Email from a friend after we asked him for some show information:
As to show reviews, I'm uncomfortable about writing anything about an art fair on the internet. I cringe at the idea of a show director reading a bad review with my name attached. Getting into shows in the last decade of my career is so hard. I just don't trust the system enough to put my name on anything.
As to sharing what shows I do, I pass out thousands of card each year with my schedule on it. I put my schedule on my web site. Shows I do good at or not good at don't really apply. If I try a show it's because I've heard of it. I try it, I evaluate it, good or bad, and try to see if I want to work it for a couple of years. With all the art fair lists and web sites available, how can you not know the art fairs. The fact is that the economy isn't very good. I'm an older exhibitor, not new, not with new work. If I go somewhere, I think of it as, do I want to work at this show and try to turn it into something that will work for me.
These people at the show wanting to know what shows are good. They don't seem to realize that I'm right there next to them trying to make some money. There's no secret shows. I put time and effort into making money at shows. I get into good and bad shows. Maybe your stuff isn't salable. Like the woman who reviewed Edina a while back, there's probably someone looking at her booth thinking if she wasn't there they'd be making money. Every show has good and bad work. Edina, for a fact, isn't that hot of a show, but I've done it for twenty years, do a mailing, try to reach my customers there. It doesn't make much difference who else is there. It's close to home, easy to do. My old spot had a trash can and a porta potty. What more could you ask for? Our joke was wait until it rains when all the blue tarps come out and people's booth fall down because they don't have a center pole.
A lot of these exhibitors seem to think that if so and so wasn't at the art fair, the fair would be better, and they'd make good money.
These days the line between good and bad shows is blurred. In crafts, I see a lot of former big ACE guys at the same shows I do. The customers go to all the shows. The line is blurred. You go to the Plaza or Coconut Grove and see the cheap jewelers just like at the little shows along with people with good work. If you get into all the top shows, more power to you, but most of us get into some good shows and some bad shows and learn to deal with it.
My new line with the judges is that I'm just a guy who talks to himself with his respirator on all day and that's my artist statement. That's as deep as I get. This was yesterday's rant to myself at the felt wheel.
Comments
I'm new to exhibiting at art fairs. However, I have a list of shows over the next two years in which I would like to exhibit. My list is based on location and my experience in attending the shows as a patron over the past decade or so. Most of us were patrons or at least lovers of art prior to becoming exhibitors so we should have some knowledge of art fairs. Deciding what shows to participate in solely based on another artist's experience is not very practical. Go to the shows. Find out how well they are promoted and attended. See for yourself what art is there. There are shows that are big and promoted widely, anyone can determine which those are by merely running a Google search. Getting into one of those shows is still no guarantee that your art will be a big seller. I paint primarily abstract work in acrylics so to ask the next artist over who is selling beautiful watercolor landscapes what shows to do may not help me at all. However, if I was the watercolor landscape artist, I would not mind sharing the shows that I am exhibiting in as well as whether they were good for me. BUT, the asking artist should realize that this type of shortcut may end up taking him or her around the long way!
I do, we will let them off easy since it was a private, but when you put it out on the site it is no longer private.
Right, Mary -- whoever knows what is going to happen? There is always the alternative, get a job (shudder, shudder) although I know people who will say they are unfit for anything else. My condolences about Naples.
I did get your feeling, Nels. Actually, it was a private email to me and it didn't seem appropriate to "out" him but it was interesting and knew there were lots of ideas in it that others here would understand. In fact, some of the early posts on this site were artists complaining about telling others who wanted to know "just tell me where the good shows are". Remember?
Missed some spaces between words but I think you still get my feeling.
What a fricking whimp, won't even own up to who they are. Sorry Connie, i got no time or respect for them. Afraid to comment abouta show because you think it hurts your chances of getting back in? Rubbish! I have told itlike it is for my whole career, 33 years, hasn't hurt me one bit getting back in. Sorry, whoever you are, you are selfish and self-absorbed.
I love this letter!!! A few weekends ago I met an older gentleman at a show who was just getting into the business. "Tell me what shows to do" he said.....I gave him the whole talk: you have to try different ones (and you won't get into everything you apply for), do some research, figure out your market blah blah....his answer to me? "I don't have the time and/or money for any of that. Just tell me which ones". I think I just stood there aghast. I have spent the last 7 years working on that myself. There have been shows that I thought I would make money at that I didn't. Shows that I thought were going to be difficult that turned into really good shows. There are shows I have never been able to get into, others that I got into easily but have not been able to do a 2nd time etc. etc.... Shows that I have been able to do year after year and build a clientele. Those have been the bonus. If I do a review I try to be really honest about the situation. If you have a bad show and there are plenty of patrons there it likely is not the 'promoters' fault. There are so many factors to push through. Example: I don't do shows anymore where the set up is at 4 in the morning. I can't handle it. So, I would not do a review and moan about the early set up.
PS....I am a woman. I have reviewed Edina on this site and had a number of really good shows there. It is not the show for everyone for sure but it works for me. I hate the thought of anyone standing in front of my booth thinking that if I wasn't there they'd be making money but I am painfully aware that there is some ugly jealousy in this business. Heck, I'm jealous of all those people who got back into Naples National again this year. After a really, really good show there in 2011 I have not been able to get in. And, I was next to the bathroom and had my own garbage can :) and two nice sales from guys waiting for their wives who were in the ladies room!!