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I started writing a blog about "Tells" - the way you determine how a customer's behavior will or won't lead to a sale - click on the link to read, and please add yours!

I hope you'll add your observations!

June 12, 2011

Glendale, Ohio (Cincinnati)

Booth Fee: $40.00

Jury Fee: It is a juried show, but they do not charge a jury fee.

This was my third year at the Trillium Art Fair and the third year for the fair itself. Glenwood Gardens is a beautiful park nestled back in a spot where you wouldn't expect it. It is home to many large shade trees, flower gardens and rotating exhibits – this time it is a sculptural exhibit: Big Bugs.

The show organizers do a nice job limiting the jewelry category and having a nice mix of other artists. This year there were painters, photographers, metal sculpture artists (with those cute copper garden fixtures!), handcrafted purses and of course jewelry artists, among others. It really is a nice show. There are always volunteers and park employees walking around throughout the day, distributing water and granola bars in the morning at set-up and then checking to see if anyone needs booth sitters for breaks. I usually take advantage of this because I do the majority of my shows solo, so that is a much appreciated perk!

I have been fortunate enough to have the same spot every year on the east side of the park and the shade trees in the middle really work to keep my booth fairly cool (even in last year's heat). This year, the temperature was a dreamy 80º and there was plenty of sunshine, which had lots of people out shopping. Generally I find that the majority of people shopping are actually spending too. The park is dog friendly, so there is an endless parade of furry friends all day, which I find fun. They also have a couple bands play throughout the day, which adds to the energy of the fair.

Loading and unloading can be a little tricky as you are not allowed to pull up into the exhibit space, which is grass, and there is a chain-link fence around the area. They do open large double gates at one end, so you can unload with the help of volunteers and carts. This year, artists parked down the hill away from the main parking lot and were shuttled back to the exhibit area.

Overall, this has been one of my best shows consistently for three years and I really hope to be in it again next June!

Leather Embroidery Blog, Out of the Embers Blogspot

November 4 & 5

· Overnight and Daytime security

· Complimentary breakfast

· $2,500 in merit awards

· Exclusive Hospitality Area

· Discounted Metro Arts Alliance Membership ($25)

· Booth sitters, and much more . . .

     Thursday, November 3rd, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. -     

         Ticketed Opening Night Preview

     Friday, November 4th, 10:00 am-8:00 pm-Free Show

     Saturday, November 5th, 10:00 am-6:00 pm-Free Show

***********************

Looking for more shows for your 2011 season?
Visit www.CallsforArtists.com 

Every year I travel to Racine for this little festival held by Lake Michigan.  The quality of this show has held up far better than the local economy.  There is a nice selection of artists, wide variety of price points and a nice atmosphere.  Racine has farm country to the west, the lake to the east with a gorgeous lighthouse and is the home to many companies that actually got their starts in Racine (Insinkerator, Golden Books, Horlicks Malted Milk products, Case farm and construction equipment-Go Red,  and Johnson Wax).  A lot of the artwork reflects the area.

One of the best things about this show is I get to see AFI member Linda Anderson, her husband Neil and her wonderful photography.  Linda specializes in Tall Ships and you can see her passion for the subject in her work.  In addition to her shots of the ships at sea, she captures unusual shots from a different perspective than you would expect.  Linda is printing and then stretching her own canvas photographs.  I know there has been a lot of debate about these on this website but if you saw Linda's, the discussion would stop.  Her shots on canvas are like looking at HD pictures compared to the regular shots of her standard photos.  They are very impressive.  

Short story--last year I was lured into a booth at a festival in Lincolnshire, IL by the wonderful work of  digital artist Carol Pflughoeft.  Her work was matted in odd sizes.  I suggested that with framing as expensive as it has become, standard sizes of the art would be nice.  Her booth was across from Linda's in Racine and I thought I saw 16x20's in a bin in her booth.  I figured if she was nice enough to accommodate my interest in standard sizes, it was only right that I buy a couple.  We were talking about last year's conversation and art fairs in general and I mentioned that she should read AFI.  She said she did.  Then as I handed her a credit card, she looked at my name and said "Oh, your Geri!"    I am happily building a nice collection of AFI artwork.

Monument Square is an interesting show.  You never know if the person walking into your booth is a worker from a factory or the VP of Case Credit.   And as you are leaving town, you have to stop in at O&H Danish Bakery for the best chocolate donuts and outstanding Kringle.  

