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 This is my first comment since I joined this site and, unfortunately, not a good one.

 Last weekend I did Bucktown Art fair, in Chicago and would like to point that it was not a good art fair. Not for me. Some people did well, but those with low price point. This was more of "community art fair" where everything and anything goes. I should have  known better, mia culpa...maxima!!

  But, I am glad to join this group of people and hope to help with my judgement as  well as here others.

  By the way, my show season 2011 was the best ever!! I prepared myself for the worst and got the best. I did;

St Paul,MN show in April, Broadripple, IN in May, Community Art fair in Hyde Park (57 St small sister) in Chicago, Salina KS in June, Fountain Square Art fest, Evanston ( last few years going down, but for me this year was a blast), Krasl Art Fair, St Joseph MI. 

  I am getting ready for Lake Forest Il, Naperville, IL and on waiting list for great Peoria show that I did many many years with a lot success.

 So, this is for  beginning. Oh, I forgot that I took month off, from July 13-August 16 and went on well deserved vacation to my home country Croatia.

  Tutulu...

I will admit I was in a lousy mood for the early morning set-up on Saturday. Perhaps it was the nightmare- just before I woke- that someone stole our newly purchased (used)Mini-van loaded the night before with all the art fair stuff?

Everyone seemed a bit grumpy and “off” and I can only blame the humidity that lifted mid-afternoon. Or maybe Mercury finally moved all the way out of retro-grade- whatever that means. The artists were pretty much on their own for parking management made even more complicated because after 9 or so, stages and things began to be set up and routes became even more limited. I ended up parking on a nearby street despite free parking provided for the artists at a nearby school.

I was assisted in unloading by a friendly and cheerful (and strong!) volunteer and that went a long way toward making me feel welcome and supported.

Check-in was not advertised and only the sight of other artists striding past with a plate full of muffins and bagels and a banana and a glass of OJ notified us of free food Saturday morning (only). When I checked at the info booth, I was given a small info packet and (best!!) a free little black apron with pockets. What a useful freebie! Thank you Bucktown!

At any rate, I was ready for my uneven site, having scoped it out a few days before. We brought a few bricks and boards to level things out as well as the shims that we always carry; but I was still feeling sorry for myself until I saw what other artists had to contend with and I had lots of shade! If you get a spot in the park, come prepared for very uneven spots. The guy next to us moved because his site had a lot of really bad tree roots sticking up-I think I’d be most worried about customers tripping on them! 

This left us alone on our little hill and I have to say, I think the booth looked great with the galvanized tin gleaming in the sun.

The fair opened at 11 which seemed luxurious in light of the morning set-up. We had arrived about 7 :40 and were all set by 10. However, I did not make my firs sale until 1:30 so I was relieved to find that this seems to be a fair that just doesn’t get cooking until late afternoon.

This is a NOISY art fair and is also packed with kids and dogs. There are a lot of really terrific shows for the kids and also a kid’s activity tent where my son spent most of his time. There is also a great playground and a city pool- though I didn’t notice if they closed that for the fair. If you have kids, this is a terrific fair to keep them happy- it’s also very contained so they are less likely to get lost or go far.

 My ponderings as I waited to sell anything and then as I waited to “break even” was: perhaps not every fair is the right fair for me even if I get in. Maybe this is too young a crowd; do they want trendy? Or are they just wandering around looking at stuff to entertain themselves. No one was carrying any purchases- this is something artists look for. If someone drags a bunch of bags into your booth, you feel optimistic!

Then, after people began to buy things I decided that my best work always sells. When I mentioned this to my husband, he asked me what percentage of my work is my best work I guessed perhaps 30% of what I create? Don’t get me wrong- and you artists know this; the work I put out is all “good”. It’s technically sound and attractive but there are always those pieces that, when you pull them out of the kiln, you say, “ah, that’s a nice one.” You might even be tempted to keep it- some, the very best, you do. You can’t quite bear to let them go. We know which pieces those are.

At any rate, my day picked up so that by the 7 o’clock closing time, I was relieved and felt I had not made a mistake in participating in what I think, is a lovely little fair.

The next day, again, I did not make a sale until well after noon and, this being my last fair, I put out everything in my bins. I wanted to just get rid of it! Surprisingly, I sold a lot of older work- one vase I was so sick of, I just gave it away with the purchase of a larger vase. It was a great day and this turned out to be a terrific fair- definitely the RIGHT fair for me!

