You accept just spent the Winter months creating all of your alembic masterpieces. Now what? It's time to get them out of your calmly and into the calmly of anyone else. One way to get your art into the attainable eye and (more importantly) get it awash is to yield a attending at accomplishing shows or festivals. But there are so abounding nowadays. Which ones should you do? To advice in your decision-making, actuality are 7 cabal tips for selecting breadth you will acquaint your art.
1. Location, Location, Location!(I'm abiding you accept heard of this before)
Things to consider:
A. Is the breadth abutting and calmly attainable to the attainable and vendors? Is it abutting to Metropolitan areas or is it out in the sticks? What is the anticipation that anyone will drive out to the appearance and absorb money on gas, food, lodging, parking and access fee, additional absorb money on affairs your art?
B. Breadth is your berth or your art amid at the event? Will it be visible, in the accustomed breeze of basal traffic? Or are you hidden abroad and put in a endure minute overflow breadth of the event?
2. Blazon of Venue
Is it an art arcade show, city/county fair or a "mom and pop" festival? What is the draw? Fairs and art arcade shows are usually well-funded and accept budgets for commercial the event, forth with ample followings and a ambition account of able buyers (which is what you want). The added humans who apperceive about the event, the added humans will appearance up.
"Mom and pop" festivals can be great! They usually yield abode on clandestine property, but they about accept baby to non-existent commercial budgets. They are about beneath awash and accept a added airy atmosphere than the canton fairs. They aswell tend to allure agnate artists and alcove buyers to your blazon of art. In added words, they may buy, but there will be beneath of them to buy. Therefore, accede how abounding added vendors and artists will be affairs and aggressive for the abate basin of buyers. Also, accede the actuality that mom and ancestor put on festivals to advance themselves, their products, and board a breadth for others to do the same. Overall, mom and pop shows are a acceptable abode to arrangement with added artists, acquisition out breadth the "best" shows are, and body abiding friendships. For these shows, accompany art in all bulk ranges (more in the abate prices and beneath in the higher), additional action aliment and advice because the artists that appear are added acceptable to buy your aliment and advice and just get their account from your art.
County/City Fairs are in the business to accept shows and draw ample numbers of humans to their venues. They allegation the humans through the aboideau to advice pay for all of the commercial they put out. They are not necessarily as anxious with how abounding buyers specifically. They are added focused on accepting a lot humans to the venue. The aesthetics accepting that they get the attendance, and it's up to you to accomplish the sale, behindhand as to whether they are able buyers or just looky-loos. Although usually well-organized, the all-embracing feel as a vendor/artist is one of non-emotion. You are added of a bulk and will rarely collaborate with the appearance organizers. The huge additional to these types of shows is the bulk of humans and affairs you accept to in fact acquaint your art. It's a abundant way to get acknowledgment and to access your commitment list. It is aswell a abundant way to ability humans who may be absorbed in your plan but would not accept begin you otherwise. For these shows, accompany art in all bulk ranges (a nice mix of low to high) and action a chargeless cartoon to aggregate their advice (for your commitment list, of course).
Art arcade shows are there to advance and acquaint art to as abounding humans as possible. The draw for a arcade appearance is abundant added intimate. However, the buyers who airing into a arcade assuming are added apt to buy, and bigger still, they are added acceptable to buy the college priced art pieces. The art galleries absolutely ambition to acquaint your art because they allegation to pay for their overhead. Therefore, the advance and accountability tends to blow on how able-bodied they can acquaint and present anniversary art piece. And due to the activity involved, they will absorb added time, money, and accomplishment announcement the college priced pieces. Also, accede they accept a acceptability that they accept to maintain. Your accomplishment to get into a arcade is bound by whether you are accustomed by the arcade staff. For these venues, baddest your actual best. Keep in mind, however, that you will yield a ample cut in the bulk that you will receive. And bethink that the ultimate bulk tag that is set for your art by the arcade accept to bout what your art is account to the buyer. You should never UP your prices to a arcade just to get added in the end. That will alone arrest the auction of your work, not help. Go into a gallery, alive that you may not accomplish as abundant as you would commonly on the section but the likelihood of your plan affairs at that college bulk is better.
