I was at the Kutztown Festival yesterday (June 29) and as always, had a great time. The 9 day festival held in Kutztown Festival is like a Renaissance Festival, but cut out the minstrels and 'ol English dialogue and insert PA Dutch heritage, history, and traditional folk art. I have gone to the festival for about 5 years now and primarily go as a shopper with Christmas list with many names usually checked off by the end of the day once I am done there. I haven't been able to do the event since it takes place over a 9 day period.The event has taken place since the 70's and every year gets better with age. The jury does an amazing job with a large variety of folk art and traditional art forms galore. There is about 350 artists who make up the event, plus demonstrations from artists and others such as barn raising. I have several friends who do the event each year and find it to be THE event to do (and look forward to) each year as many make at least $5,000 over that period of time with many more making about $20,000 or so - all depending on what is being sold and contacts after the event. The event also offers information about hotel and even housing options including housing options at the local college and campground info as well as opportunities in staying on site.One artist, Lin who works with recycled glass cups and creates stained glass and butterfly feeders. New to the show, Lin stated how she was just happy to be accepted into the event. After the first two days of the event being open she quickly learned it can be a very profitable event making several good sales. Monday proved to be good, despite less foot traffic. In my experience, walking the event on both weekdays and weekends, some weekdays can be incredibly busy especially if the weather cooperates. The event ends around the 4th of July with a great fireworks display. Another artist, a jewelry maker who works with leather, attended the show for the first time last year, had such a successful time found it was necessary to buy two booth spaces. So far the weeks start has showed it was the best move to ever make.Don't take my word for it, go to their website - www.kutztownfestival.com (I think that is the site address) and see for yourself. Information on how to apply and more is found there. I am seriously thinking about signing up for 2010 - maybe I will see you there! - Michelle Sholund, By the Bay Botanicals
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This past weekend (June 27-28) I participated in my first outdoor art show. It was a lot of work, but I'm pleased with the experience. The show was in Northville, a nice little town about 15 miles west of Detroit, and not far from my home in Ann Arbor. It has a well developed Main Street area, which is where the art fair was held. Weather was good, although a bit windy on Sunday (I got to watch a canopy set up by Marvin Replacement Windows blow down the street 3 or 4 times before they gave up on it). My canopy help up just fine, but only because I've read enough here and on other forums to weigh the canopy down with about 150 lbs. of stuff. I also used my new ProPanels, which are a big improvement (at a huge increase in cost) over the wire grids I've use at indoor shows and outdoor markets. If you get ProPanels, be sure to pay the extra for the adjustable legs. It think it would very difficult to keep them stable without the adjustments.As it was my first time at the show, I can't compare it with previous years, but other, more seasoned exhibitors, told me that attendance and spending seemed to be down. Even the food vendors said that sales were down. This is not surprising in Michigan, where the economy is really bad. Sunday was a better day than Saturday for sales.I was very pleased with the attention my pictures attracted, and pretty happy with my sales. About 50 people asked for one of my business cards, and asked for my show schedule. I also really enjoyed talking with the people who stopped by my booth. Although there were a number of photographers at the show, the selection committee did a good job picking different photographic styles.I hoped that this show would help me figure out the right mixture of framed, matted and unframed/unmatted photos, but that didn't happen, since I sold some of each. Also, about 2/3 of my sales were on credit cards.The organizers of the show could have done a better job getting volunteers to cover for lunches and bathroom breaks, but I had a friend stop by on Saturday, and I had about 20 minutes of volunteer to cover my booth on Sunday, so I was fine.This was a good show to start with, as it was only two days and not real big. My next show is in Plymouth, Michigan, on July 10-12, and it's much bigger.Although I live in Ann Arbor, I'm not doing any of the fairs here as I didn't decide to do any art fairs until April of this year, and that was way past the application cut-off dates.This forum has been a huge help! Thanks for running it Connie, and thanks to all of the amazingly generous people who contribute their time and advice!Cheers.
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A Priceline Room in Denver
Today at 12:53pm
From artist Eugenie Torgerson:
I am cancelling Cherry Creek and have a Priceline room at the Marriott Denver Tech Center for $50 a night --- a total of $236.26. The hotel is about 20 minutes from the show. If ANYONE knows ANYONE who could use this room, please contact me at eugenietorgerson@sbcglobal.net.
