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SCOTT AMRHEIN OF WISCONSIN NAMED BEST IN SHOW WINNER AT

33^RD ANNUAL NAPLES NATIONAL ART FESTIVAL

Naples, Fla. (February 25, 2012) The Naples Art Association at The von Liebig Art Center announces Best in Show and Awards of Distinction winners for the 33^rd Annual Naples National Art Festival. The show drew more than 800 artist applications, and about 260 artists from across the United States exhibited at the 2-day festival held on February 25 and 26 in Cambier Park and along 8^thStreet South in downtown Naples. More than 15,000 people attended the show.

Judges for the show included Jane Manus and Michele Valencourt.  Originally from upstate New York, Valencourt received her Bachelor’s degree in Art, Art History, and Literature from the State University of NY at Brockport. In 1995, she became executive director for the Arts & Humanities Council of Charlotte County. She became the first Executive Director for the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda in 2001. Through the arts center, she has led efforts to create the Fine Arts Festival, Peace River National Arts Festival, and opened a state of the art pottery studio and art technology lab.

Jane Manus is an international sculptor working in metal. She was born in New York City and received her BFA from Rollins College and the Art Institute of Boston. She had her first solo exhibition in 1976. Her sculpture is included in the public collections of the Harn Museum of Art, The Lincoln Center/List Collection, New York; The Georgia Museum of Art, the Sagamore Collection, Miami Beach; the Cornell Fine Art Museum; the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami; The Butler Institute of American Art; the Flint Institute of Art, Michigan, The Cleveland Clinic Collection, Cleveland; Vero Beach Museum of Art and multiple others.

“People have this idea that fine art has to always be very serious; I love to see humor in art,” Valencourt said. “There were some very joyful, whimsical pieces of artwork in this show.”  The judges said they were very impressed with the high quality of work at the Naples National Art Festival, as well as the balance of types of art on view. 

After carefully reviewing all show booths, the judges evaluated work based on artistic merit, craftsmanship and technical competence.  Scott Amrhein, a glass artist from Sherwood, Wisconsin, was selected to win Best in Show. Both judges independently favored Amrhein as their choice. “The best always rises to the top, and I could not get him out of my mind, even after looking at all of the other works,” Valencourt said. Manus agreed. “His work is just fantastic.”Amrhein combines natural and man-made materials to create kiln-formed glass vessels presented on copper or concrete pedestals. He uses a variety of copper and silver applications to produce color and depth in the glass.

Best in 2D was awarded to John Costin, a printmaker from Tampa, Florida. “His work was technically exquisite; a beautiful rendition of Florida birds. He has really mastered representing the anatomy of the birds,” Valencourt said.

Albert Benedict, a sculptor from Whitewater, Wisconsin received the Best in 3D Award. “I loved the originality and humor in his work. Plus it was beautifully crafted,” said Manus.

The following artists won Awards of Distinction in 2D artwork: Painter Lin Seslar of Evergreen, Colorado; Printmaker James Nemnich of Indialantic, Florida; Printmaker Michael Wommack of Langhorne, Pennsylvania; Printmaker Gillian Kemper of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Photographer Michael Bryant of Atlanta, Georgia.

The following artists received an Award of Distinction for their 3D artwork: Jeweler Lauran Sundin from Concord, New Hampshire; Jeweler Christiane Hampel of Naples, Florida; Wood Artist Marilyn Endres of Driftwood, Texas; Ceramic Artist John Herbon of Saint Ignace, Michigan; and Sculptor Nnamdi Okonkwo of Fayetteville, Georgia.

The annual art festival serves as a significant fund raiser for the Naples Art Association, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Funds raised from this event are used for children’s scholarships for the organizations summer art classes as well as for annual programming and exhibition.

Naples National is my third show in a seven show Florida tour for this Midwest artist. After disappointing sales at Artfest in Ft Myers and Coconut Grove in Miami, Naples bought just under $1200 in sales. Its like Groundhog Day (The Bill Murray movie), All three of these shows hovered around the $1200 level... not enough to pay for all the expenses these shows cost.

On the plus side, the Naples National show was like the direct opposite of the Coconut Grove show (which Barry reviewed so expertly). The park where the art fair was held was easy to find and well marked. Registration was easy and load in was well organized. Traffic monitors were working in all the areas of the show, allowing cars, trailers and vans into the show grounds only when a space was open near each artists booth. I was in the park so I had to dolly in from the street over loose ground cover of wood chips. (The chips made me wish I had an SVU for a dolly.) I was in a pleasant shaded area near the bandstand. Parking was provided in a big empty lot about three of four blocks from the art fair but the show had buses running constantly between the art fair and the parking lot for artists. Pack up and load out was equally well organized with monitors handing out vehicle passes after we had our stuff all packed up and ready to load. There was pleasant (mostly) entertainment from the bandstand, a sharp contrast to the frenetic hawking by the Verizon booth at Coconut Grove.

On the minus side, although I enjoyed the shaded location of my booth, it was part of an odd configuration. My booth (#140) was in a circle of booths inside of a bigger circle of booths. That made for confusing traffic patterns. In walking the show I noticed a lot of near random placement of booths in the park that would give fair-goers a navigational challenge to visit all the artists. The better location (although unshaded) was on the street adjacent to the park where patrons could walk up one side of the street and down the other side, and see all the artists. I'm thinking my odd location added to my low sales totals. The street was always crowded while the park had way fewer visitors.

