Blog

• I would love to attend this conference to learn more on how to sell my handcrafted jewelry. I have been doing local shows for a couple of years now, but there are very few art fair shows in this area and I lack the knowledge on how to apply to them. I am trying to expand my knowledge of taking photos, upgrading to a better website and in general improve on how I can sell my jewelry, which venues would be the best, this is all very challenging and can be overwhelming at times, so any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have read about the Zapplication conferences, but this would be the first one I could attend. I feel I would learn tremendously from it.

• My grandmother was a seamstress. I spent every summer with Nana. Learning everything I could-she would look at something and create the most amazing piece of clothing or an accessory you could imagine. After college, my first job was as a TV producer for Public TV. Because I was a state employee, we didn't get paid enough money to meet basic needs. So, I took all the lessons that Nana had taught me to start making earrings to pay the rent. I became successful and my bills were being paid...with the better shows, I have no clue how to approach, apply, or word the applications so that a jury would understand. I have hit a road block and need help...Please welcome me back into the fold.
  

• It’s been about seven years that I’ve been doing shows now.  To say I have learned a lot already is certainly an understatement.  However, I have been doing little local shows. I have been working hard on my “cohesive body of work” and my display.  I knew I had to get in to some higher caliber shows, so this year I applied for four shows that I thought were a step up from what I had been doing... I am still too intimidated to apply for the really good shows, but if I am ever going to succeed I need to get to that level. I think the Zapplication conference could be very helpful in making that step up to the next level.  However, I don’t see that it will be in my budget in the foreseeable future.  I would love to participate in the public portfolio critique! If I’m not chosen, I will still be plodding along and you will probably hear from me again next year.

• I have been an artist all my life and over the last few years I finally gained the courage to start showing and selling my work. I went back to school and earned my BFA in painting from the University of Missouri and just graduated with honors in December 2012. I am a painter and currently work with oils on canvas and I am part of the St. Louis Artist Fair this year as an emerging artist. It will be my first art fair and the emerging artist program has been very informative but I want to learn more. I would love to be able to travel, show and sell my art and I love the art fair atmosphere.

• Greetings from Laguna Beach, California. Home of sunshine and wonderful artists. We are a new gallery (less than a year old) We are looking to learn from the masters the secrets to success. We are looking to ways to network with artists and professionals. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

• I would love to go to this conference because this is the perfect next step for me. This has been my first year selling at art fairs and I've learned so much! What I've learned is that I really am a glass artist, and I need to learn to portrait myself correctly. My work is better suited for middle or higher end shows, and I really want to see what it takes to get noticed by the juries and by the clients. I am fortunate that I have a gift, but need to learn how to show it off to the right people!

• I'll be a first-time participant at St. James this year (jewelry artist) and would LOVE to learn more about the inner workings of art fairs. Having been rejected by shows before, I'm particularly interested in ways to improve the application process for judging. And because I also have a lengthy background in business, I'd like to better understand what it takes to make a good show. Although I've been metal smithing for a few years, I'm still taking every opportunity to learn new processes as well as business development. This would be a huge benefit for me, if I could attend the conference.

• I've been selling my art for a couple of years at a couple of local shows in Louisville. I would like to learn how to take my career to a more professional level. I've applied to Saint James Art fair previously, but have not been accepted. I am also interested in pursuing a market beyond this region.

• In my second year of art fairs, I am still learning. And it would be a great moment for me to attend. What a wonderful learning opportunity this would be for me! I know I don't have the money to attend. I hope to develop my photographic skills and be admitted into better fairs. This is all a learning journey for me...

• I am an artist craftperson and that my interest is in seeing how craft, as in my painted gourds using southeastern prehistoric designs, can bridge the gap between fine art and craft art, which I believe will be the future of art. That's to say, the art object of the future will also have a useful function and the horizon that separates the plastic arts from the malleable arts will become interchangeable as when the blue of the sky is indistinguishable from the water below it... I would like to learn and formulate where the crossing of boundaries is and how this impacts public interest in art: soon to be a fusion of many approaches.

• My wife and I have been showing our work since 1998 and came from the land of slide submission to jury into shows. Since the new land of ZAPP came to be, we have wandered lost in the elements of electronic submission to jury into shows. We have yet to find our way with any degree of success despite hiring several different photography guides to lead us throungh the labrynth. We would love to learn the way to the path to acceptance.

