Well, the smell of Jasmine is in the air, the citrus blossoms are in full regalia and it is time to head north for the summer--for the next five months.
So maybe, there is time to look back and reflect on the site of art shows in Florida this year of 2013.
I can tell ya one thing, there is a hell of a difference from doing my last two shows in Texas and doing one in Florida right now in Lakeland--as we all kindly call it the "Bake by the Lake."
There are infinite light years of distance from the buying public in Texas versus Lakeland--and that is putting it very kindly.
The guy next to me who gets in shows with his wooden cabinets and then proceeds to sell $20 bread-cutting saws all day is making a mint. The faux flower people in the imported clay vases are selling a mint. The rest of us suck.
Here is a serious look at Florida. I have only done shows here for 38 years, so what do I really know?
First off, it is really tough to make a living selling art--especially 2-D art in Florida right now.
So, before all you get off the thread, notice I said "2-D."
Reason number one.
Housing industry still sucks big time. Without many people buying or building new homes, there is a limited market to sell 2-d art to.
This means all us talented artists are striving to sell to a very limited number of buyers. And, they are very limited.
Two.
Way too many art shows in Florida. Diluted base. Nobody is really excited, because they will just see you are another of your ilk the following weekend. Makes it very hard to close on good sales.
Three.
Way too many talented artists and craftspersons for this limited market.
Prognosis. Til, building industry and home sales pick up, slim pickings for us.
Oh yeah.
Let us couple that with the greediest increase in booth and jury fees we have ever seen in or lifetime.
Shows are making moneys while artists sink further into debt.
Not a great future in Florida.
Sorry folks, as you know I just tell it like it is.
Aloha, Nels.
Comments
It is freezing up here Nels. I think spring is a few weeks off this year. You may be shocked when you open that car door and the cold air hits you.
Yesterday I finished a show in Pensacola, Fl. (Springtime Festival) put on by the Pensacola Museum of Art. Two words describe the results: It sucked! Sale of clay pots, bird houses and glass sold, but 2D art did not. We still have people selling manufactured "art" at the show. He is a "photographer" with a truck load of images that he was unable to describe where his photos were taken. He had large prints selling for less than the canvas and stretchers could be purchased for. This guy wasn't the only one. I received many compliments but sales were not there.
Sue, I was fortunate to be in Main Street Fort Worth and the Woodlands, just north of Houston. Great shows, but not easy to get into.
Sounds like Florida is just as bad as Arizona. Because AZ has such a short time of good weather, all the shows are at the same time. The economy here is one of the worst and the only people moving here are from Mexico. The 2D market is horrible but somehow the white man making Indian crafts do well.
Neil, I agree about the over saturation of the market in Florida, I have been doing the Fl shows for just a few years with a mix bag of results. I am a painter and there are a lot of good painters trying
to make it during the winter months, I think I will hone it down to two or three shows keep it simple and keep my eyes open to other opportunities other than the Florida market. I would like
to hear more about Texas from you and other 2D people.
Thanks Will McCarthy in Connecticut
Neil, just curious but which shows do you like in Texas? My experience is that NOT ALL shows do well. I've heard from several that the shows at the Domain in Austin had poor attendance and poor sales and that was just last month.
I did a show in Frisco earlier in March which was a total wash out because of the weather. Another one in nearby Arlington had equally bad time because of the weather.
Sue, down in Austin.
I stayed away from the South Florida art fairs this winter. South Florida is the most saturated market for art fairs in the country. I did only three Florida shows this last winter (Winter Park, Gasparilla and Mainsail) and I made more money at those three art fairs than I did last year at seven shows, mostly in South Florida, the year before. For us artists from up north, we have to travel south, but its becoming increasingly difficult to pick shows that will make the trip worthwhile. Got a surprise for you, Nels, when you and Ellen make it back to Saugatuck.
Full employment in Texas--lots of oil and gas money, they have disposable income--it really is a no-brainer. Florida economy is not even close to being in the same universe as Texas.
Geoff, I could be wrong but when I do show in texas poeple paid with american express, debit cards, checks, cash and do bargain with you. Simple terms Texas people had been living on what they make. Also the economy did hit them as hard as the rest of the country.
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