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Thanks, Connie, for inviting me to write a bit about ArtPrize here. ArtPrize is an event designed with a very open framework to create dialogue between artists and the public. There's also a prize. Currently, the world's largest art prize: $250,000 1st place $100,000 2nd place $50,000 3rd place $7,000 4th-10th places Any artist can register, but each artist has to secure space within a venue. A venue can be virtually any space within a 3 square mile area of Grand Rapids, MI. Whomever opens their space to become a venue is responsible for selecting artists. ArtPrize is not the jury for the exhibition. Individual venue hosts determine which artists they secure. Artists and venues negotiate everything from how much space the artist can exhibit in to whether or not the artist will give an artist talk. I should also mention the top ten prizes are awarded solely by a public vote. Those of us working on ArtPrize also created Spout.com, a community for movie lovers to spread word of mouth about movies. We like empowering peoples' voices. We like the idea of the city becoming an art gallery. We like giving the public real skin in the game to decide who gets the prize, so they'll think more about the art than they might in a traditional context. We like the variety that venues with a huge range of curatorial experience will create. From spectator to venue to artist, we like the idea that ArtPrize asks everyone to think differently. For artists specifically, its a very wide open proposition. The vote and the prize create an audience ready to be engaged. It is up to you to decide how to engage them. It will take some planning. You register at artprize.org and contact venues where you want to exhibit (currently there are 55 and more are added each day). Once you secure a space within a venue, you're in. (Some venues charge a fee, most do not.) Some frequent questions that come up: - You may only submit one entry, but consider your limitation the amount of space a venue gives to you. Meaning, one entry is not necessarily one painting, but however you choose to exhibit your work within the space the venue allows. - You may sell work--including work not submitted to the event--but the one work that's registered in the event has to remain on exhibit until closing day, October 10. - You and the venue are free to be as entrepreneurial as you wish to be, meaning if you and the venue host turn a lobby into a sales booth for diamond skulls and corn dogs, there are no rules against it. We ask any artist to consider this an opportunity to engage with the public--both spectators and venues--on a level that they might not have engaged before. We think it's going to be a little crazy and a lot of fun. You can find out more and register at artprize.orgPaul Moore is co-founder of Spout.com and currently in charge of communications for ArtPrizeRead more…
August 8Coldwater, Michigan Four Corners Park Presented by Arts Alive 10 am to 5 pm 50 artists Deadline: July 8 What is an art fair garage sale? It is your opportunity to sell your leftovers, irregulars, seconds, art supplies and/or work that you would like to see in someone else's home. Your booth is your castle, so anything goes-show your best work at regular prices and sell the rest in the garage sale spirit. We want you to have fun - wheel and deal and clean out your stock to make room for new and better art. On the weekend of August 7-9 the State of Michigan Tourism Department hosts the U.S. 12 Garage Sale, a shopping frenzy that stretches 212 miles from Saline to Niles, on the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail. The garage sale brings thousands of motorists from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ontario to shop for bargains, visit historic towns and enjoy the Michigan countryside. Coldwater is one of the key stops along the trail with its nationally recognized Historic district of homes, centuries old downtown, 100+ year old Tibbits Opera House and enticing eateries. Expect: *hometown hospitality with professional (!) staff *a shady park at the main intersection of the city, everyone driving through town will see the art fair *easy unloading and loading *volunteers to give you a hand *a "can't lose" booth fee - $50 Download the application for more information:
ColdwaterAppl09.pdf For more info: Barb Burkhardt:
barbaraburkhardt@hotmail.com or Connie Mettler:
info@artfaircalendar.com ***************** Looking for more art fairs for your 2009 season?
Visit ArtFairCalendar.com/callforentriesRead more…
Here is an excellent article on buying art, it makes a good case for owning something special.
2009 - June
"The paradigm has shifted. Less than a year ago, the wealthy [or seemingly rich] were in a feeding frenzy – scooping up contemporary art - at the most notable of galleries, art expos and auction houses in New York, Miami, Paris, London, Venice and beyond.