• We have been doing shows for several years and based on what we have seen along the way we have constantly been upgrading our booth, our photos and our art. We have reached the stage now that we need some professional advice on how to take it to the next step. We are silversmiths so the majority of our work is silver, but we also create jewelry by hand knitting wire, thus creating a problem in presenting a cohesive look in our jury photos. We can always use more information on how to handle the business end of being an artist. We always learn a lot just by being around and chatting with people with more experience in this business. The good news is that we are doing St. James Court and will be in Louisville. I was excited last week when I noticed that the Zapplication Conference was in Louisville right after the art fair, until I noticed the price. It is expensive for one person, but realllllly expensive for both of us to go. So if we won one admission, we would only have to pay for one.

• My wife and I are participating in the St James Court Art Show and realize that attending and learning from the Zapp conference would strengthen that weak link in my chain of my art show life that needs improving the most...professionally applying to get into more shows.

• I learn something new every time I do a show and Artfair Insiders helps me sort the details and better understand how things work. Until recently I was director of a group of gourd artists. Through and with my group I learned to become a Master Judge for the American Gourd Society. Skills we taught to others. I learned how to help motivate and support artists in my group and with skills that I learn at the conference, I can continue to do this and maybe even help promote new and different kinds of fine art events. Something that will create a new and invigorated interest in artist fairs. At least in my little area of the world.

• I turned thirty this year and I feel beyond fortunate to have found my calling in life. For 5 years now I have been creating jewelry that comes from my love of working with stones. The style I have crafted has stood out among the smaller hometown shows that I have done for the past 3 years, but when it comes to higher end, more prestigious shows I apply and apply only to get shot down time and time again. I have faith that my work is of high enough quality to gain entry to competitive shows and I feel if I can just get my foot in the door… The opportunity to see behind the scenes, listen, and learn what mistakes I am making would literally be life changing for me. Please consider choosing a young and ambitiously determined artist for this potentially career exploding opportunity.

• I help my son by managing his art business. For 7 summers he has painted bands as they play at music festivals...his winters are spent in the studio painting. i have no art education but plenty of business management experience. I need a good education in how the Art Fair World works...this will be the perfect opportunity to get that education. Of course, asking questions is a great start to learning anything, but you must know the right questions to ask. I also want to know who to ask when I have a question and the conference will provide me with an invaluable education I could not get without spending much more time studying.

• My husband & I are about to begin our art festival business. We sell prints (& in his case, some of his original pointillism artwork), & have been doing lots of research on art festivals. Going to this conference would be a great way to learn even more ins & outs of the business, & to get lots of our questions answered.

• Each step of every project I design and build is considered my masterpiece… because I want the finished product to reflect the quality and creativeness of my work. I study each piece to get ideas and details that will evolve in and improve my future creations…I must continually be my own biggest critic and always be very happy and passionate with what I am doing if I expect my work to continually evolve and improve... If a person cannot be satisfied with their own work they most certainly cannot expect others to appreciate each and every step from start to finish that has gone into creating it.

• I have stepped beyond the hobby phase and continued into part-time photography business for my second year. I have entered a handful of juried shows and enjoyed each experience. I started with equine photography and have learned to enjoy as well as appreciate landscape and portrait photography. I believe there is always more to learn at any range of experience, and I love getting feedback - the good and the bad. I also live just 15 minutes north of Louisville.

• This sounds like a great opportunity for my business ______ Events to grow. I'm currently a one person show, I attend many artists receptions, art hops and shows seeking out artists who I believe are great additions to my shows. The artists I work with know my first concern is that they benefit. I'm still learning but I'm receptive to learning from the experts. At this time, I put the shows on from beginning to end by myself. I love what I'm doing want it to be my full-time job. Therefore, through this conference I will be able learn how to financially benefit myself while sharing my mission to support the arts.

• I would love to attend this as I've just submitted my applications to my first few shows and this would be a great "What not to do" . I've invested in all the equipment from an old friend Adam Rote including trailer but have not been able to use them yet. My goal with the air fairs is to test the waters and if I get it proves worthwhile I might be able to escape corporate America chains!

• I am in transition from the helping profession of nursing to the creative profession of artist. Information on building the business side of the creative life is vital to me. I am brand new at creating slides and appreciate perspective and education from experienced artists. I have nomadic blood which I am eager to honor as a traveler on the art fair circuit. I long for community connection with other traveling artists and creatives.

So there you have it folks -- great choices from beginners to seasoned artists. You will only be allowed to vote once. Deadline for voting September 2, midnight ET.