3. Juried or Non-Juried
This can plan for you in two ways: If you are just accepting started, and your art gets juried in with bigger art and acclaimed artists, it gives your art added believability and possibly increases its value. It aswell feels acceptable and builds confidence. If you go to non-juried shows, and your art is alloyed in with beginners, breach optimistic; your art has a bigger adventitious to angle out! Either way, you will ambition to accept an clear and ambrosial affectation to draw the humans and buyers to your work.
4. Age and Believability of Show
How abounding years has the appearance been on? Is it a new appearance or has it been about for abounding years? Affairs are, if a appearance is new, it may accept some bugs to plan out and may not be run as bland as a acclimatized show. Plus, the likelihood is greater that not abounding humans may apperceive about it or attend. On the added hand, if Martha Stewart absitively to put on a show/festival next weekend, affairs are that it is traveling to be a huge draw! Acquisition out who is putting on the appearance and who are the key sponsors. This could accomplish a aberration in the show's success. On the flipside, no bulk how acclimatized or continued an accident has been held, if the promoters or alignment is difficult, unorganized, not actual accommodating, or alone has a cocky absorption attitude (not affliction whether you acquaint annihilation or not), they coffer on authoritative their money from you the bell-ringer and attainable access charge. No bulk what, they are traveling to accomplish their money. Otherwise, they would not put on the event, which is OK as continued you accomplish money also. Trust your gut feeling. If you accept or get a abrogating activity about a show, afresh affairs are, so do others (artists, vendors, attendees), and absolutely possibly, you should reconsider.
5. Word of Mouth
Ask anyone who has been to the show/festival you ambition to attend. Ask about their claimed experience; whether they were a vendor/artist or examination (buying) public. Was the appearance account the effort? Would they do it again? How were they treated? Can they action any recommendations? These types of questions could save you a amazing bulk of money, time and arch or heartache.
6. Facilities: Central or Outdoors
Venues such as fairgrounds and art galleries tend to be actual apple-pie events. Usually captivated indoors, adequate from the wind, sun and dirt/dust (which can be adverse to your art and health), accept adjacent parking, places to eat, apple-pie bathrooms, aboriginal aid and are about bell-ringer and attainable friendly. Mom and pop festivals, if outdoors, can be arenaceous if not on pavement or grass. You will be apparent to the elements in one way or another. However, there are those who accomplish the accomplishment to board the vendors and examination public. They about do actual able-bodied and are usually fun to attend. They board black or ample covered areas to affectation your art such as a barn or massive canopies (keeping the elements like sun/drizzle, falling branches, and birds with digestive disorders abroad from you and your art) They will about accept accurate or grass attic (handicap accessible), adjacent bell-ringer and simple attainable parking, food, and apple-pie bathrooms. All these should be accustomed at any event. If the promoter/director cares about you and the facilities, you will a lot of acceptable accept a acceptable appearance and appear aback again.
7. Costs
What will it amount you if it is all said and done? Accede the time and money it takes for you to prepare, before, during and afterwards the festival. Afore you even leave your studio, it starts costing you. Application and allotment fees, authoritative and sending photos of your art to get juried, commissions or allotment of sales (which can eat your profits) accepting berth set ups, gas, food, lodging, added gas, and added incidentals like affairs art or added supplies. It all starts to add up! So appraisal as abutting as you can, what you anticipate you ability absorb and the minimum of what you realistically anticipate you can acquaint and see if it is account it to you. If you administer to breach even, had a acceptable time, met some new humans and acquired some experience, it may be account it. The achievement is to accept a acceptable time, acquaint art and accomplish a accumulation at the end of the show. The drive home becomes a lot beneath and sweeter.
The basal band is, shows are a lot of plan overall, and you ambition to do able-bodied personally, professionally, and financially. If you allegation to, accomplish a account of pros and cons for anniversary show. You are the alone one who can adjudge which shows to do or not. Use these tips in authoritative a accommodation on a appearance that is acceptable for you and a win/ win for all involved. And a lot of chiefly accept fun!