The value of the art work was highly inflated – boosted by the insatiable appetites of those who wanted to consume and who believed the spin… “you must own this.” The spin-meisters? Gallerists, curators & art "advisors" who had something to gain. Less-than-well-executed paintings, broken pottery, preserved wildlife, graffiti, cartoons - even excrement – was touted as “important,” as precious, as invaluable – and hundreds of thousands – if not several millions of dollars were spent. “Good” art seemed out of reach for all but the top echelon.
And the art purchased? Its value has plummeted [like most things]. It is possible it will never recover the value paid. The “investors” were sold not on quality, but on the buzz created by clever marketers.
So why buy art now? Because no one else is. Visual artists throughout the world have suffered the lingering drag of the economy. Hardly anyone is .... the rest of the article
Thanks to member Sandy Schimmel Gold
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The De Vos Family (think Amway) of West Michigan is offering a the world's largest Art Prize - $250,000!
There is so much to learn about this prize and all the smaller venues surrounding it. The competition is going to take over Grand Rapids, MI, in the fall with much press and activity going on. The winner is by public vote! You heard me right, the public.
# Top 10 entries will receive a prize
# Multiple artists can collaborate on an entry
# Artists may only submit one entry
# Property owners/renters in downtown Grand Rapids can become a venue
# Number of artists represented is only limited by number of venues that become available
Learn more at: http://www.artprize.org/about-artprize
What is even more interesting is their online blog that tells the story about all the exciting things going on around the Prize. Be sure to keep track of what's going on day to day at blog.artprize.orgRead more…
Held June 27th &28th, the annual “Arts on the Avenue” is a part of Cedarburg’s popular Strawberry Festival activities.This has everything most artists would stay away from. Food (it is about the strawberries), crafters (though - high end and juried in), and various “festival” activities (pancake breakfast, 5k run, contests, several music stages and commercial vendors – bike – car – windows etc.) However, with the location and its 100,000 attendances, it has always been a top selling weekend for me. More framed pieces sell at this show than at any others I do (16 this year). I sold a large amount of matted only but I had lowered my prices by $5 or $10.Cedarburg is an upscale artisan community – smack dab in the center of one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. Not the quasi-wealthy – the real thing where the wealthiest wear t-shirts & cutoffs to avoid standing out in a crowd. I’ve always connected with wonderful commissioned work from them here – their own little decorator they call me.Arts on the Avenue is organized by a combination of (3) separate art groups - the Cedarburg Cultural Center’s Fine Art Fair, Cedar Creek Settlement’s Arts Fair and the Ozaukee Art Center’s Fine Art Fair. Applications are sent to one of the three and each has their own jury and acceptance process. No buy/sell allowed – and if discovered they are removed immediately. An arts highlight is the Annual Plein Air Painting Competition, featuring Adult & Youth Divisions, at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. On Saturday morning, registered artists can participate in a two hour Quick Paint Competition in the Historic District. Cedarburg’s entire nine block Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places with many unique restaurants and charming shops that are a signature of Cedarburg’s tourism appeal. It is juried (with no awards) and very difficult to get into. This is my 5th year participating (10 minutes from home).This year I’ve noticed more high end crafters than typical and I counted only 3 other photographers. Jewelry, as always, was abundant as was pottery, fantastic wood creations and metal sculpture. Saturday tends to be the “out of towners” looking for an alternative to Milwaukee’s huge Summerfest activities. Sunday was mostly the Ozaukee County locals – looking for their favorite artists and ready to spend. I would estimate 90% of the crowd attends annually.Set up goes well and begins at 7am Saturday morning. It is drive up except for those inside the Cultural Center and adjacent lawn. A few of the booths in the main street area have to tear down Saturday night (beginning at 6pm) and set up again Sunday morning (no earlier than 7 am). I always have that area and really don’t mind as the location is prime and I have nice shade most of the day. Parking is wherever you can find it – but once you’ve attended, you know the hidden areas that are very close. The art area opens at 10 am but my sales start at 9. The street is elbow to elbow by 9:30 and remains so for most of the two days. There are typically more people walking the sidewalks behind the tents, getting out of the middle crowd, than at several art shows I’ve done this year. There is a food court area, but also a few food booths (ice cream, strawberries, and drinks) located among the art booths. Cedarburg has terrific wine makers and a local brewer, so those booths are also located among the art booths. They do keep the kettle corn guy and any smoky food booths well away from the art.As I mentioned – most artists would avoid this type of event and had I not been part of this area for many years, I too would stay