First Art Show of the season.

Once again this summer I'm working the circuit of art shows trying to sell a few prints from a booth.

I think a few others on APUG do the same thing, so I thought I would kick off a thread about selling work at the shows.

My first show of the year was today at the Burlington Art in the Park near the lake in Burlington, Ontario.

Over all the show was well set up and since it was a perfect day weather wise the crowds were OK.

There were about 90 booths in all. There were five photographers showing work. Four had colour digital images and I had my black and white prints.

I ended up selling only two prints on the first day... one was a 20x24 of a waterfall for $400 and the other was an 8x10 of a different waterfall for $150.

The other photographers mentioned that things were slow for them also, although their prints are generally small and less costly.

I also handed out a large number of promo cards to people who took the time to look through my work.... and also a card promoting an up-coming Artist Studio Tour that I'm involved in.

Overall a bit dissapointing unless a couple of the "interested but didn't buy" types come through.

Anyway I thought you might be able to gain something by my experience. I'll do a short up-date tomorrow following the second day of the show.

-Rob

Art Fairs are getting tougher every year. My first show this year was Memorial Day weekend in Addison, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Friday night was rained out. Saturday, Sunday and Monday it rained on and off all day and it poured down for about 30 minutes just before closing Monday night. It took four hours for my brother and I to pack up in the mud etc.

I did manage about $1,100.00 in sales and about $1,300.00 in phone orders after.

Last weekend I was in Chicago for the 57th Street show and rain was threatening but never happened. The crowd was good but sales were only about $1,200.00. Those are both usually around $3,000.00 shows for me.

If you want to sell a lot of stuff my advice has always been……”Color sells better than Black & White, cute sells better than good and if you can put it on a stick, everyone will buy one.” Naturally I, like you, sell uncut Black & white.

I hope Sunday is good for you.

Jerome

Interesting thread ....

I started doing shows last year, and have had middling success. I sell color landscape prints, and get lots of strong (and positive) reaction from people that peruse my work carefully. I shoot medium and large format, and my prints are mostly 11X14 to 16X20, matted and framed.

It seems that there is a gap between people appreciating a photograph, and wanting it badly enough to part with cash.

Without a doubt, as far as the general public is concerned, photography is not "Art" in the same obvious sense that watercolors or oils are. I have seen mediocre work in other media sell far more readily than high quality photographs (and no, not just mine). One problem is that many artists at these fairs sell originals at low prices - typically $200-300. It can be tough to sell a matted photographic print for the same amount, given that the prints are perceived to be something other than an original.

I always hope for decent sales, but also view these shows, and a website, as a means of promoting my work. I have been told by other artists that there are good shows, and bad shows. You need a combination of high traffic and the right crowd - prosperous enough to put down money, appreciative of art, and looking to buy. I have been to shows with tons of traffic, and no buyers. At other shows with less traffic I've made decent sales.

I was at a very small show yesterday (around 20 artists, many first timers) in small town Ontario and sold 3 large framed prints, one smaller, and a bunch of "art cards". The cards alone made back my entry fee.

I am hoping to spend the first few years finding out which shows are worthwhile, and which are not.

Just curious - how long have you been doing these shows?

Jaan

Great info guys. I may try to do an art fair in the San Francisco Bay Area this year and see what happens.

Jon

jpeets said:

Interesting thread ....

I started doing shows last year, .........Just curious - how long have you been doing these shows?

Jaan

Click to expand...

25 years.

Yes, there are good and bad shows. The trick is to find places where the people appreciate “your” work. The size of the crowd is important if you sell small, inexpensive items, but for larger work you only need the “right” people.

If you are new at this you might want to try one of the rating services. The oldest is Sunshine Artist. http://www.sunshineartist.com/ I’ve never used it because it used to be more of a crafts thing but I think it’s more into fine art now.

There is also the Harris List. Dead Link Removed It is reasonably priced and has good information.

Finally, if you are very serious, there is the Art Fair Sourcebook. http://www.artfairsource.com/ It is extremely comprehensive and somewhat expensive, but if you are trying to make a living at Art Fairs, it is probably worth it. Greg Lawler (the guy who puts it together) is a photographer.

All of them rate shows by sales and attendance and offer some information about each show. Of course, “your mileage may vary”, as they say.

You might also want to have a look at the NAIA (National Association of Independent Artists). A very good group of artists working to make Art Fairs better for everyone.
http://www.naia-artists.org/

Next to jewelry, photography is the toughest category to get juried into because of the number of applications to the better shows.