Last weekend my husband and I went to the Art & Wine Festival at the Ella Sharpe Museum of Art & History.  It was a nice small show set up on a winding pathway that wrapped around the grounds of the Museum.  There were 30 artists booths and there were several food and wine vendors.  There seemed to be plenty of volunteer help walking around helping where they could.  Two of the volunteers that I met were on the Museum's board.  The crowds seemed to grow as the day went on.  I ran into one exhibitor that was a member here.  I took his card without asking his name.  I thought it would be on his card and it wasn't.  They did have some music but it wasn't too loud or annoying, just enough to be pleasant to shop to.  This seemed to be a nice little show that attracted several southern Michigan artists.

The two photos I included are of the show.  The photo of "Porcelain and Paper" booth is one of our Art Fair Insiders Members.

 The Museun has an antique clock exhibit going on right now through June 19th.  This was a very extensive collection of antique clocks from all over Europe and the USA.  You still have time to catch this exhibit before it ends in a few days.

I discovered that the Ella Sharpe Museum will be having an Ansel Adams exhibit starting June 25 through to September 4th.  The cost of admission is only $8 per person.  

The following is a write up about the exhibit:

"Ansel Adams: Masterworks Landau Traveling Exhibitions from the Collection of the Turtle Bay Exploration

Park in Redding, California. This collection of 47 works is a selection Adams made late in his life to serve as a succinct representation of his life’s work.  He himself felt these photographs were his best. Called “The Museum Set,” it reveals the importance Adams placed on the elegance and splendor of natural environments." 

This is the only time this exhibit will be in Michigan and it is one that should not be missed.

I am going to try and load a few photos from the 2011 Art & Wine Festival.

Jacki B

To Connie M. and the artists who contribute to the blogs on Art Fair Insiders THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Last weekend I participated in my first art festival. The Granville Art Affair & Wine Festival which was a small local festival with about 100 artists set on the polo fields (yes polo) of Bryn Du in Granville Ohio. A Friday set up was a bonus and I was able to get my tent and furniture set up within the 3 hour time limit - yeah I know you veterans can do your booths in less time and with all your wares ready to sell but is was really hot and humid and my husband was on a golf outing so I was on my own and four bottles of water did not keep the dehydration cramps away.

The forecast called for heavy rains and high winds for both Friday night and Saturday afternoon so I decided not to hang my paintings until Saturday morning. This was due to the fact that I saw the results of the Columbus show and I was terrified my EzUp would be 2 counties away after reading the blogs about the failings of EzUp Tents. I did have my 8 tubes of 25 lbs of cement and doggie screw tie downs attached to the corners and I lowered the tent before I left.

Saturday I was the first person in the gate. The tent held up but the sides were flapping in the breeze and the zippers came unzipped during the night. I saw that some of the other tents had big clamps holding the sides to the poles. (Make a note of that to self.) The tent behind me was totally trashed from the wind during the night. It was raining and I forgot a rain coat - woman next door handed me a rain poncho, thank heavens because I am way to old for a wet T-shirt contest. (make a note bring a poncho)

I began carefully hanging my paintings and putting up the titles and prices next to the works. All the paintings were level, prints were set up, table with small works and rack cards for commissions and business cards with contact information were neatly displayed. Slathered on the sunscreen, wiped some sun block Burts Bees across my lips and jammed on a big brimmed hat. It was a half hour before the opening and I was ready!

I made a quick trip around the booths and then went back to my booth waiting for the crowds of eager customers. Several artists stopped by and made comments about my booth and some even took notes. Here is where the thank you’s come in - many commented that I must be an old pro at this and had an excellent, professional set up for selling and was prepared for all types of weather. When I told them this was my first show they were amazed. I told them that several months of reading Art Festival Insiders and Art Festival Calendar blogs had prepared me for my first show. Again THANK YOU!

BTW - I ONLY MADE ONE SALE - BUT IT WAS A LARGE PAINTING! Used my SQUARE and had a crowd saying what’s that. I also have been contacted a by a few people interested in a commission so it was a good show. Bonus was an actual polo match on the adjacent field and I had the end booth next to it. Guess what I will be painting for next year!

This will be the third year for this show, run by promoter, Lynette Wallace. It is scheduled for the weekend after Houston's Bayou Downtown. Since I have friends in Georgetown that I could probably stay with, I am considering this show. The layout looks nice, in downtown Georgetown. Did anyone do this show the first two years? I would be interested in your feedback. Lynette has extensive experience as a show director, so I would think that she would probably do a good job promoting and in making it an artist friendly show.

Thanks!

Aye yi yi!

(reposted from my HappyArt.com blog)

I’ve been avoiding thinking too much about the growing numbness and weakness in my right hand during these past two months where I’ve been ramping back up as a production artist, but a visit with a doctor friend who has an orthopedic surgeon for a husband has confirmed my suspicions. They say my symptoms are perfect for carpel tunnel. Zoiks!