My next show is Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale next weekend, a show I have mixed feelings about. I'm hoping the younger crowd in Ft Lauderdale might respond to my work with better sales totals, but I dread that early morning setup. I'll spend the week before the show in Punta Gorda where the hotel bills are not so dear. This Florida trip is costing me more money than I'm making.

September 8 & 9
Chicago, Illinois
Intersection of Broadway and Belmont
Sat.: 10am-6pm; Sun.: 10am-5pm
175 max. artists

The Lakeview East Festival of the Arts is Chicago's premier fine art and fine craft festival showcasing over 175 juried artists.  Lakeview  is located on the north side of Chicago, near Wrigley Field, north  Halsted and Lincoln Park in a very diverse, culturally rich community  with unique boutique stores, cafes and restaurants.

The Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce has hosted this event for the past six years.  More than 40,000 attendees are expected to attend this year's festival.  The festival is set on Broadway Avenue just north of Belmont Avenue.

This festival has a strong marketing and media plan and hosts an annual artist reception.  Other  amenities include artists reserved parking, vendor fee permit waived,  Saturday night Artist Party, and a full breakfast served Saturday and  Sunday.

For more info: please click here

Organized by Erin Melloy of EM Events, a  well established promoter of art shows in Chicagoland.  EM Events are  held in partnership with local business organizations bring close  interaction between each community and its' local art fair and ensuring  you loyal patrons.  

For more information about EM Events please contact: 

Erin Melloy - 630-536-8416,  emelloy@emevents.com or visit www.emevents.com 

Find more shows looking for artists: www.CallsforArtists.com

Connie Mettler talks with Cindy Lerick, director of the Saint Louis Art Fair and Stephen King, director of the Des Moines Arts Festival.

What we'll be talking about:

• Their background
• Mission of their events
• What is a non-profit and where does the money go?
• How do they decide on a booth fee?
• Jury information
• How they pick jurors
• What the jurors are asked to do
• How about that booth shot?
• much more...

This will be live and we may be able to take questions. But if you have a question you would like me to ask them please comment below or email me: info@artfaircalendar.com.

At 5 pm Eastern time click on this link to listen live: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/artfairpodcasts

If you can't make this appointment the podcast will be available at that link any time.

Thanks to Katrina Gallegos from the Coconut Grove Arts Festival for sending me this list of the winners:

BEST OF THE BEST WINNERS
BEST OF THE BEST
Ray Jones

BEST BOOTH
Mark & Carol Reynolds**

BEST POSTER DESIGN
Marilyn Liedman

Here's my favorite article about The Grove, featuring an image by Beau Tudzarov: http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2012/02/coconut_grove_arts_festival_fo_1.php

Their website: http://new.cgaf.com/

JUPITER— The 2012 ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival presented by Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center

The winners were selected by three judges who scored each artist and awarded a Best in Show and a first-place winner in each of the 13 categories.

Judith Wood of West Palm Beach has won Best in Show with her mixed media jewelry.

• Marvin Bower of Boonsboro, Md., in Fiber – Wearable
• Jayne Demarcay of Abita Springs, La., in Jewelry
• Shelagh Forrest** of Gainesville, Fla., in Photography
• R.C. Fulwiler** of Lakeland, Fla., in Digital Art
• Peter Gerbert of Dade City, Fla., in Painting
• Barrie Harding** of Dunnellon, Fla., in Wood
• Corey Johnson of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., in Mixed Media
• Edward Loedding** of Brandon, Vt., in Drawing and Printmaking
• Don McWhorter of Carrollton, Ga., in Ceramics
• Richard Ryan of Bourbonnais, Ill., in Glass
• Alex Santamarina of San Francisco, Calif., in Metal
• Jean Yao of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in Fiber – Nonwearable

More about ArtiGras: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/feb/21/artist-judith-wood-takes-home-best-in-show-20424/

Their website:  http://www.artigras.org/

In Altamonte Springs, FL, a new show appeared: Uptown Altamonte Art Expo

Their winners:

Best of Show:  Laurie Coppedge (Photography)

Awards of Excellence (4):
    Robert Hyde (Sculpture)
    Patrick Pierson** (Mixed Media)
    Rolly Ray Reel (Mixed Media)
    Peter Smith (Mixed Media)

Judge’s Choice (3):
    Julie Kessler and Judy Lee (Mixed Media)
    Tamra Martin (Jewelry)
    J. Brown and D. Hair (Painting)

Merit Awards (10):
    Leland Williams (Mixed Media)
    Diana Ahrens (Mixed Media)
    Michael Myers** (Mixed Media)
    Marla E. (Painting)
    Jim Sprinkle (Sculpture)
    Jeff Eckert (Printmaking/Drawing)
    Jeffrey Waller (Mixed Media)
    Julie Anstaett (Jewelry)
    Thomas Lott (Jewelry)
    Frank Castelluccio (Sculpture)

** Members of ArtFairInsiders.com - congratulations!

June 2 & 3
Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield Festival of Fine Arts
Deerfield Road and Park Avenue
Presented by: Deerfield Fine Arts Commission & Village of Deerfield

Debbie Netter is proud to announce the 10th Anniversary of the Deerfield Fine Arts Festival.  Ms. Netter, President and founder of D & W, has 20+ years of organizing events and knows how to make it less stressful for everyone!

Held in town, busy city-like atmosphere
- Approximately 125 artists
- 10th year festival
- Median home price - $825,000

Top reasons to consider this show: (not in order of importance!)

