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Suggestions/Help with outside tent display for pottery

Posted by Maria Juster on October 25, 2011 at 8:19am

 I'm in need  for suggestions on display techniques for my pottery.  I mostly do outside shows - where wind is a BIG factor - and I've stayed away from tall shelving options for displaying my pottery for fear of having things break.  But my display is far too one dimensional.  I've got some long tables (3x6ft) and I used various acrylic stands so things aren't all on one level.   By bringing things up, I'd also be able to utilize more space in addition to allowing customers more room to shop.  I've looked at Pro Panels with shelving, but wonder how they'd do with very strong winds?  Would my pots be wobbling the whole time? and thus, I'd be a complete mess worrying all the time?  Help!!  If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be so grateful.

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Tags: bowls, breakables, display, mugs, outside, panels, pitchers, pottery, pro, shelving, shows
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  • Larry G Raineri February 13, 2015 at 4:11pm

    Hi. I am fairly in experienced in the festival world but I plan to display both paintings and pottery in my upcoming shows. I bought metal grid walls to surround my tent (AND weight down my tent), and those have worked fairly well with the paintings I hang. I also plan to attach little pieces of wire to my mugs that will hang off of hooks from my walls. I thought it would be cool to have a wall of mugs to sell. To have more 3 D work I plan to use simple tables and tablecloths. I think staking the vintage looking crates and wood planks with clamps for extra stability is your best bet.

    In answer to your question that all could be a possibility since the metal grid walls cut down the wind a tiny bit and are more more sturdy. Do tarps look too tacky to just have cover the side? I kind of like having people be able to look through my walls and see pieces shining. I fit them all into my VW passat believe it or not. I also like to use those metal wire kind of snap piece shelving units, however those may be a bit too dorm life" as well.

    IMG_20130524_180835_743.jpg

  • deb upright October 27, 2011 at 9:54am

    Hi,

    I also hang tiles. We used  panels made from components by Intermetro.  If you are concerned about displays being heavy to carry around , I wouldn't use them or Gridwall both are heavy to lift.  Propanels are lighter.  Wind isn't a concern  for us most of my pieces are too heavy to blow in moderate wind.  I also have some tables that we use wooden plate displays  for the tiles, that we got at Hobby Lobby.

  • Amy Schulz October 25, 2011 at 1:36pm

    I work in glass and the solution that I found:

    Using cloth covered tables I put the collapsible folding shelves from Target on top of these.  They are quite sturdy and allow the wind to blow through.  For my flat pieces such as mirrors, I used gridwall which again allows wind to blow through.  

    • Maria Juster > Amy Schulz October 27, 2011 at 8:30am

      hi amy,

      thanks for your reply.  i'm sure as a glass artist, we have many of the same concerns.  can you tell me more about the gridwall you use?  i'm also looking for something to hang my handmade stoneware tiles from, and gridwall might be the way to go - as it would definitely allow the wind to blow through.  and i also like the idea that they probably would be light weight and easy to transport.

      thanks.

    • Steph Mader > Amy Schulz October 27, 2011 at 1:07am

      I work in glass also, and use pro panels with shelves built in/attached. I use their panel hooks to attach the tops to my canopy, and pull the canopy down a bit when tightening them. I have quite a bit of glass hanging on the pro panel walls, so the extra weight makes the panels very stable. I'm not handling 50 mph winds, but the panels are very stable in NW winds. I carry museum gel just in case worse weather is predicted. But we have sissy weather here, compared to what most of the members here have to contend with.

       

      To hang glass tiles I made a 30x30 panel with 2x2s and doorskin (1/8" ply). I screwed two of the pro panel flat hanging straps to the back of the wood panel so it just hooks over the top of the pro panel. The glass tiles hang on the wood panel.

      • Maria Juster > Steph Mader October 27, 2011 at 8:34am

        hi steph,

        are you happy with your pro panels with the attached shelving?  they look rather stable and professional, but i haven't seen them in person yet and i'm a bit leery.  i really like the idea of the smallish (30x30)panel that hangs over the top of the pro panel.  that would probably work for me as well, as i make a lot of stoneware tiles.  currently, i'm lugging around a 4ftx4ft board to display my tiles, and it's just getting far too cumbersome and really heavy.

        thanks.

        maria

  • mea rhee October 25, 2011 at 10:39am

    I'm a potter and I hate wind too. I would not use the shelves that attach to Pro Panels, but I agree with Jim's suggestion to use Pro Panels as a wind barrier. The idea is to let the Pro Panels shake a little in the wind, while protecting the tables inside. 

    I've only ever had two pots fall over due to wind. One was a large platter that was on a cheap stand, too light and too small for the platter. My fault. The other was a skinny vase that was holding tall branches. Top heavy. Again, my fault. Whenever I'm feeling nervous about the wind, I remind myself about the pots sitting on my patio, and when I walk past them with a leaf blower, they don't budge. It takes an awful strong gust to move a pot.  

    There are lots of ways to add height to a pottery display. You can use two wooden crates with a board across them. Or you can google "folding shelves" and get plenty of solutions, like this:

    http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10005341&N=&Nt...

    My last suggestion is to get foam floor mats, just a little extra insurance. You know that skinny vase that fell over? It landed on the floor mats and survived.

    • Maria Juster > mea rhee October 25, 2011 at 11:21am

      Hey Mea,

      I guess I'm not worried that the wind will blow the pot over, but that the wind will shake whatever it is I've got the pot on, and thus the pot will fall and break.  I've though about those stackable shelving units, but they seem so precarious.  As I was saying to Jim (in my first response), I need something that is not heavy to carry and transport and doesn't take up much room.  I've thought about getting plywood shelving and stacking that on top of my tables with heavy cinderblocks between for space as well as weight - but I'm not sure if my wrists and back can take lugging that stuff around.   Do you use Pro Panels in your set up?  I'm facing winds that can gust up to 50+ mph, so I'm a bit leery that the wind will push against the panels and that everything will shake and become unstable.

      I like the idea of the foam mats - that could give me some good piece of mind.

      Thanks for your advice.

       

      • mea rhee > Maria Juster October 25, 2011 at 7:49pm
        Hi Maria, sorry I misunderstood your question. No I don't use Pro Panels myself, but then again generally don't have to face 50 mph gusts. And I don't sell any wall hanging pieces either. But I do know a potter who sells both functional pots and wall hanging pieces, and she uses a few Pro Panels for the wall pieces and also to act as a wind shield and tent weight, it seems to work well. I think you could hang tiles without the risk of having the panels fall, especially if they are strapped to your Craft Hut. A wall full of hanging tiles would add a lot of visual height to your display. Maybe enough that you can use your existing tables and risers for everything else.
      • Jim Parker > Maria Juster October 25, 2011 at 11:45am

        I would look into the collapsible pedestals that ProPanels make, and use those, or look at them as a model for getting varied heights. If it was me, I wouldn't use cinder block. Too college dorm-like. I use ProPanels, and custom boxes on wheels. But I have a big trailer to haul it all around. 

        Keep in mind your setup time will increase the more assembly you have to do. 

        You might look into Matthews "apple boxes". Lighter than cinder block, they come in four sizes. Full, half, quarter, pancake. You want the full and half. Use 'em to create shelves. If you make your own, leave the wide side open, and put smaller items inside. They are motion picture industry standard. I'm thinking that you might want to build your own, though, using these as a model. Here's a link to one source:

        Filmtools http://bit.ly/tLQFNo

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