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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ArtFairCalendar.com (the mother of this site) and ArtFairInsiders.com made the Chicago Tribune last week! I was interviewed by writer Leslie Mann about the future of fairs, resulting in a bunch of new subscribers to my newsletters. Thanks, Leslie.
Interestingly I knew almost everyone else she interviewed for the article:
--Zaki Knapen, artist, a member of this site and frequent contributor
--Amy Amdur, art fair producer, a member of the site and someone I've known for a long time as well as one of our advertisers
--Sara Corkery, a member of this site and the editor of the NAIA's newspaper, The Independent Artist
Leslie does a good job of assessing the impact of of the fairs and what artists are doing to overcome the economy. Read it here: www.ChicagoTribune.comRead more…
I did the Wells Street show in Chicago last weekend (June 13-14). I did very well there -- it was about time, as shows in Michigan so far this year have been lackluster. Briefly, the load-in is brutal, and was compounded by rain until about 1PM. After that, it gradually cleared throughout the afternoon, and people were out in droves enjoying the art, the music and buying. I saw a lot of prints going by, some larger pieces, and it kept up until Sunday night.For more in-depth coverage and a couple of pictures, read my full blog post, here:http://www.parkerparker.info/studio/blog/?p=649
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September 19 & 20 Ferndale, Michigan downtown on 9 Mile Rd. 120 artists Deadline: 6/15/09 Mark Loeb, the show director claims that his Ferndale show is,
"Twice as funky as the average fine art show..." Ferndale, Michigan, is a town that skews a little younger, a little hipper than much of the world. While traditional artwork does sell here, this show focuses on less pastoral work. As many as 40,000 art shoppers attend over the weekend. Not every art lover desires, or can afford ten thousand dollar art works. That does not mean that they are not people of taste, interested in acquiring quality work. The
Funky Ferndale Art Fair is directed at people with an appreciation for the best. Ferndale's vibrant downtown attracts people in their 20's, 30's and 40's. It is a lively community with varied shopping and exciting clubs and restaurants. These people have the means to purchase items that appeal to them.
Loeb continues, "We are looking for work that shows more than a bit of creativity, that challenges the mind, or simply sparks the imagination. Artwork that does not sit quietly, but invites a reaction. Overall however, keep in mind, this is a high quality juried fine art show." The art fair is organized by Mark Loeb of Integrity Shows a veteran organizer of metro Detroit events. Loeb's shows are widely praised for the effort placed toward supporting participating artists. He understands that your success is essential and does what it takes to meet your needs. Sculpture by
Richard Skelton Apply on line at
Zapplication.org, or visit
MichiganArtShow.com ********************** Looking for more art fairs to fill your 2009 art fair season? Visit:
ArtFairCalendar.com/callforentriesRead more…
September 4-7
Detroit, Michigan
Downtown
part of the Detroit International Jazz Festival
40 artists
Deadline: June 15
Do you love music? Does your art appeal to art audiences? If so, here you will find the perfect marriage as part of the exciting Detroit International Jazz Festival.
This year the Festival celebrates it's 30th anniversary by bringing back JazzART. What is JazzART? The Jazz Fest Director, Terri Pontremoli describes it as "Art that moves, Art that grooves." Essentially art that is inspired by music. Up to 40 booths will be included in the festival which annually attracts 750,000 music lovers. The Art section will close Art Fair each evening at 7:00 pm, while the music continues through the evening.
The selling of visual arts has long been associated with the Jazz Fest. JazzART had been a successful element though the event turned to a gallery oriented art show for the last few years. The return to individual booths will further increase the multi dimensional celebration of Jazz in all it's incarnations.
The art fair is organized by Mark Loeb of Integrity Shows a veteran organizer of metro Detroit events.
