I've applied to both these shows which are on the same weekend in August in Minneapolis and Milwaukee - and I've never done either of them. I've been accepted into one of them, and the other notifies in the next couple days. In the (unlikely) event I'm accepted into the second show, I'd appreciate any info on either, or any comparisons. Thanks
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I agee with you that the top flight shows, when it comes to jewelry, weight the jurying in favor of the materials - gold and emeralds trumps silver and jasper. Not having a fine arts background, my mission in doing shows is not to actualize and express my inner aesthetic vision, but to sell a lot of stuff patrons like, and can afford. After years owning and running bars and restaurants, I learned you make a go of it giving people what they want; the sure path to failure is to give them what you think they ought to want. While academy trained artists seem to have much better luck with juries (who are predominantly academy artists), only a few are flexible enough in their work to stop producing variant #125 of their MFA thesis project. I began, years ago making sculptural earrings using all manner of exotic techniques (mokume, fusing, riveting, line inlay, photo etching...) - some sold OK, but the amount of time involved was tremendous. After a few years I noticed people were attracted to pieces which had interesting cabs as accent or focal point. Gradually I moved to making just pieces with one bezel set cab, not much ornamentation, but eminently wearable and with very neat stones. They sell well, and I have lots of repeats from stone fanciers who seek me out every year to see whats new, but my approach bombs with juries. I even set up a phony booth shot with about half the inventory I bring to shows, so juries wouldn't judge me too much of a grind artist, but clearly it didn't work. At my average price point I need to make close to a thousand sales a year, which dictates designs I can execute in timely fashion (i.e., grind out). In an ideal world, I would have a weathy patron, like Rene Lalique had, who would drop off a sackful of money, and buy up everything I would make from time and materials the money would cover. But the art fair circuit is far from this world. Oh well.
I know exactly what you mean. What is it about gold, platinum, and facetted stones that so sways the jurors? What happened to creativity and variety in materials? We are being penalized for choosing to work with other materials. My background is in printmaking, and what I do in jewelry and sculpture grew organically out of that. I chose it not for intrinsic value of materials but because the materials spoke to me.
And I REALLY don’t understand why many of the patrons and potential buyers at a show are expected to go home empty handed! They WANT to buy from an artist: give them a chance to find something they can afford. I spend as much design time on an inexpensive piece, sometimes more. I have to spread out the time costs by making pieces that are related, in a series, or in limited production (FWIW, production for me might be 5 pieces). But this is another way of being creative, by working within restraints. I make a concerted effort to keep costs down so the price range can be accessible.
I’m a closet socialist: jewelry for the people!
Linnea: Thanks for the reply. Its a sad state of affairs when a previous participant in the organizing body gets the heave-ho. The prime directive of a lot of high end shows seems to be to admit only those jewelers who are making gold and platinum pieces, mostly cast, trying to keep the quality/price of jewelry comensurate with the prices asked for original 2-D art. I stopped by the KC Brookside show a couple of years ago on my way to a show I could get into (lawrence KS) and all but one of the jewelers had closed glass display cases with at most 50 or 60 pieces for sale. I couldn't get a read on how they were doing, but I sensed that the anxiety of needing to make 3 or 4 sales to have a good weekend was a much tougher nut than my having to make an easy hundred sales at my price point. The central precept of a lot of the toney shows seems to be to present the highest quality of work - never mind that the patrons look and don't buy, and the goldsmiths do not do well unless they are extremely lucky in finding a patron willing to drop a few thou on a piece made by someone who will be on the first bus out sunday night, or generate special orders. I have this image of a bunch of plutocrats wives dreaming of all the acclaim which will illuminate their egocentric suburb upon their engineering a really HIGH CLASS art show in bigbox/oldmoney Pleasantville. I am somewhere between $200 and $300 wasted on Zapp and JAS shows (professionally done images this year made no difference), and will henceforth, chastened, pull back to shows in the bush which are glad to have me. As Clint Eastwood says "A man has to know his limitations". Cheers, DALE
Morning Glory has gotten very hard to get into recently, since they moved to a better venue downtown. I used to do it all the time. The last few years I have not even applied. Since it is ALL fine craft (except photography, not sure why that is now included where other 2D is not), there are always loads of jewelry applications. I have attended the jurying many times since I was a member of the Fine Craft organization that runs the show. Jewelry apps were always top notch and mostly high end. Not sure who in Milwaukee buys it. It would be nice if more of a range of styles and/or pricepoints were accepted.
I did Powderhorn once and it was not good, but that was a year when the temps were over 100 and the weathermen were warning everyone to stay home. They did. I always wondered what it was like in normal weather. I applied to Loring Park this year but have not heard yet.
dale repp said:
Nels: Thanks for the tip. But, I guess I'll have to learn the hard way - the competing show in Milwaukee judged me unworthy, so its Powderhorn or nothing. Provided attendance is adequate, I may do well with jewelry, which always seems to sell briskly. I figure only about one out of every three new shows I try is worth repeating, which is why I've expanded my driving radius. Thanks, DALE
Nels: Thanks for the tip. But, I guess I'll have to learn the hard way - the competing show in Milwaukee judged me unworthy, so its Powderhorn or nothing. Provided attendance is adequate, I may do well with jewelry, which always seems to sell briskly. I figure only about one out of every three new shows I try is worth repeating, which is why I've expanded my driving radius. Thanks, DALE
Another reason we did better at Charlevoix and would be my first choice, we would leave here on a Wednesday morning and not be home until very late on a Monday - so, six days of travel expenses vs. leaving home Friday morning and being home Sunday afternoon. We never encountered them being on the same weekend. For many years we went to Uptown and Charlevoix the following weekend. Usually we took a leisurely drive between the two, through Door County, or north to Duluth and around the north of Lake Superior, or exploring the upper peninsula of Michigan, or the ferry across Lake Michigan.
