Blog

Getting ready for the big event:

• Official poster
• Friday night party fundraiser for the CGAF
• Sponsors' breakfast

Artists, of course, think about art festivals as places to display, meet customers, and sell their art. But behind the scenes there is a lot going on that does not get noticed by them, just like the buyers don't know the background of the work they are seeing. The really big artfestivals with big corporate sponsors have large boards and committees that keep the events rolling along. The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is a prime example. It is run by well-connected Miamians and they spend the year planning and raising money to host the event. Of necessity, parties are part of the process for fundraising.

Here are images and the story of this year's festival poster artist, Marilyn Leidman, and a look at some of the preparation for the CGAF:  http://www.examiner.com/top-news-in-miami/2012-coconut-grove-arts-festival-poster-unveiled

And here is another story about the sponsors breakfast presented by the CGAF staff:  http://coconutgrovegrapevine.blogspot.com/2012/01/grove-arts-fest-hold-popular-sponsors.html

I've always been a very shy person, although doing the festivals for many years has really helped me with that. I had to force myself to approach people and start conversations which was really hard for me, but is getting easier time I do it.

I have a solo exhibit coming up and the artists reception is this weekend. I can already feel the anxiety creeping up on me! I don't seem to have a problem talking about myself or how I came to be a printmaker, but I do have a real problem describing the stories and themes of my work. My work is very narrative and has a lot of symbolism incorporated into it. Half of them have a very specific story behind the image, but others started with an idea and just evolved into something I thought looked interesting, but I think that might sound a bit boring. Should I make up a story when I don't really have one? I don't think I want to be dishonest about my work, even for the sake of a possible sale.

Any advice would be appreciated? I'm all ears!

Artfest Fort Myers is the first of eight art fairs I will be doing in Florida. As I mentioned in an earlier post I had a lot of angst about all the effort and money I put out in preparation for this string of art fairs. I developed a lot of new work and stock-piled enough inventory to take me through the eight shows. I arrived in Fort Myers last Thursday from my home base of Saugatuck, Michigan.

Set-up at the Artfest was very well organized. I was scheduled for an 11:30 set-up. I was able to pull my car and trailer into a grassy field right across from my booth space. This arrangement turned out to be ideal for me, but it also showed me that I would have to make some changes for the next show. It took me a whopping six hours to set up. Normally, I set up in about three hours (still too long), but because I had my trailer jam-packed with inventory, it took me that long to pull everything out and select the pieces I wanted to display. Then, to repack the trailer after set-up with the excess inventory. What a pain. Having lots of room in the grassy field to unpack and repack was great. I can't imagine what I would have done if the set-up required me to pull up to my booth on the street and unpack before set-up like most shows require. This experience convinced me to rent a storage space around here where I can store the trailer and the excess inventory. Then I can repack the trailer and bring only the work I want to exhibit at that show. Most of the shows are on the west side of the state, so this should work pretty well.

As for sales at Artfest, the real source of my Florida angst, they were dismal. My total take was just under $1200. Certainly not enough to justify a cross country two-month selling trip. I talked to some of the artists around me about sales, and reactions were mixed. Some did well (Nels was a happy guy). Others were disappointed. Some scored lower numbers than my meager profits. Its my guess that some artists did well at the show, and, like all shows, some didn't. I had a lot of lookers, and a lot of positive comments, but few took the plunge and pulled out their wallets.

On a positive note, the show is well organized. There were a lot of people strolling the aisles. It is in a beautiful location overlooking the yacht harbor, and the weather was good (upper 70s and 80s, partly cloudy). Another positive note: I used "Square" on an iPad for taking credit cards for the first time at this show. It worked flawlessly, and the customers liked it.

I'm currently on a wait list for the Howard Allen Coconut Point show next week-end. I'm hoping to get in. I'm told that Coconut Point is an upscale shopping center, and could bring out people with bigger wallets. In the meantime, my angst continues...

March 24 & 25 
Deland, Florida

Highlights:

• Long history of excellent community support
• $5,600 in cash awards; $1,500 Best in Show, plus Spectator Awards voted on by showgoers
• No application/jury fee. Booth fee: Fine art and craft: $135; Traditional art and craft: $110
• Artists amenities: restrooms, reserved on-site parking, booth sitters, 24 hour security
• Estimated attendance: 10,000+
• Extensive advertising and marketing: television, radio, newspapers, magazines
• Friday setup; Short dolly or carry in to booth space
• Continental Breakfast on Saturday; Pancake Breakfast on Sunday.  All free to the artists.