Raise your hand if you've experienced this!

Of course I’ll go see a specialist and pay for a complete evaluation – but in the mean time I’ve begun looking for treatments and exercises online to help me alleviate this condition and perhaps even nip it in the bud.

Now I know I’m not the only artist out there with this little difficulty so allow me to share what I’ve learned so far in case any of my readers are bumping into this issue themselves.

My symptoms do not involve any pain

I had always expected pain to be a part of this, but nope. Instead in my right hand there is:

• a general sporadic loss of strength
• a weird tingling and
• sometimes a numbness.

The Good News

Happily there are exercises I can try to maybe undo some of what I’ve done so far and help me avoid any potential surgery altogether. Here’s a German drummer who’s created a short video showing us how to stretch for tendonitis and carpel tunnel:

Maybe that dude will help you too!
Here’s a page of slightly different exercises http://cts-carpal-tunnel-syndrome.com/CTS_exercises.htm

And another quick vid:

This will be my first blog post so bare with me if I dont follow tradition. Last weekend I did the Jersey shore fine arts festival and for me it turned out to be a good show. The weather forecast was not very appealling all through the weekend and it all turned out not nearly as bad as the forecast. Load in and out was the easiest I have ever experienced, I could park up to the front of my booth on both occassion without hassles from next booth neibours.

Saturday started with a light rain drizzle but by 10am it cleared up. It was dry enough to bring the crowd out but not as hot to send them all to the beach, hence the crowd was good and steady. Saturday started slow for me sales wise, not until about 2 before i made my first sale, but sales gradually picked up as the day went along, mostly my lower price items though. I did sell two of my larger pieces almost at the close of the day, one I had to talk my way to the sale, the other I woke up to, they announced that a storm was coming, the crowd went drasticcally down and i chose to take a nap only to wake up with a couple staring me  and requesting a transaction on one of my larger pieces. ( UNPROFESSIONAL) hey still learning. The show was closed one hour early to a storm that never came, better safe than sorry.

Sunday started the same was as Saturday, with a light drizzle, the crowd was steady again opting to come to the festival rather than the beach, sales was fair and the weather stayed good for most of the day inspite of the forecast.

This show did not compare to his Fairfax fine arts show in terms of sales but with the constant threat of the weather I am surprised I came close to what I did, I made about 4 times my expenses and was very happy with that. will I do it again? absolutely YES, this will be a very good show with the right type of weather. The jury selection was good and the crowd was there, guess thats all you can ask for from a producer. The weather and getting the card out their wallet or pocketbook is all up to DADA.

This was our first time exhibiting at the 54th Allentown show in Buffalo. We've always stayed away for various reasons but this year we decided to give it a try. Set up was the most unusual I've seen in over 18 years of doing shows. Booth numbers are mailed ahead of time and it states in the info set up begins at 6:00 on Friday nite if no one is parked in your space. The show has 400 some artists set up on the streets of the Allentown area with most artists on Delaware ave. Delaware ave is a major artery that runs through Buffalo. Around 6:00 everyone starts setting up but the odd part is the street NEVER closes and there are no police and no show volunteers on sight! Set up went smoothly which goes to show you that if you leave  artists alone to do what they do well,they get it done with  no supervision! Parking was where ever you can find it and I lucked out with my van and trailer right behind my booth! Weather on Saturday was forecasted for thunderstorms so we were told the crowds were down. On Sunday the show had one of the largest crowds I've ever seen with our booth packed all day!

 Unfortunatly a packed booth doesn't always equal sales. We had a slowday on Sat. and sold one small piece on Sunday.  We did win a second place award but that won't be enough to make us go back. This is a low end show with few high end  buyers. This could be a great show if you have low price items and need lots of people.

A FL painter across from us barely made expenses, a well known veteran photographer sold 2 larger pieces and the rest of his sales were of all small prints. Veteran abstract painter sold a couple small pieces but did have an appointment for a large piece after the show. A Fiber artist with $100-300 items sold well.

The show ended on Sunday with the mounted police marching down the street clearing it.  Breakdown went smoothly once again without adult supervision with the road reopening at 8:00 with artists still packing up and traffic whizzing by!

Finally I have to include this picture of this guy wearing one of the great Sonny Dalton's piece's. I told him that  I heard  Sonny wasn't doing shows anymore but is still creating work for his  many galleries.