More about the Jazz Festival: www.detroitjazzfest.com
Apply: www.zapplication.orgRead more…
Held May 30 & 31, 2009 we had perfect weather for this enjoyable show in Deerfield - an affluent North Shore Chicago suburb. Friday night setup followed by get-together available. We chose to make the drive Saturday morning. Drive up to booth setup & teardown very smooth. Booth spaces had 3ft either side for spreading out art and 5 ft behind for chairs, desk & supplies. Kudos to Debbie Netter - D&W Events for well advertised, well coordinated event.Volunteers came around every hour or so with water and checked artists needs. Took menu orders for lunch and delivered. Food & entertainment court at one end with yummy, healthy food choices.Layout was two rows across from each other on pavement for about 150 artists. Nestled between beautiful and well used Jewett Park and the Metro Train Station. Relaxing flow as many families made a day of it picnicking & playing in the park and attending the show. With reasonable fees of $25 jury & $275 entry, it was easy meet expenses Saturday morning. Art Savvy patrons were careful with their purchases, but seemed to easily part with their money. Jewelry went well. It was the first show for the talented pencil drawing artist next to me and I was glad she did well. Many large paintings and photography pieces seemed to do well, as did I.Consistent flow of patrons both days, but not a crowd of people at any given time.No complaints from me, we had a marvelous time and enjoyed the laid back easy flow of the event. Great attention to artist by Debbie - well organized.You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1ZWdtpI3fY&feature=channel
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From Cynthia Davis at the NAIA (National Assn. of Independent Artists):
It has come to my attention that one of our long-time members, Anna Millea, has been diagnosed with a re-occurence of breast cancer which has metastasized to her bones. Currently Anna is undergoing 18 cycles of chemotherapy and has just completed her second round of radiation. She is also taking pain medication that costs in excess of $600 per month, and which will need to be increased significantly over time. Anna is uninsurable due to her previous diagnosis of breast cancer and has been unable to qualify for other types of financial assistance.
One of our members, Deb LeAir, along with several other artists are trying to pull together in an effort to help Anna defray her medication expenses. They are asking artists to help with this by any of the following things:
* Dedicate a piece of your art in your booth to Anna. When the piece sells, send a check payable to Anna Millea, to Steff Korsage, Chris Dahlquist or Deb LeAir who will then forward it to Anna.
* Make a direct donation to Steff, Chris or Deb, payable to Anna Millea.
* Make a small monthly donation. $10 or $20 per month doesn't sound like a lot, but if enough of us commit to that, we could cover or nearly cover the cost of the pain medications on an ongoing basis.
If you have questions, please contact:
Deb LeAir
1047 Earl Street
Saint Paul, MN 55106
651.793.3426
debleair@yahoo.com
Steff Korsage
7101 N. Glenwood Ave.
Chicago, IL 60626
773.465.3456
steffik@mindspring.com
Chris Dalquist
519 Gillis
Kansas City, MO 64106
815.516.5981
chris@chrisdahlquist.com
Perhaps you have met Anna at a show. Here is her website to refresh your memory: http://www.milleafurnishings.com/index.htmlRead more…
There are reports on line about wait list spots being sold for a premium over entry fee, but I didn't personally hear of anyone who got in off the wait list with the premium entry fee added.Show takes place in older neighborhood in Midtown Atlanta area. Homes are mid 6 figures, house behind me was on the market for $900K, so there is money there. Set up was Friday or early Sat. Parking in downtown area can be a hassle, but it's doable if you arrive early enough especially. Committee gives you lunch daily and drinks, and provides booth sitters if needed.So how was the show? Well the beer vendors must have made a fortune! Large crowds, walking down the middle of the street carrying either a Red Stripe or a Guiness, barely looking to our booths. On Saturday, I handed out a total of 2 business cards. Sunday was the same, except my sales were less. How were my sales? Well, down about 75% from last year when the temps were in the 100's. I had free lodging in the area from family, and just barely covered my expenses. Some folks did make money - the artist across from me with steel garden art was selling them like hotcakes. Most 2D folks I spoke with were not happy campers, though some said they did ok.This year the music seemed to be louder than last year. I walked down towards the main stage and you had to yell to speak with anyone. I can't imagine anyone being happy in that area.
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November 7 & 8 Winnsboro, Texas Saturday 11-5; Sunday 11-4 Downtown in the Cultural Arts District Sponsored by the Main Street Partnership 75 Artists Deadline: June 15 In early November when the rest of the country is turning cold, the trees in Northeastern Texas are in full color and the daytime temperatures are in the 60's and 70's. What a perfect way to conclude your art fair season and make those last minute holiday sales! The quaint community of
Winnsboro, Texas, will be hosting its First Annual Fine Art Market November 7th and 8th in its historic downtown. Streets will be closed to traffic and transformed into an art buyer's Mecca. The area surrounding the town's restored train depot will have continuous musical entertainment and food from local restaurants.