1. Well run, organized and fun!
2. Attentive artist hospitality including booth sitters, hot and iced coffee both days, continental break fast both days, indoor restroom facilities, bottled water delivered to you frequently throughout the show, discounted hotel rates, overnight security
   
3. Booth fees for all shows remains at $300.00, and jury fee, $35.00. Larger booths and corners available for an additional fee
4. Wonderful attendance from a higher economic buying crowd
5. Advertising intrinsically placed to capture the high to middle economic crowd
6. Easy load in and out
7. Promoter who cares and will implement your suggestions
8. Apply easily on line through Entry Thingy
9. Smaller show means less artist competition
10. Juried and judged by industry professionals

What artists say about D & W Events, Inc.:

Prologue:

Up until 2005 or 2006, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival was, by far, the best show in the country.  From the minute you got there you were treated warmly, with respect. AND, the show was a dream.  Everyone sold well.  They used to bring in the supporters/sponsors on a trolly at 8 AM on Saturday morning and those people had pre-committed dollars to buy work and they used tickets to purchase the work.  They got to see the work in a slide show and they would race to the people who's work they wanted, so, they could get the best pieces.  This was great for the artists.  I always did around $2500.  And, those buyers would come back throughout the show.  One year, I had my best show ever and it wasn't even 10 AM.  The show hadn't even started. Needless to say, they got rid of that program.  Around the same time, they tripled the show fee, started charging the gate fee, and started expanding the corporate booths.

The skinny:

I called the day before the show started and I was told to arrive after 2PM, park by my space, and check in before I started unloading. I arrived around 2:15, down 27th ave where I have always entered the show and I'm told by a smarmy 20 year old bee-atch in a green security shirt, that I have to turn around, drive a half mile, make a right on a non-existant street and come back through, even though my booth was right beyond the barricade. Of course, I can't find this entrance and I finally went down Darwin Street, ironically and appropriately named and talked the cop into letting me in which brought me past the bee-atch and right to my space.  Unloading was easy because they left us alone and artists are good about leaving room, etc., except for the cars, beer trucks, and carts zooming through. Apparently, artists needed credentials to get into the site but anyone off the street could get in, no problem.  One of these days someone is going to get run over unloading their vehicle. You can double the risk on load out. It gets worse every year. Setup is stressful enough without the added tension of worrying about getting run over.

The artwork at the show was superb, even the photographers.  The credit for this belongs to Lilia Gracia.  She picks the jurors and oversees the judging.  She has held this job for a long time and does not get paid.  If fact, Lilia and the artist liaison, Katrina do a phenomenal job. They are the jewels of this show because they know the shows reputation is built on the fact that the artists are top notch.  I was proud to be in this show. If they ran this show, in total, it would be the show it once was. No other show would come close.

Every location, in this show, has it's problems.  The first thing I noticed was that the food booths and the beer concessions were closer to the artist booths.  I felt like my space was being invaded. As far as my work is concerned, beer and greasy fingers do not mix with my work.  On more than one occasion, I've had a drunk break a piece or a greasy fingerprint ruin a piece.  However, I consider myself lucky where I was in the show.  I could have been near the Verizon stage.  In the past it had been the Verizon booth, which has expanded every year since 2005-6.  Now it has morphed into the Verizon stage.  It is the most obnoxious thing I have ever experienced at an aft fair in 30 years of doing shows.  They constantly hawked their crap, playing hip-hop so loud that it rattled the work in the booths near the stage.  Of course, they get the 4 most prime booth locations.  I know one person who lost a $1200 sale because the customer couldn't take it anymore and fled the scene.  The person who decided that allowing this obviously has no regard for the artists. There is no rationale for Verizon creating this spectacle.  I'm thinking of dumping my Verizon account because of it.  I'm sure they lost more business than they gained. Other fun things included people driving around in carts continually beeping their horns for people to get out of their way and beer hawkers that would be more at home at the ballpark than at an arts festival.  I guess they needed to be employed during the two months after football season and the start of baseball season.

In spite of this sales for some people were great.  In fact, there was no middle ground.  You either grossed over 10-30K or you did less than $1500, with a number of people zeroing out.  If you had the right work you did a bang up business. I know someone who sold everything except one piece.  3-D wall pieces and jewelry did really well, from my conversations. It's really hard to tell what percentage did well.  I'd say not more than a third.  And, it changes from year to year.  I spoke to someone who had sold only one small painting this year, who did over 20K last year.  Of course, if the show wasn't trying so hard to get rid of the real buyers and replace it with beer drinking partyers, everyone would do well, like they did prior to 2006.

So, who is responsible for the conditions of this show, that has changed since 2006 from artist friendly to beer drinking partying friendly? I put the blame squarely on the current management team that coincidentally took charge in 2006.  I was told they will be there as long as they want so don't think conditions are going to change anytime soon, unless we do something about it.  Of course, that will never happen.  I was told that for anyone who wants to give up their space near the Verizon booth there are 1000 artists who would gladly take their space.  I can't argue with that one. I wouldn't give up my space and I was promised that I could say anything here and not get blackballed from the show.  The elimination of the strong sponsor program, the increased number of beer hawkers, the food booths being on top of the artists, the rudeness of the so called volunteer security, the rudeness of those people driving those carts, and last but not least the out of control aggressiveness of the Verizon booth all took place after current management team took control of the show.  

