The Show season officially begins for me this weekend. I have a rather ambitious schedule to say the least and I still haven't even heard from the Fall shows. It is insane. Nuts. Crazy. Too much. Out of hand.
I find it exhilarating. Sure it's a lot. As I used to tell my employees when I was an insurance manager, "that's why they call it work." Nice boss, huh? Seriously, I feel so lucky to have been accepted into these shows. This is the best job I have ever had and I am pleased for the opportunities.
The problem with the Art Show market (from my observation) is a flooding of artists combined with fewer sales. At least this is what I am told. Every artist I encounter who has been doing this for years tells me this........"oh, you should have been here in the ol' days....." Implication being that people were spewing forth money toward art purchases. Today fewer people are buying art (so"they" say) plus a lot more artists are doing the shows. The competition for entry is fierce. Costs are higher. And since sales are lower, artists are entering more shows simply trying to keep pace and make enough money to live on. I know a lot of artists struggling this year with show rejections and I feel blessed. Truly I do.
April 21-23
4 Bridges Arts Festival
Chattanooga, TN
May 5, 6, 7
Brookside Art Annual
Prairie Village, KS
May 12, 13, 14
Art Fair at Laumeier
St. Louis, MO
May 20
Marion Arts Festival
Marion, IA
June 2, 3, 4
Summerfair
Cincinnati, OH
June 10, 11
12th Annual Central West End Art Fair and Taste
St. Louis, MO
June 17
Art in the Park
Faust Park, Chesterfield, MO
June 23,24,25
Des Moines Arts Festival
Des Moines, IA
July 22,23
Geneva Fine Arts Fair
Geneva, IL
July 8,9
Art Fair on the Square
Madison, WI
Aug 4,5,6
Metris Uptown Art Fair
Minneapolis, MN
Aug 26,27
Midwest Salute to the Arts
Fairview Heights, IL
You're doing the Uptown Art Fair in Mpls! What a fantasic show thta has always been to go to.
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of you.
In all the ways - of course, but it just has to burble up and be said again: I am so proud of you and what you're doing.
And (from a different post, but I'll praise and appreciate it here)
That is one of the very best things about this art show business, the camaraderie of the artists.
Yes. Exactly. Yes yes yes!