The day ended at 7 again although sales ended about 6 pm. And  the load-out in the dark kind of sucked. Every one was tired, there was even less space (tents and stages still up) and less traffic management. Thank goodness for the van! I cannot imagine slipping in and out of there with anything larger!

Other drawbacks to this fair was that we were positioned precisely where we could hear the kid’s shows (and taped music) at exactly the same volume as we were hearing performances on the main-stage. I went home with a sore throat from having to raise my voice to be heard by friends and customers. I also think that much noise is tiring although I did find it energizing when we were packing up!

Lastly, the hike to the porta-potties was almost painful and  time-consuming and then, at the end of the day, no TP was adding insult to injury. Clearly I’ve been spoiled in the past (most notably by Krasl).

On the way out, I saw this incredible booth (photo) but never saw who it was or what he was selling!?

All in all I think it was a great fair- if you participate, bear in mind it could be a late-starting crowd.

Ok, it is uncomfortable for me to talk about my art... but I am a friendly person. I am not comfortable sitting in the back of my booth, watching folks who MAY buy a piece of my work... and me MAYBE saying "I was thinking about a time when.... I created this piece."

HELP! I need an in between! First year of doing shows, and I am loving it...just am feeling awkward! Thank you all!

~Crystal

Carla, creator of Art in the High Desert, has been missing from this site for awhile now. Could it be because she has been busy making jewelry and wearing her show director hat as she geared up for Art in the High Desert in Bend, OR, this last weekend, August 27 & 28? We'd love a report Carla.

In the meantime, here is a report from the Central Oregon news, including a video: http://www.ktvz.com/news/29009404/detail.html

I hope it went well for everyone, Carla.

Saturday, November 19  

Canton, Michigan

     Plymouth High School

     8400 Beck Rd.

     Sponsored by the Plymouth-Canton Music Boosters

     9am-4pm 

     90 exhibitors

     Deadline: open until full--but hurry!

Canton, MI, is in the metro Detroit area.  Several years ago, with funds from the school district drying up that supported a nationally recognized band program, the parents rallied and started fund raising so their children could continue to be enriched by participation in the music program.  The program is excellent and their drive is also to provide a quality craft show.

The Music Boosters host several different types of fundraisers each year as they are highly motivated to provide only the best for their children.   

The juried arts and crafts event is held annually to support the music/band programs at the Plymouth Canton Educational Park.  A bake sale, raffle, concessions, and entertainment will also be available.  All funds raised go to the band programs at all three Plymouth-Canton High Schools, including the nationally-acclaimed Plymouth-Canton Marching Band who ranked 7th in the Nation in 2007.

What does this mean for you?

• a small quality event
• low booth fees
• easy in and out in one day
• solid support by the community
• resulting in a day well spent by you

This is no hoax, exaggeration, fit of hysterics, or roll of doldrums.

"Dan and I are thinking of quitting the Art Fair Biz."

No, some might exclaim!

But is this the same woman who was so creatively and emotionaly transcendent after Amdur's Promenade of Arts?

"Yup", I answer.

(I can ask and answer my own questions. Pretty advanced for my age, hey?)

Well, what happened this past month, you wonder?

"It all hit."

What? Tornadoes, tsunamis, bankruptcy, the plague, creative block, depression, menopause.......well, tell us?

"Every single thing that this blog has warned me about.............and MORE."

Come on. You're just feeling sorry for yourserlf. What actually happened?

"I foresaw the death of Art."

Linda, you are so melodramatic....who can take you seriously anymore.

"Seriously. I started a blog once before about Art Fairs being Dinosaurs and no one listened. Now I have more proof. And I don't want proof.....I WANT Art Fairs to be the Big Daddies that they used to be. "

Is this the start of a whine?

"Nope. Just what I saw and heard. Honest!"

Okay. Dish.

"Here are some sad but true things that happened this month:

1) I paid out $1,200 in fees, travel and food and made (drum roll) $979. We were rained out of two of the four days of Shows. At one Fair the directors ran around hysterically shouting "There are 75 mph winds headed this way folks. You're on your own. I advise everyone to leave." We scrabbled to load the custom uphostered jewelry cases, the jewelry, curtains, rug, etc. home. (Oh, BTW, the carts that they said would be available to help us load/unload MAGICALLY disappeared right before the storm. A fellow artist who drove down with two tents and a lot of creativity lost everything. And ONE hour later the sun came out!!!

