My most recent podcast "Let's Start an Art Fair" was full of great information for anyone who is starting an art fair and those of you who are continually working to improve and grow the event you already have in place.
Rae Marie Schneider and Kim House started the St. John's River Festival of the Arts in Sanford, FL, in 2012 and just as they got really busy the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin exploded all over the news. They had to work on damage control to make people believe their community was a safe place for an event. You'll also learn their grassroots organizing and why they are really looking forward to year two.
Dennis Gorg is a known event organizer in St. Louis and June 1 & 2 will see his inaugural Midtown Taste ART FAIR. His expertise is pretty obvious as he speaks and discusses why sometimes a festival (that includes music, restaurants, children's activities) is the best answer to promote and sell art, never losing the focus that the art comes first.
Tim Reilly is stepping deep into the water promoting a fine art festival in his town of Madison, GA, The Cotton South Fine Arts Festival. He shares his ideas of how an art fair can really stretch start up dollars with one's connections throughout his city and ideas for supporting artists so they can afford to spend the weekend at his show.
A few tips along the way:
- by having components for income besides booth fees can help support an event and keep expenses low
- don't be afraid to innovate, develop new media channels (really work the social media)
- listen to the artists, they probably know more about events than you do
- utilize your local contacts and connections even those that seem unrelated to your specific goals
- let local hotels know about your show so out-of-towners can attend
Lots more right here: Let's Start an Art Fair
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