I'm sure that the CGAF association is happy with the job management is doing because they are making a lot of money.  And, I'm sure they are all patting themselves on the back deluding themselves into believing that they have the best show in the country.  The only way they can believe that is by ignoring the artists because 99% of them would echo what I have written, here.  In fact, I'm just reflecting what I heard from others.  A little thing happened the other night which I found to be so telling, from the artists perspective.  After the awards dinner, around 6 artists were going to another artists room at the Residence Inn, to have a shower party.  They were taking showers in this persons room because they were staying in their vehicles.  This is a very common thing at this show.  I'd say over half the artists doing the show sleep in their vans. Now how is it that the artists participating at the show that is supposed to be one of the best in the country have to stay in their vehicles because they can't afford a proper place to stay? If it were my show, I would be embarrassed by that fact.  Yet, if you read the coming press reports in the Miami papers will be extolling the success of the show and grossly inflating the amount of money spent of the artwork. You will never hear about the conditions of the artists that do the show.

I never give a review or make a criticism without giving solutions to the problems that I have talked about.  And certainly, it would only take minor changes to make this show the model for all shows, that it once was.  First of all, train the security staff to direct people to the proper entrances and paths to the booths and make sure they welcome us and treat us with respect.  Secondly, move the food booths and beer tents back 20 feet. Give us some room. Third, tone down the Verizon stage.  There is no reason why they can't lower the decibels and get their point across.  Make them play music that is complimentary to the artwork.  Hip-Hop? Come on!! Make the show classy again. Get rid of the schlock. Fourthly, bring back the trolley with the buyers.  Fifth, how about more wine booths instead of beer tents. Sixth, keep the vendor trucks out of our way during set up and take down.  Make it safe for us instead of dangerous and make no mistake, it is dangerous.

Epilogue:

Every corporation reflects the style of the officers that run the operation.  I think it's time for the CGAF to get back to being a sophisticated event instead of the shlock fest that you are so desperately trying to become.  Try creating an atmosphere that is commensurate with the artwork.  Lilia and Katrina are doing their part.  It's time for the rest of you who run the show to step up to the plate.  You think that the way you are doing things is maximizing your income.  I can assure you that if you went back to taking care of the artists and making this the sophisticated event it should be, that you will dwarf what you make now.  I guarantee it. 

Coconut Grove was my second Florida show after a disappointing Artfest in Fort Myers (and not getting in off the wait list for Coconut Point last weekend). So, I've been here three weeks now and have another five shows to do before I can head back to home in Saugatuck, Michigan. As I mentioned in earlier posts I've been a bit anxious about committing all those dollars to booth fees, travel expenses and hotel bills. And now, after another disappointing showing at Coconut Grove ($1200 total for three long days), I'm pretty bummed out. These Florida people just don't buy my work.

The show itself is big and busy. Lots of people. Lots going on. It was a tough show for me to do. I arrived at 4pm as instructed by the info I got from the committee. I was told that the streets would not be available for setup until that time. I found, however, that many artists arrived late morning and were already setup by the time I got there. I also had a very hard time finding the registration area. There were no signs posted and the directions in my packet were confusing. When I registered I was told that the artist's parking lot was full. Apparently I was supposed to sign up for parking ahead of time. I never received any communication from the committee about that. I finally found a public parking lot, but couldn't leave my trailer over night, so I had to drive it 20 miles to Hialeah, where my hotel was located. In my opinion, this is one of the least "artist friendly" art fairs I ever did.

On the plus side, the volunteers in my area were very helpful. Since I was doing this show alone (something I don't recommend), I made use of the booth sitters several times. Hot lunch all three days. Pretty good breakfast all three days, and an artist dinner on Sunday... some good perks. The weather was great, for the most part, with the exception of some pretty heavy winds on Sunday afternoon. Many of the artists around me had good shows, so, I guess this could be a good money-maker for some artists.

My next show is in Naples next weekend. I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude. Looking forward to a good show. I could use some healthy sales.

I’ve seen a lot of posts lately from artists with the same concerns as mine.  Extended deadlines after artists have already been rejected.  Exorbitant late application fees.  Calls for Artists issued after certain categories are full without disclosure of the categories that are open, if any sometimes.  The number of available spaces and applications per medium not fully disclosed.  Unknown jury members.  Shows trolling artist websites prior to ‘blind’ jurying.  Sneaky Buy/Sell crap.  Application and booth payment deadlines almost a year before the show date.  Advertised award amounts that are never given out.  Unfair refund policies.  Rising booth costs, rising application fees, rising expenses, dwindling returns.   Shows that are all about the spectacle of a festival not about the art.  Blacklisting artists because of their outspokenness.  And the many other dirty little secrets that prevent artists from reaching their full potential.

Many artists wring their hands and lament there is nothing that can be done about any of this, it’s always been this way, you have to learn to fight within the system, blahblahblah.  Not me.  I want to make a difference.  I PLAN to make a difference.  It is my future and I will fight for it.  If you want to make a difference also, The Corner Booth (http://www.thecornerbooth.proboards.com/) is a good place to start.  Don’t come there looking for advice on tents or weights or good photos.  Don’t come to hear Cumbaya and violins playing while a show’s selection of bagels is lauded around a website.  Come for spirited dialogue about the really important stuff I mentioned above.   Call out the shows for their behavior, good and bad, and be specific in your examples.  Strong opinions are needed, both pro and con.  Your opposition will be just as valued as your approval.  Don’t miss out on the companion site http://nationalartistsadvocacyinstitute.wordpress.com/ if you haven’t gone there yet.  Lots of amazing ideas there.

