Barbara Berney posted in the extended deadline blog about shows might not be getting enough quality applicants.
To quote her here; "In talking to other show directors, I often hear a note of desperation. So many "regulars" are retiring or just not returning that it has made filling up and keeping a good mix of high quality art very difficult. I think many shows are having more difficulty attracting talent. Another large show in my city was begging artists to come back."
I've heard this before, even from shows that might be considered top shows. An artist that was a juror for Boston Mills a few years ago said the same thing in a post to the NAIA forum, though many of the good artists we knew had been rejected that year. And though the show advertises different artists each weekend, there are quite a few artists that do both weekends. Might it be not enough applications instead of not enough quality applications?
In an interview I did with Terry Adams last year, he said that Cherry Creek gets enough high quality work to fill two shows of equal quality. But yet the State Street Ann Arbor show has normally invited back up to 50% of the exhibitors to maintain the quality.
Any comments?
Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
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I find in today's art shows it is not the quality of the old shows, it is sometimes get as many as you can for the money but not the experience nor the artistic ability. The last one I went to had a fish with pink polka dots and she won seven hundred and fifty dollars, it was if a child had painted it. Am I the only one out there that feels that way? I know the new art is different but how different does it have to be? It didn't even look like a fish.
I agree with you Holly. Every generation begins again and does things their own way. Not everyone even now wants to do what we do with the show business. Who knows what the future holds for shows. We will see but art will continue to be made and young people will and do make plenty of it. Generalizations are generally, tee hee, not very helpful.
My original blog was at extended deadlines especially by the big boys- a true money grab-GREED- it is not a problem of Quality applicants when over 1000 apps come in to fill 225 spaces at the richest prize money show in the U.S.- Gasparilla - And if any show should get that many crap apps (and not enough quality apps) then that show has alot of work ahead of itself to change their image and reputation. Award winners ;and invitees (some shows have a commitee that juries on site for the next year and invites tha artist) are important to be reinvited back- this keeps the quality and reputation of the show intact. QUALITY BUYERS = QUALITY ARTISTS and that is what shows need to concentrate on bringing to the table. Advertize the art aspect first-- music,food, kids art are secondary,- almost every town that has a festival has good demographics for art festivals;; Focus on the art aspect if it's an art festival//(I won't do a strawberry festival or such).
Oh by the way there are plenty of young artists out there making great work// American Style magazine has their 10 emerging artists issue// ACC has an emerging artist section// Penland, Pilchuck,Haystack, RISDI, and the 55 t colleges that have Glass programs are packed with excitement (I am sure ceramics,wood ,metal are also in this thread).Jacksonville University is filled up in glass & ceramics students. So if you haven't seen any young artists lately; come to my booth and meet my son Jon (glass artist); he will talk your head off like you were a long lost friend-you can feel the excitement of his creating art- but it will be between his constant sales to our collectors; that the good shows cultivate. Fair Winds
I just realized you and I are going to be very close to each other when I move. I am moving to Louisa hopefully in March. I hope the big snow doesn't come - if it does I have to head for Florida on Christmas day which is going to suck.
My 20 years old came home from college yesterday. She had a taste for cake, so she made one, while we caught up with things. She wanted to decorate the Christmas tree, but I’d run out of hooks. She got a roll of wire and pliers and made some. She’s just gotten an IPOD for her birthday, so she downloaded some music. While that process was running, and while she was off and on with tech support, she made Christmas cards to give to her friends. I told her we had some on hand, but she said she’d prefer to make them. Then she wrapped her gifts, hand decorated all the packages, made all the bows, and wrote rhyming clues to the tune of Twas the Night Before Christmas to create a scavenger hunt with my gifts.
She woke up today to a flat tire. It was all I could do to talk her out of changing the tire herself, rather than wait for Triple A. She only agreed because she was all dressed up, and I said I had paid all that money for roadside assistance, now I wanted to use it.
Kids today…so helpless.
julie susanne > Linnea LahlumJanuary 5, 2011 at 8:12pm
This had been hard to follow anything with the shows since I had one of a Kind Chicago and I work in a framing store. I am putting around 46 to 50 hours a week in the store.