             

June 1-3 

Prairie Village, Kansas

55th year

100 Artists

Deadline: February 15

The Prairie Village Art Show is not located on a prairie but in the heart of the Kansas City metro area and surrounded by upper income demographics.  Forbesmagazine recently listed Mission Hills, KS, as being the 3rd most affluent city in the country and it is next to the show.  The show is well attended and draws patrons from the entire metropolitan area.

This show is small with only 100 artists but they come from all parts of the country.  The Art Fair Sourcebooksays that Prairie Village "Attracts an affluent and educated clientele."

What to Expect:

• 20,000 Upper Income patrons
• 24 hour security
• Electricity included with booth fee
• Friday night Wine
• Saturday night dinner delivered to booth
• Artist's lounge with restrooms, snacks and air conditioning
• Parking nearby and overnight parking allowed
• Discounted Hotel Rates
• Booth sitters

The Village in Prairie Village is one of those "lifestyle" shopping areas, intimate enough for ease of shopping yet anchored by well-known names such as Macy's and Starbucks with lots of restaurants.  Does it sound as though your clientele will be showing up here?  Then you know what to do! Apply today.

Application on line at:www.zapplication.org

For more info visit

www.prairievillageshops.com

or contact Donna Potts at: 913-362-9668

Subject: St. Joseph Mercy Oakland New Patient Tower - Call for Artists

In my mailbox:

I am writing to invite you to partner with us in spreading the word about the St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Regional Healing Arts Program. We have created and attached the Call for Artists. We are looking for a variety of artists who work in a variety of mediums to assist us in providing art for the new South Patient Tower. I am hoping that you will forward this Call for Artists to anyone (individual artist or other arts organizations) you think may be interested. Artists residing in the State of Michigan are invited to apply.

We are also sending an invitation for the Healing Arts Forum, which is being held at Cranbrook Academy on February 16, 2012, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, to anyone who may want to learn about the project, as well as, the role that the arts play in a healthcare environment. Because there is limited seating, RSVP’s will be required.  

I am excited about working together to keep the arts alive and well in Michigan.  Please contact me at 619-683-7500, with any questions or comments, suggestions or ideas about other places to post this CFA.

Best Regards,

Leah
 
Leah B. Goodwin
Director of Art Programs and Fundraising Strategies
Aesthetics, Inc.

More info: St. Joseph Oakland Call for Artists.pdf

Just learned that if you're doing Hobe Sound this weekend, there's now an "unofficial" early setup anytime after 2:30 Friday.  (No security will be provided Fri. night, so this is at your own risk, per the Howard Alan website.

Particulars can be found in the "Space Numbers" section for the show. 

I'm a couple hours away for set-up for the Artfest Fort Myers show. It will be my first Florida show of the season.  I'm on a wait list for Coconut Point, but then, back to back shows at Coconut Grove, Naples National. Las Olas, Bonita Springs, Winter Park, and Downtown Naples. I'm filled with anxiety about this circuit. I've spent a ton of money on booth fees, travel expenses and hotel reservations. These are all good shows and they should produce profitable returns, but, is the economy going to keep people's wallets in their pockets? The last couple years I've only broken even on Florida shows, so they weren't worth the trouble. But this year I've made a much bigger commitment, and prepared all winter with new work that I'm hoping will appeal to this fickle audience. Watching CNN this morning I'm encouraged by the latest jobless numbers with unemployment going down to 8.3%. The economy seems to be getting better. I'm hoping that is the case in Florida as well. I'll post my experiences with these shows as I go. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

May 5 & 6 - a new event!
Brooksville, Florida

downtown on the Courthouse lawn
150 exhibitors
Deadline: March 1

The Blueberry Festival brings together all the goodness of nature's Florida Blueberry harvest for a three day event in Brooksville Florida featuring headliner entertainment, street entertainers, night parade, fine arts, gourmet food, festival fare and fresh Florida blueberries.

Artists, before you decide not to join a first time event take notice:

• The Florida Blueberry Festival Committee has been hard at work for the last 18 monthscoordinating the fifteen Florida Counties that make up the central growing region of blueberry production
• these counties will be represented at the Florida Blueberry Festival as partners of this first annual event.
• The committee has received over $200,000.00 from sponsor partnerships, in-kind donors, founding memberships and pledges to date
• Hundreds of Festival volunteers have dedicated themselves to making this a event exciting for all that attend

(Reading between the lines, here is a new event that has all the earmarks of something big.)

