Fairhope used to be a very decent show but has slipped in last 5 years. They do get 150,000-200,000 or so attendees but many are also going to the Art Center show down the way. That show always struck me as the "sad sister" to the Chamber show. It's not a high end show for sure. And the sad kicker is that several shops and outsiders set up "also booths" to capture sales although they are not in either show. The public does not know this and probably does not care. And the Chamber & City does little to stop this.
I did this show for over 8 years in conjunction with TX shows and it all worked. Now, hardly at all sad to say. One thing we know about shows that go downhill, it takes a very long time before they climb back up to where they used to be. The public and artists know when it is a loser. Jeff
Comments
That "show creep", with a second show coming in and then people setting up booths in non officially sanctioned places is never a good thing. You'd hope the show organizers could get together with the city and make them understand that this is not a good long term idea for keeping this a viable project. Of course it happened at Ann Arbor, but it has always been part of the scene, but in Louisville a few years back when the St. James Court Art Show(s) just kept spreading they went to the city and they clamped down on where the show could be and rousted out some of the squatter action.
We did Fairhope once. That says it all. Its too bad though, it is a great stopping place on the way home from Florida. It could be finer.
Greg I recieved my letter that I was accepted into the show the day after Thanksgiving. I know several people received there NOT accepted letter a couple of weeks before. You might want to at least send an email inquiry
Has anyone received any communications this year about acceptance or being declined to the Fairhope show?
Their application states that notifications will be mailed starting November 1st and as of today December 2nd I have have had no communication from them. They did deposit my check for the application fee a few months ago so I do know it was not lost in the mail.
I had a good Chamber show in Fairhope this spring. Sold an original painting and won a nice award. I also did it in 2011 and sold a little more than this year. I would still recommend Fairhope to others, and I hear others recommending Fort Worth and Bayou City. I know artists who thrive in those locations. I've never done well in Texas and haven't been there since 2011. I could have done better in Bayou City Downtown the one year I tried it, but I wouldn't reduce my price on a piece from $4,000 to $3,200 and thus took the piece with me. I don't normally give a venue just one year to prove itself, but I felt that way about Houston. Just too big a mess all around.
Funny thing is that people are now saying the Chamber show is the lesser Fairhope event. And it's being said by locals rather than artists. I dunno? I loved the show, really. But we can't travel south anymore due to health reasons. See ya later.
Jeff...the TX shows, particularly Bayou, have gone down hill too.