I am in my early 40 and know a few good young artist in 30. There are few young photographer in Larry Berman forum. Thanks to Larry we as fine art photographer have a great source for info and understanding the art fair buss. Most artist do not have this source. We need to help the younger artist to get into the art shows. The cost a very high and it difficult to produce that income when you are new and dealing with the up and downs.
The promoters need to stop raising the booth fees and increasing the numbers of artist in a show. Sometimes I wonder if they are watching the news. I think that few years ago some them stop doing advertising as they did. I know it a lot of money to make a show but between the jury fees going up and booth avg around 300 to 500 for 5 to 7 (scale show 1 to 10) and higher for 8 to 10 show it hard to make a profit when you add all your expenses and your time.
The other thing the people that are doing well in the shows are the people producing art that you can use everyday. Any other type of art is hard to sale and you are working against 60% of the artist in the show. We are no getting 30 to 50 age couple walking the shows looking for art. Most of those people lost their home, jobs, hope and faith in this past years are this group age. They are also looking for something economical and they are more worry about the future than the buying stuff. The sweet spot is anything not higher than 200 but if you do not have traffic it hard to make 3000 just moving 25 to 50 items.
In general higher booth fees, more artist, lack of new artist that are not scare, not enough quality customers and our great nation reality is going to a stuff 2011. Experts expect 2012 to be a great year and both parties will fight for the glory.
Rificulous is a little strong. I dont think its accurate though. The amount of art work that is done and can be done on a computer is mind boggling. I have two different 3d animation programs, theres ever present photoshop, illustrator, etc etc...movie studio...
The computer and digital age has blown the top off the art world and its still spinning. THAT SAID - painting, be it watercolor, oils or pastels are still literaly timeless and ever free standing as valid creative mediums. What the digital age has done perhaps most notably is finally given the photographer NEAR illustrator-like freedom through image manipulation.
Im not particularly in-love with photoshop or these digital mediums, i am a traditional oil painter. BUT there is no denying it the valid creative tool that the PC/Mac has become.
Since this discussion has gone around the world, let me give a little more of a push. The customer has changed. Once people felt good about their appreciating homes, now the value of castles is falling like a rock. It is hard to feel good about a depreciating asset, even harder to spend money on it. Our demographic has changed. My customer used to push a baby and have one in the oven. Now, he has got a ring in his nose. Eugene Talmadge, the 64th governor of the great state of Georgia once stated when asked the state of the Georgia's penal system, "we will have better jails when we have a better class of criminals." We and promoters have to look to entertaining a new demographic. I think the Indie Crafts movement gets this.
Larry Berman > Paul FlackDecember 17, 2010 at 9:48pm
two things you can try. You can reload the page and the edit function should be available. The other is to change browsers after making your post. Sometimes I have to do one or the other to see the edit link.
Replies
I find in today's art shows it is not the quality of the old shows, it is sometimes get as many as you can for the money but not the experience nor the artistic ability. The last one I went to had a fish with pink polka dots and she won seven hundred and fifty dollars, it was if a child had painted it. Am I the only one out there that feels that way? I know the new art is different but how different does it have to be? It didn't even look like a fish.
My original blog was at extended deadlines especially by the big boys- a true money grab-GREED- it is not a problem of Quality applicants when over 1000 apps come in to fill 225 spaces at the richest prize money show in the U.S.- Gasparilla - And if any show should get that many crap apps (and not enough quality apps) then that show has alot of work ahead of itself to change their image and reputation. Award winners ;and invitees (some shows have a commitee that juries on site for the next year and invites tha artist) are important to be reinvited back- this keeps the quality and reputation of the show intact. QUALITY BUYERS = QUALITY ARTISTS and that is what shows need to concentrate on bringing to the table. Advertize the art aspect first-- music,food, kids art are secondary,- almost every town that has a festival has good demographics for art festivals;; Focus on the art aspect if it's an art festival//(I won't do a strawberry festival or such).