2) Both Art Fairs  were jury entry only and had had excellent reputations. Last year we met wonderful artists who became our friends and we sold well there. This year both fairs were BUY/ SELL.  Two booths down from me a man opened boxes from India with whatever DOG you wanted to wear on your T-shirt and rawhide bones to match.

Across fom him, was an Hispanic couple selling a store of cheap earrings, bracelets and clothes along with purses, purses, purses. The couple to our right were busy all day selling combs that we watched him take out of shipping boxes when she ran low after fixing girls hair in tricky ways all day.

The couple on the left were already selling Haloween decorations which he admitted they buy at a local store and go all over the state to sell...every day of the week.

As I walked up and down the path of both these country Art Fairs I knew I would never be back. 

Art was gone from Watertown's Riverfest and Lake Geneva's Venetian Festival. I do not see it returning in this economy. RIP

3) I was talking to a wealthy friend of mine about getting out of this business. He said he remembers that five years ago everyone went to buy some art at The Lakefront Festival of the Arts in Milwaukee. Now he can't remember the last time he heard any of his friends talking about their latest aquistion. "Funny." he said.

4) I'm exhausted trying to sell to people who want value for the least they can pay. I am not a flea market. I am not the local ATM machine.

There were so many empty booth spaces at both events.

I don't think I'm alone in contemplating quitting. I think many artists already have quit.

RIP

Shoppers at Arts, Beats & Eats

• Intricate ceramic sculpture from Gail Markiewicz - new!
• Pastel drawings from

  Drawing by Meredith Kuntzsch

  Meredith Kuntzsch 
• Detroit's own Carl Lundgren  
• Seriously funny digital art from Chuck Wimmer - new!
• Leather goods from returning artist Sylvester Robinson 
• Paintings to make you think from John Stillmunks - new!
• Plus many more eager to meet you!

1. Friday morning join the Royal Oak Marching Band as they open the show
2. Explore the juried fine art show before the best art is gone
3. Take your kids to perform in the Children's area
4. Eat at your favorite Detroit area restaurant outpost
5. Enjoy Saturday night dancing in the streets at the R & B Jazz stage with Thornetta Davis
6. Back to the Art to see who won the prizes and take your own "prize" home with you
7. Close out the weekend  with George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic at the Main Stage 

Eleven stages

Having participated in the Woodland Art Fair twice my experience is mixed.The first year I had a great show in terms of appreciation and sales;the second year my sales were minimal but my work was appreciated nonetheless.

I have not done the show since then but I still think it was worth the experience

Want to know what happened at the last one? Details:

Stop the presses!
Curious about what’s in store at the ZAPP® Conference? Listen to the two most popular sessions from last year’s conference: The 2010 opening presentation, Rise of the Aggregators, and the 2010 symposium session, State of the Art Fair.

Rise of the Aggregators:
The 2010 conference opened with a presentation from writer, researcher, lecturer, and cultural consultant, András Szántó. Szántó’s thought-provoking keynote chronicles the ups and downs of the gallery system. Szanto predicts that the next art-world business model is one in which artists will sell directly to the marketplace and marvels that art fair and festival artists have done this for years. LISTEN NOW

State of the Art Fair:
What happens when you get Stephen King (Des Moines Arts Festival), Elaine Kroening (Positively Pewuakee), Reed McMillan (The Artist Project New York), Larry Oliverson (Lawrence W. Oliverson Fine Art Photography), Teresa Saborsky (ARTiculate Sculpture; National Association of Independent Artists), and Steven Wood Schmader (International Festivals and Events Association) in the same room together? You get an in-depth conversation about the current state of the art fair! At the 2010 ZAPP® Conference, these leaders tackled topics that included the impact of generational change and the role of art fairs and festivals in creating community. LISTEN NOW

Have a friend who needs to know about the ZAPP® Conference? Forward this message on and spread the word.

---
The third annual ZAPP® Conference is coming to the W Atlanta Midtown hotel September 19-20, 2011.

Register now at http://regonline.com/zappconference2011

Attention traveling Artists! (or anybody needing a HOTEL room)

If you have to hit the road to participate in art shows, fairs, festivals, gallery openings, seminars, conferences, or any other reason that requires an overnight stay...