Connie -- Thanks for you insights. Yes, I am in agreement that my first impression was that Charlevoix would be a pleasant trip. My comment about sales and dollars was about net dollars. Of course, I am more interested in the net dollars more than the overall total dollars. Also, I do sell originals and will check in with Ginny. I met her a couple of years ago at Old Town, as she was next to my friend Kathy Eaton. Thanks again! - Barb
Connie Mettler said:
Barbara, granted it is a few years since we have participated in these events, but here is my take. Are you selling only originals? If so, contact Ginny Herzog, a member here, and get an opinion from her on Uptown, maybe Marian Steen also.
Minneapolis is longer, more expensive, and more grueling than Charlevoix. If I could count on making the same money I would absolutely go to Charlevoix - cheap, in comparison. As a newbie at Charlevoix you will get noticed. There is a high-falutin' crowd who attends this event and they love to find the new folks, and you can build a following here. Plus, it is lovely to be in northern Michigan in August. I always thought the perfect August would be to do the smaller Suttons' Bay show the week before, hand out at the beach during the week, and do Charlevoix the following weekend. But usually we were in Uptown the week before so that never happened.
All that being said, dollars were about the same for us at both shows, but you felt like you had a better chance to make more money at Uptown because of the length of the show and more people passing by. But that didn't necessarily translate.
Take this with a grain of salt as our last time at Charlevoix was 2006. Uptown 2005.
Powderhorn is mostly a crafts show and sales are on the lowend side. Lots of art on the stick. Idid it unce, two years ago, it was a no go for me--didn't even make $500. Morning Glory is a better venue-Nels
Barbara, granted it is a few years since we have participated in these events, but here is my take.
Are you selling only originals? If so, contact Ginny Herzog, a member here, and get an opinion from her on Uptown, maybe Marian Steen also.
Minneapolis is longer, more expensive, and more grueling than Charlevoix. If I could count on making the same money I would absolutely go to Charlevoix - cheap, in comparison. As a newbie at Charlevoix you will get noticed. There is a high-falutin' crowd who attends this event and they love to find the new folks, and you can build a following here. Plus, it is lovely to be in northern Michigan in August. I always thought the perfect August would be to do the smaller Suttons' Bay show the week before, hand out at the beach during the week, and do Charlevoix the following weekend. But usually we were in Uptown the week before so that never happened.
All that being said, dollars were about the same for us at both shows, but you felt like you had a better chance to make more money at Uptown because of the length of the show and more people passing by. But that didn't necessarily translate.
Take this with a grain of salt as our last time at Charlevoix was 2006. Uptown 2005.
Thanks for you insights. And your great descriptions!
dale repp said:
Wow - both Uptown and Charlevoix. You are definitely much further up the qualitative food chain than I - these shows are very finicky, only first rate work need apply. I've never exhibited at either show, but have attended the Mpls one, and will pass on what I've observed and heard. Uptown gets a massive crowd; in my experience the factor which is the best predictor of sales is attendance. Like all big crowds, this one has a lot of lookers who have no intention of buying, and regard the show as entertainment, and carp about how "everything is too expensive". But I've heard good sales reports from artists, but it is the kind of show with limited ability to display repros and lower price point pieces - the ability to close sales on originals is a neccessity. The Michigan shows' strongest point is demographics, lots of heavy wealth - and no packs of snout-ring encrusted grungers like in Mpls. You are in the enviable position of choosing between two winners, and you can always do the aternate show next year. Good luck.....
Replies
And I REALLY don’t understand why many of the patrons and potential buyers at a show are expected to go home empty handed! They WANT to buy from an artist: give them a chance to find something they can afford. I spend as much design time on an inexpensive piece, sometimes more. I have to spread out the time costs by making pieces that are related, in a series, or in limited production (FWIW, production for me might be 5 pieces). But this is another way of being creative, by working within restraints. I make a concerted effort to keep costs down so the price range can be accessible.
I’m a closet socialist: jewelry for the people!
I did Powderhorn once and it was not good, but that was a year when the temps were over 100 and the weathermen were warning everyone to stay home. They did. I always wondered what it was like in normal weather. I applied to Loring Park this year but have not heard yet.
dale repp said:
Connie Mettler said:
Are you selling only originals? If so, contact Ginny Herzog, a member here, and get an opinion from her on Uptown, maybe Marian Steen also.
Minneapolis is longer, more expensive, and more grueling than Charlevoix. If I could count on making the same money I would absolutely go to Charlevoix - cheap, in comparison. As a newbie at Charlevoix you will get noticed. There is a high-falutin' crowd who attends this event and they love to find the new folks, and you can build a following here. Plus, it is lovely to be in northern Michigan in August. I always thought the perfect August would be to do the smaller Suttons' Bay show the week before, hand out at the beach during the week, and do Charlevoix the following weekend. But usually we were in Uptown the week before so that never happened.
All that being said, dollars were about the same for us at both shows, but you felt like you had a better chance to make more money at Uptown because of the length of the show and more people passing by. But that didn't necessarily translate.
Take this with a grain of salt as our last time at Charlevoix was 2006. Uptown 2005.
dale repp said:
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