This is a shot of my booth (taken with Iphone) at my last art fair. It is simple as you can see I use gridwall to hang my framed work and use wood boxes for matted prints set on tables shaped in an L. Also on the table are business cards, a guest book and some smaller framed (table top style) photos.
I am looking into doing a second wall on the opposite side with gridwall as well to hang ore framed work and move my tables into a T shape in the middle or just use one in the back. I am not in a situation where I can purchase ProPannels righ now. I am also going to get a banner for the top of my tent as well as the back wall.
Couple of Questions:
Should I cover the gridwall with a solid fabric?
Would you recommend print racks (Rhickson) or are my bins okay?
I also sell photo note cared and they are in little baskets on the table. Should I get a spinning card display or are my baskets okay?
Thanks
John
Replies
I like your setup.
A solid fabric wall would appear more like a wall in a house, and thus would display your photographs as if they were on a wall. However, a gust of wind could blow the wall out and this might cause your photographs to end up on the ground. Or, even worse, a strong wind might blow out the wall and hit someone.
I think the solid wall behind the grid is fine, it looks good, and the grid wall allows for airflow. It also allows for selective placement of your work. Could you paint the grid wall the same color as the tent wall? If so, it might lose the 'grid' look.
Bear in mind I have participated in only one show and know next to nothing about how to display. However, I have been to some shows and so I speak as a guest to your booth. My first impression is that I liked it.
Where did you get your tent and grid? This is something I might like to invest in. Thank you.
Great suggestions, Jim. In addition visit as many art fairs as you can and take lots of notes on how other people display their work. How many pieces are they hanging? what sizes? whose booth looks the most inviting? whose looks bad to you and how can you avoid that? look at their bins, how much work are they showing? If money is a problem do as Jim says and use the gridwall but as soon as possible I'd cover it. It makes the display look so much better and makes you look more professional.
Best wishes.
First off, your booth looks nice and clean. Gridwall will look okay as long as you have the tent sidewall down. If it's up, breezes may move your art around. Covering them is mostly cosmetic. It will eliminate the distracting pattern behind your work, especially since your work is fairly small and busy. You probably want gridwall for the other two sides of your booth as well, so if covering that is over the budget, buy the gridwall first, make the work, then think about covering the gridwall.
Your boxes are probably okay for what you have now. I'd concentrate on using more of your wall space, and creating enough work to fill all three sides of the space. Adding a spinning rack is not going to make more money for you, but it will make more work. Think in terms of how much you make for the amount of labor you expend. Cards are high volume, low profit. Framed work is generally lower volume, higher profit.
Alan Briot's book on Marketing Fine Art Photography may prove useful. Before you invest too much time, effort and money in anything, have a plan. His book will help you do that. It's available as a Kindle book, or from his site. Maria Arango's book, Art Festival Guide, likewise provides many useful tips and advice on how to get started.
I don't see any weights on your canopy legs either. With an EZ-UP, you MUST weight it well. Actually with any canopy you must weight it well.
To summarize: think about the work you are selling, not the logistics. Focus on the photographs, not the mechanics. The mechanics will follow when you have a clear idea of how you are going to market your work and grow into a profitable business.