...this card trick is for you.

Combine the cost-saving benefits of using Priceline.com...

...with the additional tool of TheBiddingTraveler.com.

Assuming you like saving money and getting a decent stay for a great rate then you are probably already a big fan of Priceline.com...notwithstanding the quirky, punching pitch-ster, William Shatner.

TheBiddingTraveler acts like an Ace-in-the-hole to give you the advantage during on-line negotiations.

They aggregate all the recent winning bids (and the rejected bids) for specific hotels, giving your bidding strategy the edge.  Kind of like getting to peek at the other guys cards.

Other sites claim to offer this information but I particularly like the simple navigation of this web site.  On the first visit it was easy to use and aligned with the same 'definitions and formats' as Priceline, for hotel ratings, zones, and maps.

Beyond the option of manually entering your bid, you can also choose a nifty Autobid feature.  Simply enter your lowball bid and your 'final offer' highest bid...you can leave the table and let The Computer play out the hand for you, thereby 'managing' the different timeline rules Priceline has for re-bids.  Autobid starts low and automatically raises it in increments until a bid is accepted or the final offer is rejected.

Consider the combination of Priceline and TheBiddingTraveler and you really can get winning hands of 60%+ off normal hotel rates. Hey, a 3-star Hyatt Place in Birmingham for the low $40's/night ain't too bad.

Sort of tickles the left-side of my brain...my wife the artist, just says..."make sure they have good beds".

Our last show of our summer schedule was the Lake Chelan Fine Arts show.  Show seems like it could really have some poential.  It has been re-started after a few years lapsed.  The artists who returned this year that had done it last year all raved about how good it was last year.

Not sure what changed this year, but there was a serious lack of attendance.  Overall, most of the artists I talked to said they did okay, people who showed up were spending money, no one was saying they had an absolutely horrible show but then again, no one was raving about the show.

We were all raving about the volunteers, they were plentiful, visible, treated us to home made scones Sunday morning plus lots of other treats all weekend.  Lots of fresh fruit from the area was available for the artists.  They were contstantly bringing around water, asking if we needed breaks, etc.  The Arts Council is really trying hard to build this show and they are doing a lot of things right, are open to suggestions and with a little more focused marketing to the tourists, this show seems like it should be a lot better than it turned out for most of us.

Chelan is a tourist town in the North Central Cascade mountains in WA, situated on Lake Chelan.   There are a lot of summer homes in the area, with lots of tourists that are here to play on the lake or visit the wineries.   Venue was the Riverfront Park, absolutely beautiful location.  Load in / load out was not too bad, you couldn't drive to your spot so unless you had a spot on the perimeter of the park you had to hand truck your stuff, but it was very far and there were volunteers to help if you needed it, especially during load out.

Temps were in the 80's for the highs, thank goodness for the lake breeze, especially Sunday afternoon during load out.  We had one of the sunny locations, other booths had primarily shade.  This was a 3 day show where we really only sold on one day, Saturday.  However, that wasn't the trend for everyone, it was a bit strange but most of us who had good sales on Saturday had poor sales on Friday and vice versa.  Didn't talk to anyone who had consistent sales between Friday and Saturday, Sunday was slow for everyone.

One of the best parts of the entire weeked?  Dunking in the lake after load out!! Felt great and was a great way to cool off before starting the 5 hour drive home.

Well once the surprise weather past and they let us leave the fire station we got all set up.  I set my tent up Friday night and it was very easy in and out.  I got the display all set up Saturday after they let us go back to our tents.  Due to the weather everything was about 2 hours late in starting.  The organizers were great.  The volunteers kept us supplied with water (more than the 2 times advertised) through out the day, both Saturday and Sunday.  Once the storms past Saturday was a beautiful day although a little humid.  There were lookers but very few shoppers and the crowd was very sporadic.  Most of the people around me made no sales on Saturday at all.  It made for a long day with the fair going till 7PM on Saturday.

On Sunday we had a beautiful day with low humidity.  More people came out, but again only lookers.  I saw very few people caring art or bags.  The ones I did see with bags were from the small shops in Long Grove.  Most artists I talked with made expenses, but not much more.  Those who had been numerous years stated it was one of the slowest shows they can remember.  For myself, I barely made expenses.  There were a lot of nice people telling me how nice my art was, but they weren't willing to part with the money.  I had items in all price points with the lowest being $45, but with that people would look at the art then the price and turn around and walk out.  Not sure I'd do this one again.