Oh by the way there are plenty of young artists out there making great work// American Style magazine has their 10 emerging artists issue// ACC has an emerging artist section// Penland, Pilchuck,Haystack, RISDI, and the 55 t colleges that have Glass programs are packed with excitement (I am sure ceramics,wood ,metal are also in this thread).Jacksonville University is filled up in glass & ceramics students. So if you haven't seen any young artists lately; come to my booth and meet my son Jon (glass artist); he will talk your head off like you were a long lost friend-you can feel the excitement of his creating art- but it will be between his constant sales to our collectors; that the good shows cultivate. Fair Winds
My 20 years old came home from college yesterday. She had a taste for cake, so she made one, while we caught up with things. She wanted to decorate the Christmas tree, but I’d run out of hooks. She got a roll of wire and pliers and made some. She’s just gotten an IPOD for her birthday, so she downloaded some music. While that process was running, and while she was off and on with tech support, she made Christmas cards to give to her friends. I told her we had some on hand, but she said she’d prefer to make them. Then she wrapped her gifts, hand decorated all the packages, made all the bows, and wrote rhyming clues to the tune of Twas the Night Before Christmas to create a scavenger hunt with my gifts.
She woke up today to a flat tire. It was all I could do to talk her out of changing the tire herself, rather than wait for Triple A. She only agreed because she was all dressed up, and I said I had paid all that money for roadside assistance, now I wanted to use it.
Kids today…so helpless.
Well said!
~~julie susanne
This had been hard to follow anything with the shows since I had one of a Kind Chicago and I work in a framing store. I am putting around 46 to 50 hours a week in the store.
I am in my early 40 and know a few good young artist in 30. There are few young photographer in Larry Berman forum. Thanks to Larry we as fine art photographer have a great source for info and understanding the art fair buss. Most artist do not have this source. We need to help the younger artist to get into the art shows. The cost a very high and it difficult to produce that income when you are new and dealing with the up and downs.
The promoters need to stop raising the booth fees and increasing the numbers of artist in a show. Sometimes I wonder if they are watching the news. I think that few years ago some them stop doing advertising as they did. I know it a lot of money to make a show but between the jury fees going up and booth avg around 300 to 500 for 5 to 7 (scale show 1 to 10) and higher for 8 to 10 show it hard to make a profit when you add all your expenses and your time.
The other thing the people that are doing well in the shows are the people producing art that you can use everyday. Any other type of art is hard to sale and you are working against 60% of the artist in the show. We are no getting 30 to 50 age couple walking the shows looking for art. Most of those people lost their home, jobs, hope and faith in this past years are this group age. They are also looking for something economical and they are more worry about the future than the buying stuff. The sweet spot is anything not higher than 200 but if you do not have traffic it hard to make 3000 just moving 25 to 50 items.
In general higher booth fees, more artist, lack of new artist that are not scare, not enough quality customers and our great nation reality is going to a stuff 2011. Experts expect 2012 to be a great year and both parties will fight for the glory.
Merry Christmas.
Connie thanks and did not forgot.
Rificulous is a little strong. I dont think its accurate though. The amount of art work that is done and can be done on a computer is mind boggling. I have two different 3d animation programs, theres ever present photoshop, illustrator, etc etc...movie studio...
The computer and digital age has blown the top off the art world and its still spinning. THAT SAID - painting, be it watercolor, oils or pastels are still literaly timeless and ever free standing as valid creative mediums. What the digital age has done perhaps most notably is finally given the photographer NEAR illustrator-like freedom through image manipulation.
Im not particularly in-love with photoshop or these digital mediums, i am a traditional oil painter. BUT there is no denying it the valid creative tool that the PC/Mac has become.
Pete
Since this discussion has gone around the world, let me give a little more of a push. The customer has changed. Once people felt good about their appreciating homes, now the value of castles is falling like a rock. It is hard to feel good about a depreciating asset, even harder to spend money on it. Our demographic has changed. My customer used to push a baby and have one in the oven. Now, he has got a ring in his nose. Eugene Talmadge, the 64th governor of the great state of Georgia once stated when asked the state of the Georgia's penal system, "we will have better jails when we have a better class of criminals." We and promoters have to look to entertaining a new demographic. I think the Indie Crafts movement gets this.
two things you can try. You can reload the page and the edit function should be available. The other is to change browsers after making your post. Sometimes I have to do one or the other to see the edit link.
Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
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