away from any food festival events. However, I’ve been extremely successful here each year and it is a prime example to artists needing to look outside of the box – beyond their typical annually attended top tier show schedule - to carry them through this tough economic year. Plus....they are fun to do once in awhile. I sometimes get tired of seeing only high end pieces. My booth was busy continually both days and I talked so much this weekend that I lost my voice today - making hubby quite happy. But, I'm a "local" artist and these folks are always good to me. I should also mention that every year I have sold to those from England, France, Italy, Austraila and Sweden who fly in every year for this event. My Monday is consumed with international shipping.My three videos show the smallest crowds of the show. Only the last half hour of each day had less. You can check them out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGuyfxUA0s&feature=channel listed as Cedarburg 001, 002, 003Have a great summer everyone!Linda AndersonAnderson Photo Works Great Lakes Nautical & Nature Photographyhttp://www.andersonphotoworks.com
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I'd guess that at least half of the artists you see at art fairs have been working on their art since they were children. The
other half are people who have unearthed their talent later in their lives, whose life experiences have taken them a step at a time to their present situation, later discovering a passion for exploring their artistic abilities. Daryl Thetford's story is a long unwinding from mental health therapist, manager of a mental health center, which segued into book collecting, establishing one of the first online bookstores for used and rare books, until watching his wife's art career unfold gave him the taste to explore his own artistic nature. Since 2001 he has been exhibiting his photographs at art fairs. His long incubation allowed his imagery to emerge nearly full grown, as proven by his inclusion this year at almost every one of the nation's top art fairs, including Miami's Coconut Grove, Chicago's Old Town, Milwaukee's Lakefront, Des Moines Arts Festival, Denver's Cherry Creek, the St. Louis Art Fair and Houston's Bayou City. Daryl's photographs are straightforward captures of Americana, mostly from the rural South. His digital art is built on this base, layering additional photographs onto them and thereby transforming them into something complex, richly textured, and painterly. He says, "My influences include vintage matchbooks, posters, postcards, graffiti, and pop artists Rauschenberg, Johns and Warhol. My goal is not to present nostalgia, but to revisit existing artworks and then re-vision them into a wholly new and original form."
More about Daryl and his work.
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2009 Des Moines Arts Festival Des Moines, Iowa June 26-28 Western Gateway Park, Downtown Fri 4P-10P / Sat 10A-10P / Sun 10A-5P 175 Artists The Des Moines Arts Festival has established itself as the signature cultural and arts event in Iowa, sweeping awards from many sources: --2009 Top 10 Art Fair & Festival by AmericanStyle Magazine (No. 5) --2008 recipient of 17 Pinnacle Awards from the International Festivals & Events Association --Winner of four National Association of Independent Artist (NAIA) Artist Choice Awards --Ranked 7th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2007 ArtFair SourceBook
As a participant in this event many times it was always a thrill to be in the midst of this well-run, leave-no-stone-unturned event, that exemplifies the best that an art fair can be. Convenient parking, enthusiastic art fair goers, family friendly activities, outreach to the region's Emerging Artists, well-supported by diverse local sponsors such as the Principal Financial Group, Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Meredith Publishing will ensure you amenities that will make this a "must attend" event every year. Competition for the 175 artist spaces is intense. Artists represented here are the "best of the best," carefully chosen for diversity and originality. You will love this art fair! Daryl Thetford, our artist of the month, will be exhibiting in two categories: photography and digital art. Iowans are justly proud of this event. Find out why! Ready to hit the road? Visit their website for all the details:
www.desmoinesartsfestival.org ***********
More information about art fairs around the U.S.Read more…
A long-running art fair, the Midwest Salute to the Masters, in Fairview Heights, IL, got done in by politics, reports the Belleville (IL) News Democrat:
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS -- Mayor Gail Mitchell said Friday that politics played a role in the abrupt cancellation of the 22nd annual Midwest Salute to the Arts scheduled for Aug. 28-30. Salute to the Arts organizers said Friday that they have started to plan for the 2010 event, but city officials are still questioning why the event was canceled this year. Organizers initially cited the economy as the main reason the fair was canceled, but said Friday that they were unable to find a replacement after the arts council's director, Sharon Karraker, resigned June 1. The quick story is that after Karraker was not reappointed by the City Council as head of the planning commission that shortly after that she resigned. From what I can gather the event is totally volunteer run and Karraker was its driving force. Her loss, the fair's loss, the artist's loss. Read the rest of
this story here.
