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Studio Notes: The Art Fair Affair! (Fear not)
For those of us who enjoy peddlin' our own prints (nice alliteration,
don't you think?) art fairs are the easiest and cheapest venues. Artists
might start out their careers in art fairs, earn a few stripes and awards,
move on to galleries, perhaps win some national competitions, museums
would be next...
OOOOOR!
You may get addicted
to the Art Festival scene, traveling across the U.S. with your pack of
prints (or paintings, or whatevers) and your tent and your portable everything.
You may also get addicted to the feeling of having first-hand contact
with your audience, rather than send your beautiful art off into a strange
faraway gallery.
But it is not an easy life, work is hard,
days are long, wind blows, sun overheats, rain falls, buyers look and
touch but hold on tight to their wallets...
To make at least
the process a bit more known to those who have not done this before, here
is my illustrated story of getting ready for an art fair.
Finding Art Fairs First
you have to find the art fairs you might want to attend. I would recommend:
- Start in your city (hey! if we have art fairs in Las Vegas,
you have art fairs in your city!), or county, or state. This way
you eliminate the burden of travel and you can cry in your own soup
in your own home if things don't go well.
- Check out Art Calendar, Show West, Art Deadlines, and other
magazines and listing services for artists to find where the art
fairs will be in about 6 months. Lead time is necessary because
of the application process, so plan ahead. The above mentioned resources
can be found in my LINKS PAGE.
- In the above resources, check reviews of past festivals or,
ideally, talk to someone who did the fair recently and get opinions.
- Once you find a couple of suitable fairs, and I highly recommend
just a couple to begin with becaaaause:
- It costs money for application fees - $15-$50
- It costs much more money for booth fees, should you get
accepted - $50-$1200
- You really don't know if you will like this bohemian
way of life until you have tried it! Cancellations are expensive
for both you and the fair promoter.
Oh, but I was saying, once you find a couple of suitable art fairs,
commit to them, put a note on your calendar, the regrigerator door,
the dog's collar...commit to make them a success!
Finding the right ATTITUDE You
are not merely going to an art fair, my friend. Unlike a gallery opening
or a group show, YOU are SOLELY responsible for your display, your attendance,
your dealings with the audience--in a word (2 words, actually): YOUR
SALES
YOU are going to OPEN your OWN GALLERY this weekend,
got it?
READY? Oh! You think so,
huh?! Answer me these here questions...
Do you have enough WORKS?
Sure, duh!, you are thinking. But having a good selection
of works is imperative if you want people to come visit your lil'ol'
booth. Fine points to ponder:
Do you have a wide price range? Matted works, framed works,
both of various sizes and color will provide a good variety
in order to make up an attractive and balanced display.
You will be surprised how many works a 10 foot x 10 foot
display will show, and how poorly a half-empty booth looks.
Try counting the works in the adjoining picture. Okay, I will
help you, there were 62 framed works ranging from 8" x 10" to
24" x 36" and 76 matted prints in the browse bins. I also have
tiny prints just mounted on matboard and placed in hanging bins
around the display, and a couple of carved blocks for show.
Many art fest buyers are just going to look around.
Make sure that you have some very attractive pieces up front
and luring them in (heck, I'm sure ALL your work is attractive,
but put the extra specials out there, call them with color,
bait them in, offer a drawing for a free piece, ask them to
sign your guestbook to receive special offers, be friendly,
dance, sing, do a cart-wheel or two...
CATCH THEIR ATTENTION!!! |
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Are you properly EQUIPPED?
Better safe than sorry...
An ounce of prevention is worth
a bucket of golly-gee-wiz-I-wish-I-hadn't-done-dat...
Cable ties and duct tape are your
best friends...
(so I
made some of those up!)
The
point is! YOU NEED A LIST!
Oh,
by the way, did you check the weather forecast?
Stuff to take:
- Works, more than you think
- Guestbook
- Demo stuff if you demo, which
I highly recommend because many people like to see you do
more than sit and read a cheap novel.
- "Office" supplies to wit:
- Price labels (must, must, must!)
- Change, as in $$$$
- Cell phone, hey, you are 'out
there'
- Calculator
- Bags, preferably nice ones
- Posted policies
- Handouts:
- About your work and how it's
done
- About the artist, folks loove
this one
- Upcoming shows
- Business cards!
- Price lists (what if a MOMA
rep happens to pass by, ey?)
- Booth, own or rented. Either way
make sure that you can set it up in a reasonable amount of
time PRIOR to the show.
If you buy a booth, buy a good one even if you spend more.
I have seen EZ ups go EZ up with the wind. Trimline brand
comes to mind.
- Table & one chair for you,
it is recommended that you place the chair away from the
booth and let people browse. Since I demo, I sit inside
working away.
- Bucket-boss
WHAT? you don't have a bucket boss? Geez, okay, just make
sure you have:
- Hooks for your art
- Scissors
- Duct tape
- Cable ties
- Pliers & screw driver (I
am a firm believer you can build a VW bus with just these
two tools)
- Hammer and stakes, nice inconspicuous
6" stakes for windy days (yes! I KNOW what the rules say)
- Sandbags to cover up your stakes
or serious weights to weigh down your booth in case of 70
mile-an-hour gusts (true story here folks!).
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Boxed up works, bucket with tools, "office" in the black bag
 
Tent posts all ready to go. And your best friend.
THAT is a bucket-boss full of neato tools
and gadgets that I will maybe need, maybe not...
The faithful steed: '78 Datsun Galavan, 278,000 miles and still
passes smog inspection. You need a van or truck or several horses
to carry all your stuff!
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Did you send ANNOUNCEMENTS?
What, did you think I was going
to do that for you too? At least two weeks before, but not too
much or folks will forget.
I
usually send several shows listed on one post-card, then repeat
the mailing prior to my next few shows.
If
you don't have a customer list yet, make one up with names and
addresses of people that may be interested in seeing your art.
Announcing your artistic prowess is not the time to get shy.
Here are some places to start:
- Family
- Friends
- Church folks
- Co-workers or former co-workers
- Neighbors (no postage required,
just a nice walk)
- List of local galleries and art
centers
List of local public art friends
- If you can afford it, by all means
buy a list of art buyers from your friendly neighborhood
mail-list broker.
- Ask art organizations if they
will share their list (unlikely), or if you can mail out a
piece to their list at your expense. Many will help.
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Didn't think I could get it all in the van, did ya?
Work the "people" factor in your favor. Handouts of
various flavors, guestbook, biz cards, exhibit cards all
attract people to browse your booth.
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How do you LOOK?
You are a gallery now. How does
your display look?
Is
it inviting? Will people stop and talk with you if you are reading?
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In this fair, inside a mall, I was able to face the main wall
toward mall walkways. I left the opening so people could
see there was more inside. |
| Give them something to come in for, like browse racks with
prints. Or place a large work inside the booth, just visible from
the outside. Notice that this is an inside display.
Same booth shown in the first picture above, but without the
canopy. Easier set-up, no wind! |
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NOW YOU ARE READY!
As we say in the business:
BRING THEM ON!
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A nice display, a nice sign, and the proud owner of a
Best of Show Award. Don't it bring a tear to your eye? |
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