One concept formulated on TCB is if artists know more about the shows themselves, they can make more educated decisions about which shows to participate in.  TCB has undertaken its first project to gather and analyze statistical show information obtained from polling a number of prominent shows.  Much of the information requested is currently available somewhere already, either on the shows’ sites or one of the online entry systems.  But the heart of the survey, how many spots are really available and how many applications are received per medium, is what artists really need to see.  And what many shows don’t want the artists to see.  Broad Ripple and Krasl are two known shows that already share this information with their applicants.  TCB just wants to make it available for everybody, and about as many shows as possible, hopefully all of them. 

The goal of this first survey is not to pass judgment, not to organize a boycott, not to embarrass or humiliate an organization.  It’s simply an attempt to get valuable information into the hands of the artists.  Knowledge is power.  Let’s get some.  No more just blindly throwing jury fees at a show hoping they’ll stick.  To be sure, we should all have the confidence to think our art is the best and we can beat out 21 other applicants for a show’s 5 spots.  But what if there were really only two spots?  Now how about 10 spots?  Don’t you just want to KNOW what you’re up against?  More surveys are in the works.   There are just too many issues to try to address all of them in one poll. 

I’m hoping what comes out of this effort is a little more disclosure and transparency from the shows.  I don’t care if a show has 300 booths, and gives 298 of them to its preferred artists.  AS. LONG. AS. THEY. TELL. ME.  I don’t care if a deadline is extended, but I do want to know why, what categories might already be filled, and how many applications they’ve already received in my category.  I want to know who their jury members are, and what other shows share those same jurors.  I want to know they jury out and/or kick out buy/sell crap because they are knowledgeable enough to do so.  I want them to value my art, not feel so threatened by my opinion that they blackball me.  I want all of these things and more.  I want it to be about the art, not the side-show.

Thought I would lend another voice to the recent Artigras show.

Geoff Coe did an excellent review of how it is structured,run and all the things that make a show easier to do.  I agree with him on all points.

What I want to talk about is the all-important subject of sales going on there.

First, I have lot of experience with this show.  First did it when it was on RCA Victor Blvd in the late eighties.  It was smalltime then.

Then in the nineties it moved to the PGA Gardens Mall.  It really took off here. Sales were outstanding for just about all of us.  Sure, it was no Grove show, we weren't making those kind of figures.  But it sure was a great alternative if you didn't get in the Grove.

Then the McArthur Foundation sold off all of the land around the mall, which was used for all-important parking for this show--artists and patrons alike.

Hence the move to the present location at Abacoa near Jupiter.

It is a clean, new community built up from scratch.  But the demographics at Abacoa are nothing like what we saw at the Gardens Mall.

We started to see much more low end sales for just about everybody.  We also saw sales going in a more conservative, almost commercial direction.  Good luck trying to sell much of "Art from the Heart."

Which brings us to now.

This year's show was the worst Artigras I have ever seen.  In my days at RCA Victor Blvd, with less crowds, I did much better.

Most artists did not even make $2K in sales.  Your nut for this show is about $1K.  As always, there were exceptions--I'd say about ten-percent of the 280 exhibitors had a real good show (Say $4K or better)  but for the other eighty percent it was terrible.

Yes, we had big crowds on Saturday and Sunday, but most were just walking and looking.

Mondays are always a drag at this show.  If you make more than $500 you are doing really good.

All I saw for sales were lowest common denominator images and really drekky, hum-drum subject matter images go by me, most of them on canvas, most of them photos, and most of them cheaply priced.

This crowd has no taste.  All they want is drek, drek and more drek.

I don't see this changing in the near future.  I have seen my sales steadliy decline each year for the last five.  I always have lots of new images to sell, trouble is, I don't have lots of new buyers.

I know Geoff is happy with his sales, so is Steve Vaughn, but I know many others who are disgusted.  Look for a lot of old regulars to drop out next year.

BTW, on another important note, I hear the Grove, greedy little grubbers that they are, is planning on increasing the booth fee up to about a grand.  They increased exhibitors this year to almost 380.  

What this will do is drive out even more good artists with original work, who can't sell enough to top their overhead costs.  If they go to a grand, then with everything else tacked on, like parking, meals, hotels, gas, cgs--an exhibitor will have almost $2.5K tied up in breaking even.

Sorry folks, this is a bad trend, plus now lesser shows will raise their fees, the thinking being, "Well if the Grove can get a grand, why can't we get $450 where we used to get $275."

Our industry is going down the tubes fast, folks.  A business model that has rising operating costs with diminished revenues is not one to emulate.  It is surely not for the faint of heart.  It only inspires the most commercial to truck on.

Just wrapped up my fourth art show in my young career and had a great time going back to my home of the past 3 years, Miami Beach. Hotels were expensive in the area so I commuted 35 miles from Fort Lauderdale (25-30 minutes on I-95) and parked in a local garage for $15 per day. The booth & application fee of $500 was less than Coconut Grove and I assumed since I am just starting out that I wouldn't get into Coconut Grove so I only applied to St. Stephen's. Especially since I haven't gotten into some shows I thought I would be guaranteed lol

I was shocked to get in and after walking around the show on Monday, I felt more confident about my work moving forward. The show was busy but from what I heard not as busy as previous years. The facility was very nice and I had a booth in the courtyard near the side entrance of the show. The artist's around me were superb so I felt pretty good being able to learn from them and pick up a few pointers that I can use moving ahead.