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Tough and even tougher times are affecting the art fairs around the country. In Pontiac and Toledo they are finding alternative funding sources for art fairs that had depended on Chrysler's largesse. But even far from the Rust Belt the slow economy is affecting the planning. From the
Deseret News in Salt Lake City: "Last September, I drew up three budget scenarios," said Lisa Sewell, the festival's executive director. "In one, I laid out a 10 percent cut. In the others, I did a 30 percent cut and a 50 percent cut. Then I presented them to our board and showed them what we could do."
Artists Dave Piper, Linda and Rick Bachman visiting at Pontiac's Arts, Beats & Eats Read the rest of
this story here. If you'd like to learn more about this festival and what it means to the community there, visit this link from the
Salt Lake City Tribune.
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Call to Artists and Fashion Designers!!!The recycldeszine organization is looking for artists and designers to create pieces for The Junk to Funk Fashion show on Friday July 10, from 8 - 11 pm at the Rusty Nail in Stowe, VT.The show is a charity event based on the creative use of trash or recycled materials as wearable art; we are looking for participants to design fun and creative pieces and/or model them for the show. This is going to be an outrageously fun event with food, drinks and live music in addition to the fashion show. Admission will be charged at the event and all proceeds will benefit Make-A-Wish foundation. If you are interested in creating a piece for the event, please contact recycldeszine@yahoo.com
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The show was good for us until the sun drained the energy from the show. We did better than last year however others we spoke to did not have the same experience. Set up was okay for us because of some unique circumstances many others grumbled.Rich
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Held June 20th & 21st, the location of this event is fabulous! At a 500 acre park ran by the McCormick Foundation, donated by Robert McCormick editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, which includes beautiful gardens, excellent museums & facilities and much more. Several tributes & exhibits to WWI and WWII veterans are onsite as well. While I left my hubby to tend our tent frequently during the two days so I could take in part of the grounds, I sure wish I had more time to investigate. Aside from the show, this park is very well attended by families on outings – many, many picnic groups, several weddings, and visitors just touring the gardens and museums.A bonus of this location was the adjacent air conditioned visitor’s center and restrooms. Promoter had set aside one of the conference rooms as the artist break room – fully stocked with ice cold water bottles (did not run out) and a few snacks. Volunteers were amazing and plentiful taking lunch orders and offering break times. The Park’s on site restaurant and Ice Cream café were both great, located in the air conditioned visitor’s center. Art Fair Food court had a variety of yummy food. Music located throughout was fantastic – very well scheduled and good mix of sounds. We especially appreciated the easy listening music during pack up as we were all exhausted and sweaty. There was patron table seating at one end near the food court as well as at the other end at the main music stage thus encouraging patrons to use the full art area. The overall feeling I had during this event was easy going, relaxed, enjoy the event and surroundings. Any patrons I had the pleasure of contact with were the same. Nice, easy to talk with crowd. Several had said they came to this show every year and were always happy with the high quality variety from year to year – evidentially Amdur mixes it up annually. Sunday morning included a full buffet breakfast in the air conditioned restaurant and sit down awards ceremony. Both Saturday and Sunday prior to start up, artists were invited to attend a tour of the grounds.No bad booth locations from what I could tell. Patrons had easy access to stroll the well designed area. Booths are set up in (4) rows. Two rows face each other on the main road leading up to the visitor’s center – one of those rows does not have trees. The back two tree lined rows face each other on grass had marvelous shade with spacing as tree, tent, tent, tree. 10x10 booth areas have ample 3 to 5ft spacing between each. All artists had a huge amount of space behind their tent – the center two rows actually formed a large free area zone behind those booths. Being my first show with Amdur I asked Amy about the rules regarding utilizing space in the back for storage etc. She replied that this area is so lovely feel free to spread out and enjoy the area and the day. What a wonderful way to start my first Amdur show. As I watched the traffic