I was recently told by a friend that the show in Tarpon Springs was a good one. Whether thats true or not I dont know but I went to Zapp and didnt find the show listed there. I then Googled Tarpon Springs Art Festival and found their web site. I guess they dont use Zapp and you have to apply by printing the application from their web site and sending it in.
I was too late though and have missed the deadline.
So... I have said all that to ask this. Is there a web site or other way to find good shows that dont use Zapp? Are all or most of the "good" shows on Zapp?
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By far my best resource for finding good shows has been word of mouth- both from crafters and customers alike. I look into a lot of leads that I receive- opinions from artists who have done the show and if I have the weekend off, I will even check out the show in person. For me personally, I dont need a "tightly" juried show to do well, a well attended show is good enough for me. I just make sure to give the evil eye to all the buy/sell folks and complain to the promoter- not that they care! LOL
craftlister.com is another site that has not been mentioned- there is a lot of junk to filter through on craftlister, but sometimes you can find some gems!
I also use Festival Network Online for additional info. I don't feel like any one place can give me enough info. I use AFI, Sunshine, Art Fair Insider, and everything else out there to help me decide which shows to apply to.
Thanks for all the great info everyone!!
I went to Sunshine Artist and signed up for the online magazine. Thought it was a pretty good deal.
Thanks again! Ill be bookmarking all the sites that have been suggested.
It is an excellent deal, lots of information for a very fair price.
No, all of the "good" shows are not on Zapp.
Sunshine Artist has the most exhaustive list, shows from small craft shows to the finest in the country. Besides that if you are looking to do a full run of art fairs it is useful to subscribe to their magazine because not every show is a top show every weekend. It is a good source of "filler" shows, those little ones that can keep bills paid between the big shows.
There are three primary services where you can find shows online and apply today:
Zapplication probably has the largest list, at the moment. Other events prefer working with Juried Art Services, so I'd check their lists also. The newcomer, entrythingy.com, currently has 500 events in its database and other shows choose to list with them. Events make their choice based on price, ease of technical management, service and what they believe will get them the most applications.
As an art fair organizer I've juried events using each of the systems and they each have their pros and cons, none of which make any difference to the artist.
You might also look at our websites, ArtFairCalendar.com, to get some idea of where the shows are and their dates, plus contact information and also CallsforArtists.com where you'll find a listing of shows that are looking for artists. It is a compilation of events that use all the above systems plus individual shows that have their own methods of getting their applications into your hands. It is updated several times a week with new events and their deadlines.
As Larry said, talking to other artists is the best way to get information. There have been recent discussions on this site about what shows to do in Colorado and rundowns on just about every art fair in Florida. There is a "group" of people from South Carolina who network also about their events. You can either start a discussion and see if anyone can help you or put the name of a show in one of the search boxes and see what comes up. We're all here to help each other, Robert.
Besides this web site, the best and most complete require purchasing a subscription.
Sunshine Artist Magazine is the most complete listing:
http://sunshineartist.com
The Art Fair Sourcebook lists the top 300 - 500 shows based on feedback from artists who submit audit cards
http://artfairsourcebook.com/
Additionally you can find out a lot by networking with your peer artists at shows and sometimes on forums like this.
Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100