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We juried the Royal Oak Clay, Glass and Metal Show Monday. A few observations.
First it amazes me every year how creative people are able to get within these few mediums. One hundred and twenty booths and each stands out as creative and unique.
Secondly, while I did not feel that the booth shots were given more weight than the work images, the majority of rejected work had poor booth shots and the majority of accepted work had professional images for their booth.
I say majority because it is not universally true. We accepted some work from artists with poor shots, even from an artist that had no booth shot. For this event at least you can't entirely blame the "fourth image".
I try to be communicative with the applicants so I did send some specific notes to artists regarding their displays. Of course those reflect only my opinion, but if you would be interested in seeing them, you could check out the posting on my website- Integrityshows.com/blog.
If you have not looked at R. C. Fulwiler's blog yet- Can the System be Improved? I would suggest doing so.
I was asked to be a jury member for a state wide artist association. Artists from my state were applying for membership in the association, not for a show, so it was different than the jury process for art fairs. Still, it was very interesting. Here is what I learned:
1) Sharp, clear photos are extremely important. Some were a bit out of focus, made even worse when projected.
2) Detailed descriptions of technique and materials were more helpful than artist history or bio.
3) Seeing a series of the same style was better than seeing a range of styles.
4) We as artists have no control over the environment in which the jury will see our work.
5) If you get rejected, don't take it personally. In our case, we wrote comments that will hopefully help these artists in future jury situations.
While I felt great pressure to understand each category, I was most comfortable with the jewelry. We had a good group of jury members from a wide range of art fields. I really enjoyed the experience.
Robin Ragsdale
In eighteen days, my second son gets married to a wonderful girl. I'm all ready. I'll even post pictures of the event on AFI for fun. So, as Mother-of-the-Groom, I planned the rehersal dinner, helped the kids pay a few extra bills, and made all the wedding jewelry........no sweat!
I've needed a break. LOL
Yesterday I received a Zapp notification for Des Moines.
NO WAY....thought I......deadlines sneak up .......Oh, OH!
OCTOBER 31!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jimmeny Cricketts!!!
I looked up Lakefront Festival of the Arts in Milwaukewe, my hometown. Yikees!
The speedometer on my life went from 25 to 65 in minutes.
So, how prepared are you for the 2012 season?
1) Have all your professional photos taken and ready to upload to zapp, amdur or the moon?
2) Have that booth shot with all three walls showing?
3) Do you even have eight creations you think will "WOW" those jurors in six seconds?
4) Have you found your "market" and know which shows they flock to attend?
5) Do you have the money to pay "X" amount of jury fees?
What are you doing in 2012 that's new, innovative, researched or intuitive about the Art Fair World?
We're all Insiders, so, do share, will you?
Hello everyone.
I just wanted to encourage everyone to check out our Classified section here at AFI. There is no limit to what you can sell here. There are pro panels, and credit card machines, but there are some other very interesting things, too. Did you know there is a cottage for sale right now? That's right, a cottage on Indiana's Brown Lake about half way between Chicago and Detroit. This cottage could make a great stopping off point for artists traveling back and forth to Art Shows. It could also be a great summer vacation get-a-way for your family. We all need time to recuperate.
Did you know there is also a house and studio for sale in Minnesota? Where can you sell a house or a cottage for only $25. That is quite a bargin, too. Both the price of the house and the cottage are negotiable. Check it out, you may want to make an offer.
Once you post your ad, the ads stay on the site until they are sold. There is no time limit! How great is that? All ads cost $25. Plus, the beauty of listing things at AFI is that everybody here basically is in the same business as you are. Everyone here needs almost the same things to conduct Art Fair business as you do. You have the best chance of making a sale with your items than any where else. Over 5,000 people may need what you have.
You can also post cars, vans, boats, and trucks for sale here, too. You can include photos to help you sell your items, as well. Photos can be a very valuable selling tool. If you included a photo with an ad to sell a car in your locale newspaper it could very well end up costing more than $25. Plus, with an ad in your local paper, the buying audience interested in your item may only be a handful of people. Here at AFI, you are selling your items to an audience of over 5,000 people! How great is that?
Do you need to swap houses for a month? Do you need to find a nanny? Do you have a boat or travel trailer to sell or trade? Do you have tickets to a concert that you need to sell? Do you have a cottage that you rent out by the week all summer long? It is time to clean house and unload those unwanted items.
You can sell or find almost anything here. All the information you will need to list your items is in the following link:
Check the Classifieds out today.
