This is my tentative schedule as of now.
Have any of you done these shows? If so, any input on them would be appreciated! I do mixed media polymer sculptures. Price range $39-325.
Thanks.
JANUARY
01/05-01/06 12th Annual The Villages Craft Festival (Spanish Springs Town Square)
01/12-01/13 6th Annual Downtown Venice Craft Festival (Venice, FL)
01/19-01/20 16th Annual Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Craft Festival (Punta Gorda, FL)
01/26-01/27 19th Annual St. Pete Beach Corey Area Craft Festival (St. Pete Beach, FL)
01/12-01/13 6th Annual Downtown Venice Craft Festival (Venice, FL)
01/19-01/20 16th Annual Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Craft Festival (Punta Gorda, FL)
01/26-01/27 19th Annual St. Pete Beach Corey Area Craft Festival (St. Pete Beach, FL)
FEBRUARY
02/02-02/03 16th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Craft Festival (Delray Beach, FL)
02/09-02/10 19th Annual Siesta Key Craft Festival (Sarasota, FL)
02/16-02/17 21st Annual Downtown Dunedin Craft Festival (Tampa Bay, FL)
02/23-02/24 4th Annual The Villages Craft Festival (Lake Sumter)
Replies
Hi Michelle,
I agree with Geoff. I don't do the Florida circuit but I have done a couple of Howard Alan Art shows - Inner Harbor and Shadyside. If I were you, I would apply to the Fine Art shows but not the craft shows. The craft shows, I believe, would attract a lower end buyer.
Thanks Sam and Diane. Sam..Im glad youre riding unicorns and are in a 'good place':) As far as applying to the Finer Art shows by Howard Alan Im not sure I would get in. I hear that Howard Alans fine art shows want LARGER pieces and my main specialty is in smaller sized originals. My largest piece is 16 x 20. Most of my work is 8 x 10 or 11x 14. Im not sure if he's changed his views on that point or not, but in the past I was told I had to have LARGE work!
My art is original and one of a kind but the word 'FINE" ..well Im not sure would apply, although my customers really like it and call it MIGHTY FINE sometimes:) haa
I just did a Fine Art show on Labor Day and did rather well. Ive also done welln ext to BUY/SELL crap in the past (hate to say!) but at this point I will be staying with a girlfriend in Tampa so I wont have any hotel expenses and its ok if these shows are not all KILLER shows. Im also going for a mini vacation :)
This is the last time I will make a comment regarding HAE/ACE shows because at some point it will start to seem as if I have a personal vendetta against them which I do not. They have a very loyal following and I'm sure there are artists who have carved out a niche and do well at the shows.
I have done these shows in the past and I can tell you that HAE/ACE have absolutely destroyed some of these markets based on the number of shows they do there on an annual basis. If you look at the schedule of shows you'll see 5 shows in the Villages, 5 + shows in Sarasota, 5 shows in Delray beach, 4 shows in Venice...... common sense should tell you that these areas can not support that many shows. People do go to the shows but for the most part it's the same people who attend every show. The shows have become second nature to the people in the area, there is no longer anything special about them. There is absolutely no urgency for the people to buy something "today" because they know there will be another show in a few months.
Now don't get me started on the amount of buy/sell that has infiltrated the HAE/ACE shows in recent years. They will absolutely swear to you that they don't allow b/s but it is now rampant in these shows. If you dare question them about it, it is you who will be berated and either be banned from their shows or be given the worst booth locations at future shows. Do you think that doesn't really happen? Just do some research and you will hear numerous stories of this kind of treatment.
Do you really want to spend $2,000 in booth fees for that kind of treatment? Only you can decide.
I fully expect the HAE cheerleaders to chime in here to tell you about the rainbow and unicorn world they live in and to convince you to do these shows....... Once again, only you can decide.
Hope this helps.
RAMPANT buy/sell?? sigh..Hmm thanx Scott and Geoff. Im re evaluating all of this now.
My price points are similar to yours ($40-495). I'm a wildlife photographer.
I used to do about a half-dozen ACE shows a year, most of them in the transition times between high season and off-season (Oct.-Dec and May-June). I won't any longer.The ACE shows do well by some people, particularly moderate and low-end jewelers and functional artists. But I have found I write only half the business that I do at a fine art show, making them marginally profitable.
I'm not familiar with your work other than what you said above, but if you typically do fine art shows, I would not do ACE shows in peak season. There are plenty of fine art shows to do that time of year. On the other hand, if your work typically sells to a craft-oriented market, I guess it couldn't hurt to try a couple.
The off-season shows have rampant buy-sell and manufactured goods. It's been five years since I did an ACE show in season, so I have no idea if that's the case with those, or not.