Art Fair Insiders has been a busy place this year. Here are my choices for the top posts. Do you agree with these choices? 1. Here are some great examples of
artists being their own promoters and drumming up their own customers in trying circumstances. Great job,
Maria Arango. 2. Many thanks to glassblower
Renee Engebretson for her reports on the
Des Moines Art Festival and Denver's Cherry Creek Art Festival.
3. R.C. Fulwiler's moving tribute to the loss of
Michael Craven to cancer. We also lost ceramicist
Nick Rostagno,
photographer John Peer, and
painter Kevin Finnerty. 4. Art fair patron
Geri Wegner gives artists a fresh perspective in "
From the Outside Looking In." 5. Artist
Jacki Jacobson's thoughtful post:
21 Facts abut Selling at a Street Fair.Sort of a scary photo taken by Bill Sargent at an evening fair.... 6. Can you imagine this?
"Artists Behaving Badly at Art Fairs" 7. Looking at all the empty real estate at the nation's malls has brought art to the mall.
Can Art Save the Mall? 8.
Show reviews Archives includes information for over thirty events, big ones and little ones. Interested in finding a specific show review? Type the name of the event in the "search" box at the top of this page and you can retrieve the results. 9.
Michelle Sholund tells us "
How to become an expert of doing "Bad" art shows." Nels Johnson's photo of a crowd at a fair -- do you think there will be much buying happening here? 10. And, it's a good thing some artists not only do lots of art fairs but they write about them! So many great articles this year from photographer
Nels Johnson who entertains us from Florida to Texas, to Chicago, to Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, etc. I particularly liked his report on the art fair that he went to
a week late, in Perrysburg, OH. Coupled with lots of pertinent fair details he also takes us on a culinary voyage of the art cities and their various tequila bars. Thanks, Nels. Can't wait to see where you take us in 2010. Nels Johnson comments on artists moving into the Internet Age:
In the Old Days we sat in our vans and smoked numbers, now we are smoking on our computers! Fabulous
discussion boards led by the best discussion of the year by
Linda Anderson, regaling us with her struggles with the
Edina Art Fair, her
communications with the committee and the outcome. And how about these? "
Can you survive financially on your art fair income alone?" Ron Mellott's discussion: Art shows:
Who is doing it well? What needs to be done?
Rising Booth Fees - started by Bobbie Matus And please contribute to this discussion:
Wrap up of the 2009 art fair season. We'd love to hear your take on it! We've reported on the art fair business including the great (and not so great) sales in Texas - Ft. Worth and La Villita, the moving and hopefully consequent rejuvenation of Arts, Beats & Eats, the new art fair directors in Omaha, Columbus and Ann Arbor, prize winners at Winter Park, stolen paintings in Des Moines. Laughed and cried at the convolutions of entrepreneurism at its best -- the art fairs of the U. S. Wishing you a great year!
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I greatly enjoyed the 30th anniversary of Art In the Park. The weather cooperated for the 3 day show except for a downpour Saturday morning from 8 to 10. The show opened at noon and closed at 8pm on Friday, but I had patrons in my booth by 9am and did not close up until 9 as the crowds kept coming. Ditto for Saturday - closing time was 7pm but patrons lingered. My neighbor reported he did not close up until close to 10 as his booth remained busy. Thankfully on Sunday, the lovely people of Plymouth did not linger and everyone could start take down at 5. The Sunday Plymouth paper announced "Record Crowds Predicted" and I believe they were correct as the streets were filled all 3 days as was my booth.I found set up and tear down very well planned and drive up to booth was great. There was no “check in” – You received your booth assignment, and unloading instructions in the mail. Once you were set up, a volunteer brought you the booth tag. I found it nice that the food vendor area had their own street as their large trucks did not venture into most art areas.I talked with several artists and their list of complaints included:Entry fee too high (I agree)No booth sittersNo one giving out water (I will add that the local high school band had a couple of water booths and several times walked around offering to sell water – this was their major fund raiser and perhaps the reason organizers did not offer the water)Music in the center core too loudCrafters and commercial businesses were interwoven with artists. Evidentially this used to be fine art only, but there was a varied cross section of booths.From what I observed, the layout for approximately 400 booths was as good as possible. The core of the event was at a downtown intersection and booths spread out on adjoining streets. I was 3rd from the end of one of those streets. Typically I may have groaned about paying my dues as a first timer at this event, but patrons actually entered from all points of the perimeter. Greyhound type busses ran continually from various park & ride locations and dropped patrons off at one of the less desirable ends. I’m not sure if it was the design of the show or the very experienced event patrons, but I’m fairly sure any patron that attended came down to my end. It was nice to have an active booth, even though not all were buyers. They may be one day.Kellogg Park takes up an entire block and one corner is at the event’s core. The entire park was dedicated to a variety of creative, hands on, kid’s art activities including a kid vendor area where kids sold their art. Throughout the weekend I was thrilled with the higher than average amount of teens & preteens that visited my booth, initiated great art savvy conversations and even purchased some of my photography. I did not make the connection until late Sunday when I realized this lovely community is quite active in its efforts to get kids involved and comfortable with art at a young age. How great is this?Two school lots served for artist parking and ours was approximately 5 blocks away. Overnight parking for those sleeping in motor homes or vans was allowed. The organizers had arranged for discount rates at several hotels. Several of the nearby restaurants dropped off menus and offered booth delivery. Security was provided by city police – not rent a cops. A great majority of the people I spoke with (now remember, I do like to talk) had been severely affected by the problems within the automotive industry and my heart goes out to them. Having said that, I had quite a profitable show. No framed items sold, but I nearly sold out of my 8x10’s and 16x20’s. I also have (9) 18x24 & larger orders to complete when I arrive home Tuesday. I’m thinking I’ll get better gas mileage with (4) empty crates in my trailer!I do so enjoy Michigan & its lovely people. I think I’ll take the long way home to Wisconsin via the U.P. rather than deal with the high van/trailer tolls in Chicago. Yes – it’s probably a wash with the extra gas, but I get to enjoy Michigan for just a tad longer.Bottom line – Entry is high and it is not an all fine art only event. For me, it was an enjoyable show and I will return. I’ll have my typical videos on YouTube later.
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