flow, it was my impression that the booths facing each other were a tad farther apart than most shows – at least it appeared that way in the back two rows. I believe this encouraged the patrons to fully walk down one side and up the other rather than just walking the center and glancing in both directions at once. My observation was that this was the right amount of booths and laid out well enough for patrons to actually walk past each booth. Artist setup/take down was not too bad. Drive up for those on the street and a short carry in for the back rows. Artist parking was at the Cantigny golf course area; about ½ miles back on the grounds, but shuttles were constantly available. At check in, each artist received a 2009 Amdur Productions Art Annual – nice 80 page collection of artists and their work who participate in the 2009 Amdur shows. Quite cute were the name badges for our artist helpers (spouses etc) – better half, significant other, along for the ride, banker, free labor etc.Heavy winds & rain Friday night damaged a few tents that set up Friday, and the grassy area was very spongy. My area had severe mud holes but before the show began, Amy had grounds crew spreading several layers of hay. They returned later in the day to add more where necessary. Weather Saturday was full sun and temps in the high 80’s with a slight breeze. Those trees were certainly appreciated by those that had them. Weather Sunday was overcast, but again in the high 80’s and very humid with virtually no breeze. I would estimate Saturday’s attendance at around 6,000 and Sunday’s (Father’s Day) around 10,000. Being a popular family & veteran park anyway, it was hard for me to pin down the attendance. I was initially concerned about a Father’s Day show, but these grounds are heavily visited by veterans and their families and found the show as a bonus.Overall I heard quite a few comments that many had no or very few sales. I heard a few say “my worst show ever” and “I’ll not come back”. There were a few buy/sell booths that got in somehow. One photographer from PA, wonderful guy with beautiful product who exists on his art for a living, was very worried on Saturday but at show end on Sunday, a patron returned from Saturday and bought his two largest items – making the show entry, travel and profit justifiable for him. Several artists had Saturday lookers that returned Sunday to purchase. I personally did not have my typical high four figure weekend but just okay (a bit above expenses) with sales of (4) large framed items on Saturday and many matted only pieces that ranged from $20.00 to $90.00 sell both days. I believe I have had success during my spring shows this year because I have limited my framed work to only a few large pieces and many small to medium sized pieces. I will typically sell one or two of the large framed per show but sell many of the $85 to $225 ones. I also have included an extra matted size and reduced prices of my matted - $20/$35/$50/$90. I do all of the printing/matting/framing myself so I do have an advantage as my expenses are lower than those who outsource. From what I’ve seen, there are not a lot of four figure pieces being purchased this year as compared to previous years. Those not having products in the $20 to $900 range are not having as many sales although I could be mistaken. The grumblers of this show were the ones that only offered the four figure items. The majority of my buyers had indicated they come every year and always purchase a few items.I was thrilled to finally be at a show where I ran into fellow artfairinsiders. Charles Bingham and Colin Murray were both there and it was great to chat with them and see their wonderful work in person. What great guys! How did you guys do?My impression of Amy Amdur as a promoter: Loved her. I will do any of her events. She is quite detail and artist oriented and provides a pleasant atmosphere from the start. She walked the show frequently looking for problems, solving problems and greeting artists by their name. I find her personable, well organized and from what I can judge by my experience during the Cantigny show – provides a wonderful show. I always have empathy for anyone who has a bad show or does not make at least expenses (been there, done that). I do think however that those upset with Cantigny sales are not likely to blame the show production itself.My two videos show an “average” of the show. Some times were more crowded, some times less. You can check them out at: https://www.youtube.com/user/njander listed as Cantigny Art Show and Cantigny 2I’d love to hear other’s comments.Linda AndersonAnderson Photo Works Great Lakes Nautical and Nature Photographyhttp://www.andersonphotoworks.comRead more…
This is way too sad a story. Kevin Finnerty, a well-known artist from Arlington Heights, IL, set fire to his home early this month killing his wife, his 11 year old son and himself. Two other children escaped. He left a suicide note that blamed financial troubles. The previous weekend he had exhibited his paintings in a familiar place, a store that was near the Arlington Heights Art Fair. "LaSalle Bridge" Read the story at the