As I stated the organizers were fantastic and even in and out after tear down went very smoothly.  It was great to meet some other artists in the area, being a newbie this year I'm always trying to learn.  I got some helpful critique that I will encorporate into future shows, but for Long Grove I'd been told they were mainly lookers and those that did buy would be looking for low price points.  This was definitely true.  I'll need to do better research for future shows with my price point and product (wood sculpture).

Both Winthrope and Michelle have contributed various viewpoints about last weekend's show in Lexington,both gave excellent reviews.

So, I aint going there.  This will be a little more cerebral, but informative.  Hopefully you all will mine a few jewels out of my late night digressions.

If you are not feeling cerebral, just quit now.  You wont glean anything.

First off, it is one of the most beautiful nights in Saugatuck,Michigan that I have experienced all summer.

We left Lexington at 6:30 AM seeing steely blue skies bright with light.  A storm came last night and blew all the hot weather crap right out  We made it home to Michigan in less  than seven hours.  No big traffic.

My highlight of the whole trip was when I was going around the beltway around Indianapollis. I listen to XM/Sirius while on the road.  They started playing Peter Frampton's "Do you feel like I do".  I was playing the wickedest air-guitar riffs as I blew by twittering motorists at 75 mph. It was ethereal

We made it to lunch at the Red Dock Restaurant in time for lunch and Tequila-infused

margaritas made with homemade ginger root beer.  Glenn, our hippy-dippy bartender, was in usual guarrelous form.  

Ellen took a nap. I played golf, shot an 87, not bad for six days off and being stiff for driving 500 miles.

I came home after dinner tonight and looked up at the sky.  Had a little toot and smelled the night.  Hints of burning wood from campfires in the air.  A crispness which I have not felt once this month.  Perfect sky with every star lit up perfect.  I saw so many constellations.

Then I started thinking about Lexington.  Weird. I don't know why the font just changed.  Will just go with the flow.

Met Michelle Wermuth at her booth.  She is a newbie photographer to art shows.  She is not a newbie to photography.  She and her husband have been in the wedding photo biz for years.

Naturally, times are tough, why not branch out.  Ergo Michelle, at outdoor art shows.  Ring a bell?

She is doing exactly what a hundred other plus people are doing right now. Trying to make extra moola.

Her booth looked stunning, very professional.  Hell, I never had a booth that looked that good until my fifth year in photography.  I used to use an ORANGE tarp over my handmade pegboard panels.  One day coming back from an art show in Gainesville,FL I noticed all these pegboard panels bouncing and exploding all over I-75.  I said hmmm, "Those sure look like mine."  Cars were dancing and dodging all over avoiding get hit my my dissapearing panels.  I got a new professional booth with canopy after that.

So Michelle is way ahead of the curve compared to where I was in my time.  

She did not have a good show.  Guess what?  There were a 100 others that didn't do well too.

As always. there are exceptions like Winthrope.  I know about ten others.  But a lot of people only made a little more than expenses

On Saturday, I did $2K for the day which is much better than I did any day at Ann Arbor or Minneapolis.

Weather was better on Sunday, crowds were half, and sales were half.

Times are tough.  People are holding back--but, and this is big but, they got plenty of money.  You see it come out when they really want something.

In my media photography, I see where almost 60 per cent have gone over to doing canvas-wrapped images with no frame on them.  The public loves them to a certain extent.  Trouble is, they all look alike.  They all got the same shots of places in Italy and France.  They are all interchangeable.  They don't stand out.  It is one giant mess of photos from Europe.  Guess what?

The economy is catching up with them.

This is the time to take chances.  Break out of the pack.  Do something new.  What have you got to lose.

As I made it back to Saugatuck today. Sirius played one of my favorites by Bob Seger, one of Michigan's best rockers--you remember, "The night moves".  It was so apropos.  He sang about love in a truck back behind corn fields.  I thought about love on islands off the Florida Gulf coast.  Times with ladies who shed their bathing suits for greater needs.

I never felt so alive as today.  This is my best day in 2011 so far.

But guess what?  I know I am going to top it.

Aloha, Nels.