So as the song goes We'll be leaving here in Allentown!!

this past weekend was my first experience at the allentown arts festival and allen west festival. i exhibited at the smaller side show (pun intenteded) called allen west.

the larger show was unreal...tents lined the main street for blocks, with one round the block section. i would be curious about sales on the 'round the block' section and at either end of this long long long line of artists.

as for our little sister show, i would think that the folks who do the 'main' show are probably not all that happy with us.  allen west is a much lower class show..sorry, but true....kind of got worse as it went on...but..it may just be what the customers are looking for, i'm not so sure.

i am curious how you all did at the main show..i know there were a few afi folks there. i did walk...well run it early in the morning and it truely looked fabulous.  our show was more of a street fair.  the customers (in our section anyway) were much more of a 'street' crowd.  you can check out my customer review by reading my blog post 'hats and tats'..that will give you a clue. www.juNxtaposition.blogspot.com

anyway....the show was much of a pay your money, get your spot, show up, put up your tent and sell...not much supervision or conversation from the organizers.

there is no pre-set up and tents must be taken down each day...quite a pain...

the crowd was HUGE...actually the largest i have ever seen..and i've been to my share of shows...and i wondered how they would get them off the streets...found out...at exactly 6 pm..the police came around and 'demanded' that we 'close up shop' and get off the street...strange...but i suppose it worked.

i have with me the best 'parker' around and we had a spot within walking distance so we just dollied over to my truck. it was quite easy actually.  i have a very simple set up when necessary, but i can imagine it was quite a hassle for some. 

each day went well, sunday far more crowded if that's possible..the rain pretty much stayed away although i was over prepared after hearing of so much damage of late.

hotels were slim pickins and were restaraunts in my opinion, we stayed at a super 8 which turned out to have a train track within 10 feet of my room...haha...and babies and even dogs kept me up each night...not happy..., took a side trip to Niagra Falls one nite which was nice...

for me..the show financially was fantastic, other than the country living shows (which are in a league of their own) this is the second best show i've ever done...by far....

i am now curious about the 'main' festival and would love some input here from you guys who were there...i would think it was more expensive (ours was 150-200 depending on street), i understand you didnt have to break down each night....and i would have thought the jurying would be much much tougher although i saw some exhibits that surprised me in quality??? curious what those artists feel about the sister show...be blunt, i wont take it personally....and any hotel recomendations for the area.

Well guys, sorry I haven't been posting or 'blogging' but alot has happened since my last post. The economy is making a come back but you have to 'evolve' your self and your work. If you have been on the art show circuit for along time, your stuff becomes 'tired' looking and  people that have seen you for 3 -5 years at the same shows start to see it too. Time to relook your work and think of ways to 'update' it. What? Do I hear that is what my work is and I'm not changing a thing? Well, as artists, we evolve every 5 to 7 years wether you want to or not, it just starts to happen in your work. Take a look at your work that you did 5 years ago and look at the stuff your churning out now...do you see the difference? So does the art festival goers.

So go ahead...go play with that idea that has been churning in your head and work it. See what happens....and let me know!

 September 18 & September 19

Application can be downloaded from

www.tallgrassarts.org 

P.S. The Village of Park Forest was built for the purpose of housing GI's returning from WWII.  Incorporated in 1949, less than 6 years later, it was home to an arts association that operated a gallery, school and art fair.  The arts association was followed a few years later by a symphony orchestra, classical chorale and resident, equity theater company - a very welcoming home for creative people! Please join us.

***************************

Looking for some more sweet shows like this one to fill your 2011 art fair season?

www.CallsforArtists.com

Mid-afternoon view of the show, from the Spice House

The Wells Street art festival in Chicago is usually one of my best shows. It is also one of the hardest set-ups we do. Early morning. Crowded streets. Two rows of tents down the center of the street, with food vendors blocking straight through access in the driving lane. Assigned times for artists are supposed to allow everyone at least an hour for load-in and setup before the show officially opens at 10AM on Saturday. In practice, artists find anyway they can to get their equipment in place as early as possible.

Dog's-eye view of the show

 
I've had a double booth in the same location, near the Spice House and Topo Gigio, for several years. It's a high traffic location, because of O'Briens, The Fireplace Inn and a new club, the Benchmark. The main stage is in the O'Brien's parking lot, and provides a steady beat throughout the entire show.Friday night I didn't leave Michigan until almost 10:30 PM. I had to pick up Karyn in Ann Arbor, and by the time we got to Chicago, it was about 4:00 AM. No sleep for us. I walked down Wells to see where our booth spot was -- new numbers meant that I was moved slightly south. At 4:45, I was able to get my traile and truck down to the booth, about a block and a half in. My load-in time was officially 6:45, but there is no way that I could get the trailer and truck in and out that late. I think that the show has finally realized after 40 years that some artists are always going to need early access to the show. The coordinator told me that the show director had given permission to a few artists to come in early, after a phone call. I've called in previous years and been told that it's impossible.Some artists dolly in from the northern paid lot on Wells, The Carriage Lot. Some dolly from parking spots on North Ave. Some dolly from the side streets, Schiller, Goethe and Scott. Some do bring their vans in. By 10AM, the show does get set up. It's a minor miracle, but we were unloaded, the truck and trailer parked in the paid lot at Franklin School, the double canopy setup and all the art hung, with lights, by 10AM.