Sales were strange. I made the booth fee on the first day, had $0 in sales on Sunday (was 87 and seemed like fewer people) and then left with a modest profit on Monday, so I was pleased considering I was in the hole after my first two shows and broke even with the 3rd one. Also, optimistic because my next 4 shows cost a total of $600 in fees and will provide 12 days of exposure. I'm pretty confident that I will be profitable by the end of the next two and have paid for all start-up costs associated with joining the art festival circuit.

I took a peek at the people heading to the main Coconut Grove Show and figure that I would have sold more if I were in that show vs. St. Stephen's. Next year, will apply to both and see how that goes.

Hope everyone had a profitable weekend, since it was the "biggest of 2012" thus far!

I am having trouble figuring out how to write this.  The artists at this year's show were wonderful.   They really seemed to pick wonderful artists.  The jewelry was extremely strong, although a lot of it was similar in style.  The glass was also very strong.  All the 3D crafts were very, very good.  

So what was the problem?  Too much outside interference.  One vendor booth was obnoxiously loud  playing inappropriate music for art of this caliber.  I don't care how much they pay to be a sponsor, when it detracts as much as it did, ruining the ability of the artists to speak to customers willing to put up with the noise to visit booths located within direct range, that is not fair to the artist paying $800 for a booth.  If this kind of noise was happening to you in a hotel room, you would demand that your room be changed.  Unfortunately, this isn't  possible at a show of this size.  There are too many stand alone food carts, away from the food area that emit aromas that again detract from the art.  And, you better have good reflexes because there were carts literally racing along the roadways, honking their horns, more concerned with getting to their destination than the safety of the festival-goers.  These are not just my opinions.  I talked to both artists and patrons alike.   

Last year I was very unhappy with the choice of Guy Harvey as the poster winner.  This year, the artwork on the poster was beautiful.  But, and yes, there is a but, it wasn't poster art.  I was laughing at myself for being hard to please but I overheard others say the same thing.  If I wanted that particular piece, I wouldn't buy it as a poster.  

Back to the art- I am sorry but I am not a 2D person.  If something catches my eye, I will go into a booth.  I am color-driven  so if you have work in 'my colors', I will stop and look.  I wasn't making many 90 degree turns this year.  I am trying to catch up to Nels' collection of pieces by Deborah Banyas and T.P. Speer.  I love their sense of whimsy and beautiful workmanship.  So much is said here about booth photos and the Fobot booth by Amy Flynn is a knockout.  It is so appropriate to her work.  It draws you in and the work takes it from there.  Her booth was crowded the entire show.  Humor combined with imagination and good workmanship equals success.  Barry Bernstein's raku is meticulously done with a greater combination of colors than most raku artists.   My favorite piece of his was gone before I spoke up proving--if you snooze you lose.  I know what I like but it is always fun when the judges agree with me.  I have a few Scott Gamble glass pieces and he won best in glass for the second year in a row.  I collect William Kidd ceramics and he won a second place ribbon after winning last year.  And then there was the jewelry.  All I can say is wow.  I wanted pretty much everything in Jay Nielsen's booth.  Design, texture and beautiful workmanship combined with attractive prices.    Kate Rothra Fleming makes the most beautiful glass beads that she fashions into incredible necklaces, rings and earrings.  Check out her website to see how intricate her beadwork is.  Teri Pelio finds incredible beads from all over the world and creates wonderful necklaces and bracelets that very unique.  

One last thing--I had two artists staying with me and I only live 20 minutes from  the show but I talked to a lot of artists that were driving 45 minutes to an hour or more  to get to the show.  Yes the  hotels were more crowded than usual, this being the busiest weekend in South Florida but it is also the most expensive.  With a three day show, you are talking anywhere from 4-5 nites in a hotel.  If anyone has any ideas on the best way to start an adopt an artist program so that we can find more homes for artists to stay in, please post it here.  I know that other shows do this successfully and the artists at Coconut Grove deserve the best.  

The art at the Grove did not disappoint.  Here's looking to the 50th season.

August 17-19
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mitchell Park
Presented by the Friends of the Domes
60-100 exhibitors
Deadline: March 12

The Milwaukee Domes Art Festival is a cultural extravaganza August 17th through the 19th in and around the historic Milwaukee landmark, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory Domes. The Milwaukee Domes Art Festival is committed to excellence and to creating a festival unlike any other. Quality, beauty, and a wonderful and memorable experience, for both festival attendees and participating artists is our primary goal. Our secondary goal is to support the one-of-a-kind venue, the Milwaukee Domes, or the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory.

Our festival includes live music, fine festival food, a children's art pavilion as well as a contemporary art gallery and a plein air competition.
 
The Milwaukee Domes Art Festival provides the highest awards amount of any Wisconsin art festival:

• $10,500 in CASH artist awards
• Best in show receives $3500
• best of plein air receives $2000.  
• There are additional prizes for honorable mentions.

Please apply to exhibit at the Milwaukee Domes Art Festival, paint in the Milwaukee Domes Art Festival's plein air painting competition, or both!

Application fee to jury for the Milwaukee Domes Art Festival is $35, and is non-refundable. This payment is used to ensure a fair jury process occurs.
 

Please check this website for continuing updates and information about the MDAF! If you have any specific questions, please contact us via email: coordinator@milwaukeedomesartfestival.com
 
We wish you the best of luck as you apply, and look forward to seeing you at the 3rd Annual Milwaukee Domes Art Festival, August 17-19.