Jerome

This is a bit different than shows/fairs, but I just did two weekends of "Open Studios"...Artists in the county open their studios to the public. There is a free guide book published, some PR for the event, etc.

This is my third year -- first year sold $600 worth of photos, zero last year and $200 this year. Not exactly a high profit operation, but I really enjoyed talking with people who came by...and who knows what sales in the furture might come due to the contact I had with people.

I had my 8x10 set up outside the studio (In my backyard) and usually got people to look through it before they came into the studio -- to give them some understanding/appreciation of the process. I was open for 6 hours for 4 days total -- no more than 20 people per day. The average time spent in my studio by the people was about 20 to 30 minutes. My emphisis was more on education than selling...informing them about the three different processes I use (silver gelatin, platinum and carbon printing)...pushing the idea of print quality and longevity, as well as why I photograph.

I quite enjoyed it -- and it was a great excuse to get the studio (and the yard) cleaned up.

Vaughn

I just did an art fair in Philadelphia called Art for the Cash Poor. It was a two day event. There were a few other photographers, but it was mostly jewery makers and painters. It was only the second art fair that I was ever a part of. I didn't have high expectations, and my main goals (because I am farily new to the city) were to build my mailing/emiling list while networking with other artists in the city.

I did both, and managed to sell a few of my small prints from my Verailles series-- enough to cover the entry fee and put a little walking around money in my pocket. I even bought a great little etching for a real bargain.

I did notice that the general public still thinks photograpy is cheap, and that all you have to do is push a button. I didn't have any inexpensive note cards to sell on Saturday, so I spent Suday morning printing small inkjets of some pictures to sell for $4 each (I ended up only selling 3 for $10). I found that it is a good idea to have something that will not dilute your brand but you can sell inexpensively. Note cards are great for that, because 1: they are realitvely cheap to make yourself, and 2: people might love your work but just don't have the budget to buy at the higher prices.

I am used to going to photography fairs like AIPAD and Paris Photo where serious photography collectors who know what good photography is and what it is worth. That is the market I am gearing towards, and I was hoping that people like that would come to this event. I thought (because it was held by a reputable organization and there are serious art partons in Philadelphia) that I might meet the right people and make some substantial sales. I wasn't entirely wrong, but the few people I was hoping to see didn't attend.

I am going to do the Philadelphia Open Studio Tour this Fall. It will take a lot of marketing to people in the area just so they know where you are, and why they should come to see your work. That is why I started now with this fair, and will continue to meet people throughout the Summer.

I still see it all as a good learning experience, and I will probably do other shows there. I am going to research other art fairs. If I can get together the right work, and a system for doing it that doesn't take too much energy, I might start to attend art fairs regularly. It seems like there could be some decent money at it, at lease enough to fund a photography trip here and there.

__________________
www.RichardBoutwell.com

A lot of good observations.

While still rather new to this, I'm pretty much convinced that you need a range of items to sell, from notecards and small matted prints to your largest pieces.

I view notecards as a promotional item - I notice which cards people like, and give prominence to popular images. The cards have my contact information, so if a year from now, someone picks up the card and says, "Gee, that would look great over the sofa .....", they can get in touch.

My sense is that there are a lot more people prepared to pony up $10-$50 than those willing to part with over $300, especially at art and craft shows which seem to draw folks looking for low-priced art.

Some people seem to have trouble imagining a small print (say 11 X 14) as a large piece (20 X24 or bigger) so I now pack along one large framed print (24X30, framed to 32X40) to show folks that the images can be enlarged.

At this stage, I clearly don't see making a living from these shows, but I do see the activity as generating enough income to make the photography self-subsidizing. Up until now, it has been a pure money-pit .

Maybe we could post some info about specific events by region - there apparently are commercially sponsored shows that sell space, but don't promote, and should be avoided (based on a Google search about shows in Ontario).

Jaan

Don't get bumbed out

Here I is, a 4 year veteran of the Colorado art show circuit.
Compitetion is extreme.
Photography, at least out here, is still perceived as a collectable art form.
But what you're selling makes all the difference, to the crowd that's attending.
It comes down to Walmart -vs- Fine art.
If you're trying to sell 10 pieces for $10 each, or 1 piece for $100, price equates to value, as far as the public understands.
It's good to have a variety of sizes, and prices.
But most of all, know your competition.
Understand what they sell, and why they sell it.
Find your nitch into the market that makes you stand out from them, whatever that is.
Folks always want something unique, at any price...
DT.

Just a short up-date about how the second day of the show went.

The bottom line is we didn't sell anything. We did however meet a number of interested people. Gave them our contact mailer and also a bookmark about the artist's studio tour that we're involved in.

