name shows seem to have better sales for the craft and 3-D, than for us (Lakefront in Milwaukee, Longs Park in PA, for example).
I tried a first time show last year - I will never do that again.
Another question you need to ask yourself is - Who are your potential patrons? Does your work appeal to the young? or an older population? If your work appeals to the young then go for shows where they come out. ( in my case I have found young buyers concentrated in cities; Philadelphia, Houston, Fort Worth, Bellevue in Seattle, Kansas City). If your work appeals to an older audience, maybe retirement or vacation areas would be good. Florida is tricky, since the economy is bad there. Others can chime in on Florida. I won't go there for the near future.
Which brings me to subject of local economies. Again, this is tricky, but it seems to me where economies and demographics are growing, I do better. I live near Philadelphia, and have done a # of east coast shows, and although the economy is not as volatile, the shows seem a little stagnate. When I go further west, it seems the population is growing, along with their economies and I do much better.
As far as how far to go, it depends on what you can tolerate. This year I took the risk of going clear across the country, with all that expense of gas, lodging and wear and tear on my vehicle. I like driving and sight seeing, and made some of the trips vacations. I thought do I sit at home for that 2 weeks and make nothing, or do I take a chance and make some money. This year it paid off. What happens next year? I could bomb.
A question in my mind after my experiences this year is - Does doing a well established show the first time give me an edge 'cause my work is new to that audience? Does doing that same show again mean less sales 'cause they saw it last year? I haven't seen a pattern yet, and I am wondering what more experienced art fair artists have observed.