Looking for more art fairs for your 2012 season? Visit www.CallsforArtists.com where you'll find Zapp shows, Juried Art Services shows, EntryThingy.com and all the others who host their own applications. It is a great all in one place resource.

Well, I was going to start this post with the time-honored "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." opening, but in my journalism days, that lead would get your copy shredded faster than a mushroom in a lawn mower.

But if I COULD bring myself to write that, it would be an appropriate way to describe this most schizoid of shows.  Impeccably organized, with amenities galore for both artists and show-goers alike: Great entertainment, a robust food court, a huge and hard-working volunteer stafff, artist breakfasts, artist lunches, a constant stream of golf carts to carry artwork for patron pickup.  Whew! But this 3-day event had more twists and turns than a Swedish body massage.

Setup was on Friday, and at least on Central Ave., a breeze.  You checked in at a specific gate, depending on your booth location, showed your ID, and got your packet, stuffed with discount coupons for local eateries, full-color map, and more.  (The most thoughtful touch, to me, was the inclusion of three "Free Monday" passes that you could hand out strategically to be-backs who had bought $10 single-day admission tickets.  This would give them a way to return on Monday and buy from you after measuring their wall space [or whatever]). 

The show is laid out in the shape of a cross:  Most artists were aligned, face to face, north-south along Central Avenue for about 1/3 mile.  Artist parking was plentiful at the north entrance, and it was an easy walk to your booth. 

Tents are tightly packed pole-to-pole, but there are sidewalks behind the east-facing artists and lots of grassy areas behind the west-facing folks, so storage was ample.  A smaller quantity of artists were set up along University Ave., the east-west street, which seemed to be the main entrance for patrons, and also housed the young artists' tent, show sponsors, vendors, entertainment stage, and food court. (Artists and "vendors" were not commingled, but I'd invite some of you other AFI'ers to comment on whether the music got in the way of your ability to talk with customers; I was too far away to tell.)

Central Ave. is almost perfectly designed for a show: wide enough for two rows of tents and booth-side parking of even the widest RV for unloading, while still allowing a lane for other artists to get by.  I was in and out in two hours, looking forward to the start of the show. 

Saturday morning was a bit muggy, but fortified by the fine artist breakfast as well as the muffins I'd scarfed at my hotel, I was ready for action. 

To this first-timer, it looked like Art Show Nirvana.  Day 1 brought large, well-heeled crowds through the gates, and by day's end I was two-thirds of the way toward my sales goal for the weekend, with a take that nearly touched my sales from the previous weekend's (successful) show.  Not a lot of sales, but the ones that bought, bought big. As the show closed at 6 PM Saturday, I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the show that bankrolled my summer trip up north, all by itself. 

I got to the show a bit late on Sunday (the first time that's ever happened), having gotten caught in traffic due to an early-morning fatal crash on I-95.  I had one of my neighbors' business cards with me, so I called them to let them know I was running late in case anyone asked.  Thanks to their gracious offer to help me unzip and move my back stock out of the booth when I arrived, I was ready by the time the first customers came by from the main entrance at 10:15.

Sunday's weather was tropically muggy and increasingly breezy, conditions you see here more often in mid-May than in February.  The crowds came out in force, but few came in to browse and chat, preferring to stand at tent's edge and hand me compliments instead of credit cards.  As we watched the crowds stream by, my neighbors and I agreed that for the most part, the experience was like setting up a lemonade stand on the median of nearby I-95: people might see you, and they might even like lemonade, but it wasn't worth the risk of pulling over to actually buy a glass.    I eked out two decent sales, but the other five purchases were small items. Considering the thousands of people that had strolled by over the first two days, my customer count was surprisingly low. 

"Ah, well," I rationalized as I headed wearily back to my hotel room 20 miles south in Boynton Beach. "At least  I hit my sales goal for the weekend.  So on Monday, I'm playing with house money."

Monday dawned at least 10 degrees cooler than the previous two days, as a front moved through overnight: Perfect show weather, I thought.  But the holiday crowd was lighter, a mix of elder retirees and young parents who brought their children to an art show on their day off.  It was fun talking with kids about photography and birds and wildlife, but not profitable.  My average sale per customer dropped from the $200 level down to $25 (!) on day 3.  The fact that I don't normally have a $25 price point should tell you how many of my customers were youngsters getting my student discounts.

So, although this well-known show was nicely profitable (three days' hotel expenses notwithstanding), and it brought in the promised huge crowds, it was certainly not the Naples National.  Like most shows, artists around me reported varied success.  Jewelers mostly seemed happy, though the first-timers next to me weren't selling in line with their expectations.  There were several artists around me who had items with low price points (i.e., handbags, hats, and "ribbon designs"--colorful hand-made chokers, bracelets, and necklaces) who were busy all three days.  I saw a reasonable amount of 2-D art walking to the exits on the first two days, but if I had to guess, more of it was large-scale photography than paintings, acrylics and the like. Several traditional 2-D artists near me either zeroed, or sold only reproductions. (Another told me she did pretty darn well.)

Speaking of which, this show, in my opinion, does everything humanly possible to keep buy-sell and schlock art out of the show, including very specific rules on the type of work that can be shown (i.e., no t-shirts, work that includes celebrity likenesses, well-known artwork, etc., etc.  You need to display a "Process Statement" that describes how you make your work.  There are also rules about the quantity and labeling of reproductions for traditional 2D artists. Lots has been said about these topics in these forums, of course, but it would be interesting to hear from others about whether you think these rules were effective here. 