So overall disapointing but could lead to something down the road.

Making a few changes to our booth presentation for the next show later this month.... I'll be sure to get a snap shot of the booth at the next show.

What did your note cards look like Richard?

-Rob

It is funny how the sales from day to day go.

here is a jpeg from the file I used for my cards. I fold it in half and then cut a little off the sides to give it better proportions. it fits inside a 6x9 envelope (which I did not supply). but I put them in those acitate-like envelopes that I use for the prints in my bins.

__________________
www.RichardBoutwell.com

So this past weekend I had a booth at art show #2.

It was a two day long weekend event at a beautiful tourist town in southern Ontario. The weather was great for both days.

Crowds were OK but not what I would have expected. The clientele was mostly older, wealthy and had a good knowledge of art. I only sold one item although I did win best artist at the show which had a cash prize.

Although sales were low, (only the one item) some people indicated they might buy down the road (maybe they're being polite). I found it interesting that people liked what I would consider my better work, while no one looked at the waterfall shots that are popular at most shows.

Anyway if you're thinking of entering art shows, maybe this info might be useful to you.

-Rob

Rob Skeoch said:

So this past weekend I had a booth at art show #2.

It was a two day long weekend event at a beautiful tourist town in southern Ontario. The weather was great for both days.

Crowds were OK but not what I would have expected. The clientele was mostly older, wealthy and had a good knowledge of art. I only sold one item although I did win best artist at the show which had a cash prize.

Although sales were low, (only the one item) some people indicated they might buy down the road (maybe they're being polite). I found it interesting that people liked what I would consider my better work, while no one looked at the waterfall shots that are popular at most shows.

Anyway if you're thinking of entering art shows, maybe this info might be useful to you.

-Rob

Click to expand...

Hi Rob,
Sorry your second show did so poorly. It was better than my third show, however. Last weekend I did a new show in Joliet, Illinois. You never know what to expect at new events. The show setting was great. The weather was perfect. The crowd was not large but decent. Sales were zero! I did win an award but I didn’t get a check with it. It’s been awhile since I totally bombed but it happens. Some artists were selling a few things but most were not doing very well. Next weekend I’ll be in Lincolnshire, IL, a Chicago suburb. I usually do pretty good there.

Did you get a snapshot of your booth? Can you show us? When is your next show?

Jerome

http://www.jeromehawkins.com/

As I have noted in previous threads, when I have talked to photographers at various shows, there has been subject matter that sold better then others. I was wondering if you who work the shows find that the better selling subjects relate closely to the surrounding areas where you sell or if more worldly scenes draw the most attention.

I didn't get a snap of my booth but will at the show in two weeks.

I've heard also that local pics sell better but at my booth everyone was interested in zion and california.

-I'm still learning this part of the business.

-Rob

Wayne,
After 25+ years of doing Art Fairs I still haven’t figured out what sells best. This image
http://www.jeromehawkins.com/chicago.htm
has sold better than anything else I have, and it sells everywhere I go, but I do several Chicago area shows and it sells better in Chicago land than elsewhere. I have sold almost 400 of the Chicago image. There are several that are approaching 100 but most are in the low single or double digits.

I have commented here and other places that color sells better than B&W. I know several photographers that would prefer to sell B&W but they have to sell color to make a living. I have a day job, so I have the luxury of doing what I want and I can live with the results.

I have also stated several times that cute sells better than good. There are a number of people who are actually looking for “Art” at these shows but the majority are looking for “Decoration”. Cute colorful stuff is more decorative than noncute colorless stuff and the colorless stuff doesn’t match their sofa. Don’t misunderstand this to mean that there isn’t a lot of good color work out there (photography and otherwise) but the best selling stuff falls into the category of cute or clever or has some kind of gimmick associated with it.

One question I get a lot is “Do you have any pictures of (insert your favorite state or place here)? I really don’t understand that one and I get asked that several times at each show I do.

You mention drawing attention. I have a few images that, when I have them at a show, always draw the most attention and comment. These Images seldom sell however. I have never figured that out.

People have a hugely diverse interest and understanding of Art. The Art Fair crowd is very different than the Gallery or the Art Museum crowd. Most of the people attending a Gallery or Art Museum exhibit have an interest in and an understanding of Art. Most people at most Art Fairs do not. That isn’t surprising or shocking and I’m not knocking it. It’s a fact that you have to understand if you want to be successful selling your work at Art Fairs. When you figure it out, let me know first.

Jerome

http://www.jeromehawkins.com

That's a nice photo jerome. Thanks for adding your experience to the mix.
-Rob