Chicago Tribune, and a rather more bizarre story in the
Daily Herald that talks about his painting and only eludes to the deaths of his family. Here is Kevin's website:
kevinfinnerty.comRead more…
August 22 & 23 Keego Harbor, Michigan Sponsored by the Bloomfield Area North Chamber of Commerce Sat. 11am-8pm, Sun. 11am-5pm 50 artists Deadline: July 15 or until full Big Fish Festival is a local community event. Located in the lakes area, bordering West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, and Sylvan Lake you will enjoy an 'Up North' atmosphere, but located
right in the center of Oakland County. It kicks off with a kids' bike parade leading to live music and entertainment, great food from area restaurants, a business exposition, this festival has it all, a celebration of the lakes community. Located outdoors at Roosevelt Elementary School, this beautiful site was once the High School for Keego Harbor. With 2,000 visitors, you will enjoy this event from beginning to end.
Do you live nearby or have an open weekend? The lake area in August is a refreshing place to be. The booth fees are a plus at $50 covering two days. This is the fifth year for the festival, with new activities every year and fresh promotion. Contact John Linemeyer at 248- 682-1510, ext. 31, or email
johnlinemeyer@completeins.com for more details. Applications available at:
www.bnachamber.com.
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Many of you know about the very fun Art Fair Garage Sale that takes place in Kalamazoo in February. In recent years a bunch of this kind of events have sprung up around the country. But how about one online? No travel, no booth fees required?
This has been one of my long term goals, but, thank the lord, I don't have to take that on! Enter
Travis Allison of
www.ArtGarageSale.com. Here is Travis' message to you:
I wanted to introduce you to a new site I developed, http://www.ArtGarageSale.com, expressly with the idea that affordable art can be enjoyed by everyone. With the state of the economy, I am offering a totally free trial offer with no listing fees until November 2009! After October 31, 2009, the listing fees are only 10 cents per item per month. Commission is only 4% for all sold items! Please take advantage of this trial offer by setting up your own "garage" at no risk or cost! Within the first 16 weeks of the launch, we have sold over $2,700 and are averaging 175 unique visitors and 15,000 hits per day and it even spiked to 26,000 in one day! We've had over 22,000 visitors in the first 5 months accumulating in 1.6 million hits! We are beginning our summer marketing campaign which includes both online ads as well as an extensive ground campaign covering the largest art fairs throughout the Southwest regions of the United States so make sure you have Your Garage's stocked up for the increased traffic this summer! We also recently went global, so we now offer international shipping which means your work will be seen and possibly purchased from customers around the world! Visit the website today and join. This is a wonderful opportunity to clean out your garage!
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When this site was built one of the most important "groups" was the Web Wizards group organized by well-known Internet entrepreneur Scott Fox. Scott is an authority on all things having to do with websites and marketing small business on the Web. Recently he has become consumed with new projects and has been unable to keep up with inquiries from the group. I am pleased to announce that photographer
Jim Parker has stepped into his place to
moderate the group. Jim is the perfect person for the position. Here is his resume: --Visual artist with 30 years experience in photography, advertising and design. --He exhibits photographic prints at over 20 nationally recognized festivals yearly. --From his yearly years as an advertising art director and cinematographer, he developed skills in creative management, interactive design, and web development. --He spent over 25 years working for national marketing agencies Ross Roy, DCG Chicago and Wirestone. --In 2004 he left the corporate world to devote his energies full-time to creating dramatic photographic images of the North American landscape. --When he's not out in the field shooting, he writes for his own website and blog,
www.parkerparker.info and contributes to many online forums such as Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Sound like the perfect person to handle web site queries? I think so. Join this dynamic group to learn more about building your own website and marketing your work online. Welcome, Jim. Thanks so much for taking on this task.
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