For those unfamiliar with Texas, the "Upper East Side" is heavily wooded with numerous lakes, making it a relaxing retreat for harried urbanites wanting a little slower pace and a lot friendlier atmosphere. A short drive from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, second homes dot the seven lakes within a 12 mile radius of Winnsboro and the City has become the center of dining and shopping for tourists. Winnsboro is one of seven cities invited by the State of Texas to apply for one of the first Cultural Arts District Designations to be awarded in August. It is a Main Street City and a Certified Retirement Community. The economy in Texas has been holding its own compared to the rest of the country and event promoters believe this will be the first of many successful art markets. Because of its growing art community, the Winnsboro Fine Art Market will be highly marketed in
the Dallas area and we expect to garner a substantial turnout of patrons wanting a relaxing weekend. In addition: --Purchase Awards are being presold to guarantee purchases at the Market --a Patrons' reception will be held on Friday evening to kick off the event And my personal favorite: --To make the weekend relaxing for exhibiting artists as well, event promoters have made arrangements with a nearby retreat for the use of their newest addition-a lodge overlooking the woods with private rooms and baths for only $49 a night-the perfect chance to relax and mingle with other artists in the common area of the lodge. We hope you'll join them this fall for a profitable and enjoyable weekend in East Texas. For more information please visit their website at
www.winnsboroart.com or call 903-342-3438.
Find more art fairs for your 2009 art fair season.
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I am wondering how other folks handle this issue.I am finding more and more that those nasty little camera phones are enabling the theft of my original jewelry designs. I confronted one person about copying my work and was promptly told that as long as it was being sold, or pictured on my web site, or printed in a book, that she could "USE" it. I pride myself in the fact that I have one of a kind pieces, and then I find it at another show being sold on that persons table. Copied exactly as my pieces.What can I do to stop this, I have signs on my table stating "NO PICTURES" but they still do it. Is there somewhere I can go to get a paper or something that tells about theft of my work or using my designs without consent?
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1.
June 6 & 7 - A neighborhood art fair celebrates #62!! Visit the
57th Street Art Fair in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. A unique feature - if you don't know how to buy art they offer a free guided tour of the fair called "Art Buying Boot Camp."
Learn more. 2. Opening today and running until June 14 is the newly revamped
Three Rivers Festival in the downtown cultural district of Pittsburgh celebrating its 50th anniversary. It is is one of the longest-running free arts events of its kind in the United States.
Learn more. 3.
June 5-7 - Almost 250,000 visitors expected at the
Columbus Arts Festival this weekend in Columbus, OH. It is a grand party with 250 artists in the Downtown Discovery District.
Learn more. I have participated in all of these events. I really liked the old neighborhood at 57th Street. Loyal customers turn out year after year to add to their collections meet old friends and see what's new. This is not a really high ranked show but the artists who participate are devoted to it and the wonderful treatment from the committee. Downtown Pittsburgh was a revelation to me, having spent my downtown days in downtown Detroit! Wonderful architecture coupled with world class entertainment at the festival, a knowledgeable bunch of visitors who are drawn
by the diverse offerings. This year it has been downsized from a 21 day festival to just two weeks, so don't dally, get there before it is gone. Columbus has something for everyone. A wide variety of art, lots of food, long hours...terrific for visitors, but kind of tough for exhibitors. Yet the numbers are there. People attend, they buy art and artists reapply for the following year. Have a great weekend everyone. Me? I think I'm going to visit a tiny art fair near here in Winona Lake, Indiana, where I'll find old friends who are giving a try at smaller, cheaper events to see if that works for them. We'll see!
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September 4-7
Detroit, Michigan
Downtown
part of the Detroit International Jazz Festival
40 artists
Deadline: June 15
Do you love music? Does your art appeal to art audiences? If so, here you will find the perfect marriage as part of the exciting Detroit International Jazz Festival.
This year the Festival celebrates it's 30th anniversary by bringing back JazzART. What is JazzART? The Jazz Fest Director, Terri Pontremoli describes it as "Art that moves, Art that grooves." Essentially art that is inspired by music. Up to 40 booths will be included in the festival which annually attracts 750,000 music lovers. The Art section will close Art Fair each evening at 7:00 pm, while the music continues through the evening.
The selling of visual arts has long been associated with the Jazz Fest. JazzART had been a successful element though the event turned to a gallery oriented art show for the last few years. The return to individual booths will further increase the multi dimensional celebration of Jazz in all it's incarnations.
The art fair is organized by Mark Loeb of Integrity Shows a veteran organizer of metro Detroit events.
More about the Jazz Festival: www.detroitjazzfest.com
Apply: www.zapplication.org
