Here is art glass that has a showroom in High Point, NC, amazing blown glass from China. They are at every gift show. I have no problem with this. The Chinese have done a very nice job of copying art for the U.S. market -- it goes on in just about every product category. And I have no problem with their selling at this marketplace. This glass is made and marketed by Viz Glass and is sold at low price points: $45 to $75. But look at this work:
Besides the Chihuly knock offs does it look like work you have been seeing at the art fairs?
Here are two pieces recently submitted for an art fair that are directly from the Viz Art Glass catalog:
Here is the Viz Glass site: http://www.vizartglass.com/
Learn more about Viz Glass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbBxEXZo_nY
If you were the show director and you received these submissions what would you do?
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In some shows I am forced to keep on top of my working table all kind of started projects in different techniques. I have a travelling lace pillow, an unfinished lace shawl and few pieces of fabric with some needle lace on them in my "tool" box (the tatting fits in a peppermint tin in my purse), so I can demonstrate it's really hand made to the zombies. After 40 plus years of making lace I am better than a machine, and I force myself sometimes to make mistakes, just to show them as a proof its handmade.
Agreed! But that's also why juries need to have more than just "ivory tower" judges. Academics may look like good judges on paper, but most have no experience with what's out there in the real world.
My wife and I recently showed at the Daphne, Alabama Arts Festival, a juried show, and there was an "incident" involving a vendor (I will not use the term "artist") that had a crew back a large truck loaded with cardboard boxes labeled "bird bath". They were resin castings made in China which the lady who owned the company (no, she was not present, just her hired crew and rep) claimed to have "designed".
This was reported to the show organizers, who immediately ejected the malefactor from the show. This all occurred BEFORE the show started.
I have read this long blog carefully, and I believe this is obviously a topic of some importance to a great many of us. I keep seeing issues with RESPONSIBLITY recounted here.
Juries are responsible for possessing the expert knowledge that will make identifying fish from fowl possible - and one reason those high jury/application fees should GO to hiring good jurors. A show that gets repeatedly fooled by buy-sell needs to look to its jury pool first and foremost.
Organizers are responsible for the rules and regulations of the show, and enforcement of same.
Finally, we artists are responsibility for working within the rules, and helping organizers identify those who fail to do so. We even have the responsibility to share knowledge with other artists about these topics, a duty which this excellent blog accomplishes in a myriad of ways!
the only show where I actually saw a promoter ask an exhibitor to leave was Art 'n' Apples in Rochester, Mi. A vendor was hauling a wagon loaded with 'Tiffany' lamp shades past my booth. He made at least 10 trips past my booth. Not long after he was set up, he was asked to leave the show. Don't you just wish all show promoters would do the same. This was about 18 years ago, before B/S became the issue it is today.
You're right LInda, there are professional organisations out there unless there is a recognised course that you do and join upon graduation of that course, that you often have to jump through hoops to belong to.
I see a problem with some of them though is the often outrageous membership fees that are 'compulsory'. You usually can't work in the field for a large company without membership of these professional bodies and if you want to become a member post-graduation, you need to have current members recommend you.
My husband is an aeronautical engineer and he paid very high membership fees for years to the Association of Engineers Australia before deciding it wasn't worthwhile as he wasn't actually working as one (he was flying in the Air Force at the time). He had to meet incredibly high criteria to become a member of the British Aeronautical Assn since he was no longer a member of the AEA but has persisted with that one because he feels like he at least gets something worthwhile from them as they are more specialised to his field.
I was a member of the Gemmological Assn of Australia for years after graduating as a gemmologist, but I let that lapse after a few years when I stopped working in the field to have children. The annual subs were very high and money was tight. Rejoining is extraordinarily expensive.
I am still a gemmologist and he is still an engineer and we both use those skills regularly in a self-employed basis. We keep up to date with progress in the fields and practice our skills. My diploma and his degree should be sufficient to prove it, but if we looked for work with a large company they would refuse to hire us because we are not currently members of these professional organisations.
I think many artists of whatever type would have issues with the fees and there would be difficulty with criteria as many artists are self taught or creative without approved courses etc. But anything is possible if it was done in the right way!
After reading this long thread about buy/sell, I had a discussion with my geologist husband about the myriad of suggestions that had come up to "police" art shows. Personally, I can't see how any of them would work to everyone's satisfaction.
My husband pointed out that artists are not the only group that has bogus competitors for their business. Geologists, and other professionals, keep out the riff raff by use of professional organizations to guarantee their authenticity. The professional organization sets the standards, enforces them in its membership, and promotes them to clients/customers. Perhaps artists need the same thing. That way, potters would be authenticated by fellow potters, jewelers by jewelers, photographers by photographers, etc. Show promoters would be able to easily identify "real" potters, jewelers, photographers, etc. They would be guaranteed that the artists actually produced their all their own work.
Right now, we're expecting the show promoters to be up-to-date and current on an extremely wide variety of art and art techniques. That's unrealistic. Never going to happen. Four slick product photos and a spiffy booth shot can't replace knowledge of an artist's entire body of work. But even Connie, with her years of personal information about art shows and artists, was blind-sided by the Chinese glass.
So what's the answer? Your guess is as good as mine...
Kotah I was not implying that you use cnc.I was just wondering what your thought was on this.To me thats the same as made in China.But I see what is called metal art cnc cut.The just weld the parts together.My kids have both been welding since the age of 8.They did more than that to create thier work at that age.I will use parts that were cut cnc if I find it at the scrap yard.But only if its a cool looking shape.
Connie,they must mean it takes about 40 hours to ship the watches.I am sure if its a higher priced piece it came Fed X.I think one way to see if its but sell is the price. I am not saying people can't or won't sell for more.But if a metal worker at a show is selling anything for 10 or 15 dollars.Its a good chance its buy sell of some sort.If there is more than one weld on it, its a min of 25 dollars if the steel was free.And you still wouldn't be making any money if you had to cut anything.
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