With expected attendance of more than 50,000 and 150+ vendor spaces available the Florida Blueberry Festival is seeking exhibitors of high quality arts, traditional and gourmet food concessionaires.

For more information and artist applications visit:  www.floridablueberryfestival.org or call 352-754-4173.

I did not pay much attention when pinterest postings started appearing on Facebook. Thought it was just another pesky site creating addictions amongst its users, but it seems I'm wrong. It may be the next great place to share your art.

http://www.finearttips.com/2012/01/im-hooked-10-reasons-why-artists-love-pinterest/

For the first time since doing art shows we are considering doing a circuit rather than coming home between each event.  Surely (knocking on wood) I really don't have to worry about this (yeah right) but how do you handle drying or taking care of a tent that got wet when you are staying in hotels between shows? TIA.

Growing up was the natural world a wonder to you inhabited by friendly creatures and stories of fairies? Lynn Fisher lived in this kind of wonderland, reading survival manuals and imagining herself living off the land. Fast forward to today she now creates porcelain and stoneware pottery that reflects these childhood dreams.

Lynn has been a professional potter for many years and each stage of development has brought her closer to the imaginings of her early life. The current work is entirely handbuilt starting with a thin slab of clay into which she embeds real leaves that she assembles into teapots, cups, vases and other functional forms. The pieces are very light, about what you would expect a few leaves to weigh, yet a fairy could not make them as the process is very intricate including the building, drying, brushing, glazing, waxing and high firing.

Lovely as they are they are also food safe and durable. You too can recreate your childhood dreams with these fine pieces.

Find her this winter in Florida at a handful of shows including, Artfest Fort Myers, February 4 & 5.

Learn more about Lynn and her fine work: www.ArtFairCalendar.com/featuredartist

Well, I am cranking away printing new work.  I got 31 new images from my Keys trip to put out there at the show this weekend.

Last year, everybody pretty much killed them at this show, this year who knows.

I just looked at my January show totals--I did four and the results were not pretty.  I am off by 50% over last year's gross.  My numbers by size are down in half--and I did not sell even one big boy at $450.  Makes me wonder if my photography is becoming irrelevant or if it is just the times we are in.

I will give a full report on Monday.  Parker should be there too. So we will get another perspective from him, I believe it will be his first Fla. show this season.  I hope he does well, and me too.

Anyways, here are some more good images to get you thru your day whether you be in snow in Seattle or sun in Palm Beach.  Aloha, Nels.

Wow, second week in a row with no unprompted show reviews (other than, of course, Nels).

I've heard second-hand reports that the St. Armands show was well attended and sales were pretty good. 

I walked Edenfest on Saturday, but not long and hard enough to write a review.

What's the scoop? Let's hear from a few folks, please.

Well, here are a few more new ones to look at.  Hopefully it will make your day better.  It is a new month, hopefully sales will continue to improve.

Interestingly, nobody commented about my review of Images, yet I saw a bunch of ya there.  Just lurking, I guess.

Enjoy!  Make art, make moola.  Nels.

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

www.evenbetterimages.com

Anyone have any ideas for building an email or postcard contact list, of potential customers. I have tried putting a book and pen out. I have gotten limited results. Even if I encourange visitors to our booth, to do so.

I have seen other artists have great results in sending postcards out to prospects. But I have not found a good way to collect addresses. Any ideas?

Last week I spoke with Chris Lake, managing director of ArtsyHome.com, the online presence of Distinctive Living magazine, an online venue that connects buyers with artists.

This is a one of a kind business proposition -- no other online gallery also is part of a business with a print magazine that has a distribution to over 2,000,000 upscale customers.

Don't want to put up a website? You can log in with them and they will host your images and handle sales for you also. Learn more: www.artfairinsiders.com/artfairpodcasts

Would like to hear from people who have participated in the Brookside show in Kansas City and the Laumeyer Park show in St. Louis.  With The Plaza show and the St. Louis Art Fair, one would hope some of their success would rub off on the earlier two shows.  They run on adjoining weekends and it might make sense to do both of them back-to-back. And, since Bellville is the weenend after Laumeyer it has possibilities for a nice three-some - if one were lucky enough to get into all three.  Any and all comments would be appreciated.