My credit card machine always has trouble connecting here -- server overload with all the cel=phones and texting

Saturday was cold and drizzly. It didn't out and out rain, but it was chilly. It didn't stop the young urban professionals from crowding into the show, and buying art in the morning and early afternoon. But the temps got colder by 4PM, and the crowd slowly changed to a party mood. Lots of beer and lots of strolling. A mix of dogs, strollers, couples and professionals. I sold a few smaller pieces, but nothing large. By 6PM, most of the crowd were there to party, not to buy. My neighbors, Jean-Claude Louis, another photog with a double that looked exactly like mine, and David Bigelow, the well-known printmaker, both closed up by 8PM. Usually we'll stay open, and send some art home with new owners, but the weather put a chill into the sales. We closed up and walked down to our hotel on Clark Street. Along the way, we stopped at Panang, a friendly Thai restaurant on Clark. Good food, efficient service, and inexpensive. Since we hadn't had sleep for almost 42 hours, it didn't take long to catch a few zzz's. Luckily, we waited until we got to the hotel for that.

Jean-Claude Louis, from Agoura Hills CA

David Bigelow wins for Works on Paper -- Congrats, and well-deserved!

Sunday was bright and blue. The sun was out, and cheered me right up. We stopped at the trailer to restock, and opened the booth up about 10:15. Sunday was better for sales, but still slower than previous years. I saw a couple of previous customers, including Liz Hein, who posed for a shot with her favorite piece, "No Exit". My friend Maureen stopped by. I got to step into the Spice House for some fresh cumin and some Moroccan spices. The show provides a break room in the offices of the Old Town Merchants Association, and serves up coffee, pastry and fruit all day long. The bathroom is clean, too, but you might have to wait a minute for it. We spent a lot of time talking with David Bigelow in between sales. This year's crowd seemed much more intent on partying and being seen than in previous years. My sales reflected this, too. I did about 50% of what I did last year. Enough to pay a few bills, but maybe not enough to reflect the long hours and brutal setup.

The lovely Elizabeth Hein shows a little love for "No Exit"

 
I know that some artists did well at Wells this year. Photography was perhaps over-represented. My friend Lisa sent many of her well-designed t-shirts and tanks home with happy owners. Jean-Claude had a better show this year than last year. But all in all, it seemed to me that the energy was directed more towards having a good time than feathering the nest this year. It's an expensive show to do, when you add up all the extras. Electricity costs $150, and puts you in the middle of the show. Parking ranges from $75 to $150 for the weekend, and is definitely worth it if you have a hard-to-park rig like I do. The booth fee is average. Hotels are out-of-sight downtown, and I can't recommend the Howard Johnsons on Wells. Many stay out in the suburbs, at the airport hotels, or out in Schaumburg, which is a lo-n-n-n-n-g hike. 

Load-out is efficient. Artists begin closing at 8PM, but vehicles are not allowed on the street till all the partiers go home, which can be as late as 11PM. Many dolly out the same way they came in. Vans have a definite advantage over trailers here. Some folks rent an Enterprise van or cube truck specifically for this show. We didn't really start breaking down until about 9PM, had a couple big sales at the end to make it all right. The trailer was into the show at about 10:45, and by that time, over 75% of the artists had found a better way out. We were on the road by 11:45. A very long weekend. We can't drive the entire way back to Michigan after this weekend, so another night in a hotel is required. This year, I stopped in St. Joseph, and made the rest of the drive on Monday morning. Exhausted but happy. 

A last word: There is a lot of buy-sell here. Some is blatant, some is not. While the show says that all work must be original, some is clearly not. It doesn't matter. Bring whatever you want. At $7/pop "Suggested Donation", I'd estimate that the show grosses about $1.5 in gate fees alone. It's still fun, still unique, and one of the best parties in Chicago in the summertime.

Glad to read something about the Excelsior Art show, I see it in the midwest arts and craft guide, but know of no one who has done it. 

I had to cancel the June 18th Solstice Art show in Chippewa Falls WI due to a funeral to go to, so if any readers were there, would appreciate some info on sales, etc.  Thanks.

Here's a small animation I did when I set up a black & white booth a couple of years ago.