Art Festivals - The Beginner's Guide - From the Perspective of a Beginner

As I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to do a series on my blog about how to get started doing art festivals and outdoor exhibitions - as written from the perspective someone who just completed their first season of festivals.

Art festivals are not for sissies. It's really true.  There is a TON of work involved on the front end, especially in the beginning.  Let's break it down...

Applying to Shows

Emerging Artist Exhibits

Booth Displays and Everything that Goes with it

Pricing

Payment Options

Taxes

Packaging

Tools

Etiquette

Resources - Online Communities, Managing Contacts, Blogging, Facebook, Websites

Today, I'd like to talk about Applying to Shows & Emerging Artist Exhibits...

emerging artist tent
Manayunk Art Festival 2012

I kinda fell into art festivals this summer.  I was part of a group show at my local art center and things went really well, so I started poking around for other opportunities in the community.  I happened upon a call for emerging artists on the Manayunk Art Festival facebook page.  It was their first time offering an emerging artist tent, so I applied and was accepted.  The table fee was low - just $100.  All I needed to bring was my work - everything else would be provided.  PERFECT!  For $100, I get to test the marketplace.  This is as low risk as its gonna get.  

my little space in the very back of the tent
Manayunk Art Festival 2012

Things went really well at the festival.  There was a constant stream of people walking through offering comments.  I sold my first large piece to a collector and was hooked.  When my husband saw the financials after the show ended, he was googling more shows that night.  So, that's how it all started.  

I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO TEST THE WATERS BEFORE JUMPING IN!  Emerging Artist Exhibits are catching on - search for shows that offer them and apply.  Apply early.  Most shows have deadlines months in advance of the show.  

How do you find the art festivals?  Well, once you are showing at art festivals it is easy....it is the most talked about topic among vendors.  I have my target list already created for 2013 with application deadlines and application fees highlighted.  Not as easy for someone new to know where to apply....so here are a few resources that have been really helpful for me.

SUNSHINE ARTIST - a magazine that ranks the top 200 art festivals in the country as well as offers a wide range of useful tips and articles specifically for the art and craft festival artists.  SUBSCRIBE TO THIS, you won't be disappointed.

FESTIVAL NETWORK ONLINE - another great resource for upcoming shows and events - they offer a paid subscription, however, I find the list and manually look of the details

ART FAIR INSIDERS -  an awesome community of artists that show at festivals, has info on just about any topic you can think of

ZAPPLICATION -  a lot of festivals are now having you apply via zapplication, which is really quite easy and there is a great list of upcoming shows available on their site.  It allows you to save the postings to your favorites for future review.  

Now that you have a place to start - go do some research and figure out where you want to start.  Keep this in mind, art festivals are a lot of work.  Be sure that you plan ample time between festivals to restock inventory, do bookkeeping, and catch up on rest.  

Now it's time to figure out a tent for displaying for your work - next time.
Click here to read Part II - Tents

New Hope Art Festival

Live Demo
Bucks County Playhouse

I spent the weekend at the New Hope Art Festival in New Hope, PA.  It was the last festival that I had scheduled for the season, however, I am considering one last one in CT at the end of Oct.  My Aunt Moira stopped by and spend most of Sunday with me, and took some photos of the booth and my live painting demo of the Bucks County Playhouse.

Now that I have several festivals under my belt, I have decided to create a blog series outlining a beginners guide to art festivals.  Although I am far from an expert, I've learned a lot over my first season that I think would be  helpful for artists who want to get started showing.

 - Booth Evolution -
Changes and Improvements to our
Booth Made Throughout the Summer

We have come a long way since our first booth setup at Corn Hill in Rochester or even our little table in the Manayunk Emerging Artist tent.  Beginning tomorrow, I'll talk about the evolution of our booth over the season - and some great resources to find the items that you'll need for your own setup.  I'll also talk about websites that I have found helpful and shows that I'll apply to again, as well as new shows that I am targeting for next summer.  Finally, no guide is complete without a what not to do so, I'll share all the whoopsies that we made in the process.

I've got a few new paintings to post this week...happily, I've purchased a new point and shoot, so no more poor quality iPhone images. I picked up a Nikon Coolpix.  6x optical zoom 16 mp and fits on my tripod perfectly.  I am really happy with the picture quality and love the slim size.  It was on sale for just south of $100 at Target.

Look for my series to begin tomorrow, and I'll post regular additions over the coming month.



Quick Tip 1 - When setting up your EZ up tent that has an awning, don't forget to find the legs with the holes on the front that holds the awning in place before putting the top on!  Make it easier to remember the front of the tent by wrapping a discrete band of colored duct tape around the very bottom of the front two legs.