The consensus gleaned from the conversations I had with neighbors and friends were:  Decent show, exceptionally well organized and run.  Still lots of high quality work, but "not what it used to be." 

I didn't talk with the show organizers, and as noted, this was my first visit.  But I wouldn't be surprised if the perceived drop in quality might be a conscious effort to provide a wider range of price points to visitors.  It would be great if some of the AFI veterans of this show (Nels, of course; Steve Vaughn, and others who I wished I had had time to meet with and visit) could weigh in below with their perspectives. 

Some tips for participation in this show (take from them what you will):

* Book your hotel room early.  This is the busiest holiday weekend of the snowbird season.

* Bring your ID and process statement, and set your booth up with work representative of what you submitted to the jury.  They check.

* Wear comfortable shoes. 3 days is a grind!

* Get a business card from a neighbor or two during setup.  It might come in handy in an emergency.

* Spiff up your booth display so it entices attention.  You've gotta be seen!

* Bring your fans, even if the forecast suggests you won't need them.

* If you're on the west side of Central Avenue, the grass is thick and spongy.  You won't need your rug. Likewise, there's a six-inch curb along that side of the street. If you're a jeweler or someone else with a display case that you normally put in the very front of your booth, consider it moving it toward the back of the booth a foot or more.  Otherwise, your customers may barely have enough room to stand and view your merchandise!

* Make sure you have lower price point items for Monday.

* Read all the artist information provided to you and take advantage of the coupons and patron passes. Despite its large size, this is a show that really does try to help you find your slice of the pie.

As I get ready to head to Key West for Old Island Days Art Festival, I want to take a few minutes to mention the Key West Craft Fair. This was my second year doing the late January show. Both years I have had good sales and a great time. The location is perfect, right in the heart of old Key West. The quality of the work is mixed, with some being fabulous and some being pretty bad,  but it IS a craft show, after all. It could support some more quality artists, as lots of the "locals" seemed truly appreciative of some of the finer craft work shown. 

The organization is terrific. The director Lois, and assistant direc tor (?) Jane, were on-site all the time, with their full attention paid to making the show run smoothly for the artists and public. I don't know how many volunteers they have, but it seems like an army of them, always ready to help in any way possible. 

As I mentioned, the location is a gem, on beautiful Whitehead & Caroline Streets. Lots of tourists, lots of cruise ship trippers, and lots of locals who seem very loyal to the show. It is amazing how smoothly set-up & teardown run, considering how small the streets are and the fact that we are all there setting up at once (more on that in a minute...) It is a fine example of having the best location possible and making it work through organization and hands-on direction. No compromise.  Location, location, location. 

I hate morning set-up, but I will do it for this show in this location. Other drawbacks are the high cost of lodging in Key West, and the time involved driving there, but hey, you drive 7 hours and then you're in Key West!

As with all shows, some artists do well, some do poorly, and some are in the middle. A friend from Minnesota did the show on my recommendation and sold large pieces, got some work in a good gallery, and was in my booth thanking me by Saturday afternoon. 

Not for everyone, but worth a try. Bring your bike. Take some extra time and explore one of the country's truly great places. Have some seafood and sushi and Cuban food and rum punch. Did I mention you should bring your bike?

September 15 & 16
LaGrange, Illinois
Intersection of Burlington & Brainard Ave.
Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, 10am-4pm
90 maximum artists
Deadline: March 1

Celebrating its 17th year, the West End Art Festival is a LaGrange tradition whose purpose is to bring a quality, fine art event to the Village of LaGrange and surrounding communities and highlight the west end business district.  Artists from across the country participate in LaGrange's late summer festival that attracts art admirers and patrons each year.

Presented by the LaGrange business Association and held in cooperation with the Village of LaGrange, the festival is held in the shadow of the landmark Stone Avenue Station along Burlington Avenue between Brainart and Spring Avenues.  The charming and historic West End area of LaGrange provides a picture-perfect setting to showcase art.  Other highlights include live music, food from local LaGrange restaurants and children's art activities for an event to be enjoyed by all ages.

For more info: please click here

Organized by Erin Melloy of EM Events, a well established promoter of art shows in Chicagoland.  EM Events are held in partnership with local business organizations bring close interaction between each community and its' local art fair and ensuring you loyal patrons.  

For more information about EM Events please contact: 

Erin Melloy - 630-536-8416, emelloy@emevents.com or visit  www.emevents.com

I see a lot of people already put in their 2 cents in , but I'm still pissed off about the problem-should we contact these art fairs and gripe or is that a useless waste of time

Seems like almost every application deadline gets extended by a few days or so.  I don't think that's fair.  I even had an art fair email me to remind me of the impending deadline and wanting me to get my app in before the deadline-then after I applied they extended it 3 days.  to make matters worse -they sent me a rejection notice.  are these people just after more $$ or are they not getting enough applications or is the quality not good enough?  are you guys seeing the same thing?

Fort Worth iPhone App Updated

Main Street Fort Worth just updated their iPhone app yesterday to include all the artists who will be in the show this year. You can install the app on your iphone and ipad and browse the images of the accepted artists at your leisure.

I had previously written a review of all the art festival iphone apps last October:
http://bermangraphics.com/artshows/art-show-iphone-apps.htm

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100