I need some help. Last year I did Madison Chautauqua. I had great sales and everyone had a good time. I was told I was cleared to buy a booth on discount for next year and I had been juried at the show. I have since remade my booth and sent a photo of the new booth which they approved.
I started out in low-end craft shows doing filigree rings (yes from castings) and have pushed myself every year to come up with new ideas and I try to learn new techniques. I still show filigree rings and buy the castings from about 5 sources. These need to be annealed, resized, antiqued, polished and set with a natural stone. It is far from instant. And I've never tried to hide what they are. They are solid sterling and I tell people they are not one-of-a-kind. I have always made a wide range of sizes because I want everyone to find something they can try on. My 3-4 are in a tray and my 10-11 in a tray and all in between have their own tray. I like the minimal look of the trays and they are really helpful in keeping track of rings since I have so many out. (20 to a tray total of 7) Last week this is what I got from the jury.
Re: Jury Restriction
Ok so we just asked to not bring the trays of pre-set rings. There were a lot in the trays.
Please simply reply to only bring rings with the mountings and settings done by the artist.
We would like the trays to not over power the beautiful pieces the artist makes, and they stand out in the booth pictures.
Lastly, we absolutely love the new rings being created and are approving them to be added to their booth if they are agreeing on the stipulations set by the jury.
They can be displayed in other manners creatively on hooks or a less bulky black tray.
I am clueless on how to display my rings and I guess the filigrees are out. And I have to say that the T shirt lady doesn't sew the T shirts and the nice painter across from me sells nothing but giclees!
Any ideas?
Replies
Interesting ways to display rings might include something like a small natural tree branch, spray-painted in a matte black, with rings delicately hung on the small branches like shiny leaves ... personally, I'd just lay it on its side as though it washed up on the shore, rather than install in something to have it upright like a tree.
I also googled "interesting ways to display rings" and found there are Pintrest pages devoted to this, such as this one: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/ring-displays/
Here's the suggestion to take vintage/thrift shop frames and add rows of rolled cloth inside the frame to display the rings might work. Then have the frames standing up on the table, instead of flat like trays ...
choosing colors that work with your booth of course.
One thing that seems true, the higher quality and more interesting your display, the more the perceived value to the customer. good luck with the changes.
or do this with vintage books ... so interesting ...
Madison Chatauqua is like that... I did the show 3 years in a row and did the early application every year. I have 2 lines in my booth, women's bags which is about 75% of my booth and kitchen accessories which is about 25%. My acceptance letter for the fourth year told me I could not have the kitchen accessories and only my bags. My kitchen line does very well so I did not want to give it up. I declined the invitation for the 4th year.
I get the image of a bunch of little old ladies sitting around with their flasks pitch'n pennies to see who get in.
I ran into another artist at the Butchertown show this weekend and the same thing happened to her. They said she was juried in the fall and paid for her next years booth. Then months later they sent her check back and said she wasn't in. I'd like to find out if this happened to anyone else. I don't have a problem with shows that tighten their requirements or change their focus. God knows I don't get into a lot of shows and I have no problem with that. But to take your money and change their mind when the season has started is mean.
Could it be the promoter decided to tighten up the jury process? Maybe what was allowed last year is not going to be allowed this year.
Yeah I can see me making coasters without the natural travertine tile I use. It is a natural stone but someone has to cut it & box it up, which involves mechanical equipment. I also use felt pads on the bottom to protect furniture but the pads are manufactured and packaged. And don't forget about the ink, it's manufactured as well. There goes the neighborhood. The art and craft world is going to hell in a hand basket!
Maybe the tie dye shirt artist and the fake paintings artist also got letters this year asking for revision, who knows.
True
I definitely get the impression that jurists are a bunch of academics who produce nothing and live in never never land. My medium is fiber (leather) and I get a lot of the same type of "no manufactured elements incorporated in work" and similar statements. OK, ladies how do you keep that dress (fabric) on without zippers and buttons. Hey old fella, here is a belt or suspenders without buckles or snaps. You want to ride that saddle without stainless steel dees or brass rigging rings?? and the list goes on.......... It really bugs me!