FinalSurveyReport

2014 Report:
America’s Best Fine Art
& Craft Shows
(what the survey said)
from Connie Mettler, Publisher ArtFairCalendar.com
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Introduction
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The Survey
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The Results
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Question 1: Please select up to five of your favorite fine art fairs and craft shows.
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Question 2:
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Part 1: What art fair is the best in the country?
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Part 2: Why is this the best one?
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Question 3: Please rate the following options as to their importance for you in determining what is a
"best art fair.”
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Question 4: In what area of the country do you attend shows the most?
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Question 5: What are your favorite five shows in that area?
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Why is #1 your favorite?
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Best East Coast Art Fairs
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Best Midwest Art Fairs
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Best Western Art Fairs
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Best Southern Art Fairs
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Question 6: What is the best big city fair?
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Favorite Urban Art Fairs
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Question 7: What smaller show is the most fun and is your favorite?
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Question 8: Why do you attend art and craft fairs? Please check all that apply.
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Question 10: What is your favorite art fair website?
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Question 11: Do you buy art?
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Question 12: Are there art festivals you used to attend but don't any more?
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Question 13: What shows do you no longer attend and why?
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Question 14: Over the last five years how many fairs have you attended?
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Question 15: How far have you traveled to attend an art fair?
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Question 16: Who are your favorite artists?
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Question 17: Do you have any suggestions for art festival organizers on how to improve
their events?
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Question 19: How did you hear about this survey?
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Question 20: Please provide contact information so we can notify you when you win the $50
Zingerman's Deli gift basket.
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Conclusion: Creating a “Best Art Fair”
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About Us
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Appendix: 365 Days of the Best Art Fairs
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2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page 2
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Introduction
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ArtFairCalendar.com’s mission is to bring people to attend the nation’s art
fairs to meet the artists and buy art.
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For years there have been surveys of what the artists believe
are the best art fairs but we
wanted specifically to know
what the people attending art
fairs think. These folks are your
audience and the lifeblood of
our industry, the third leg of
the art festival business and we
need to know how they feel
about the fine art fairs and
craft shows and why they attend.
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Old Town Art Fair, Chicago
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The report’s purpose is to
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• give detailed information on what the best shows are and why
• distribute the results so winning show organizers can use the information for marketing themselves as a “Best Art Fair”
• share a nationwide list that can be used by all shows to network, encouraging “art fair tourism”
• demonstrate why art buyers come to an event and conversely why they
no longer attend a show
• summarize the data with recommendations you can use to make your
show “the next big thing”
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page 3
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Background:
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ArtFairCalendar.com has been online since 2003. It is the only site that lists
the nation’s top fine art festivals coast to coast, making it a source for people looking for cultural activities close to home and when they travel. Our
email list has over 50,000 subscribers.
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In September we emailed the 2014 survey to our list of subscribers. Additionally we posted links to it on our other websites and on our Facebook
pages. Subscribers “shared” the survey with their friends. Some shows posted the link on their sites and Facebook pages. We had an enthusiastic response. People are passionate about art fairs and freely shared information,
likes and dislikes, income levels and other demographic details
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The Process:
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The survey contained 22 questions, but in order for the survey to be counted
the respondents were required to answer only the first three questions:
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1. Select up to five of your favorite Art fairs and craft shows. They could choose from a listing of nearly 100 events. Respondents could
also write in events that were not in the listing, and many were written
in. We only listed these 100 shows to narrow down the answers as a result of last year’s survey where many more shows were listed but they
only received 1-4 votes which skewed the results.
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2. What is the best art fair in the country? There was a text box to write in their favorite show and also write in their
reason for why it was the best.
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3. Rate the reasons why you think that is the “best art fair.”
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Respondents were presented with a ranking option to rank from 1 to 9
the most important reason in determining what is a “best art fair.”
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The rest of the questions were optional and covered many topics, e.g., best
urban art fair, best small show, why they do or do not attend an art fair,
marketing reach, demographic information and suggestions for show organizers on how to attract them to attend the festivals.
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As with any survey you may disagree with the findings and have your own
favorites that you think were overlooked. Let us hear from you by posting a
comment on our site at this link:
http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/best-art-fairs.html
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Then “get out the vote” next fall when we return with our 3rd Annual Survey.
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The Survey
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1. Please select up to five of your favorite fine art fairs and craft shows.
2. What art fair is the best in the country?
3. Please rate the following options as to their importance for you in determining what is a "best art fair." A "9" is the most important reason you
attend. A "1" is the least important.
4. In what area of the country do you attend shows the most?
5. What are your favorite five shows in that area? (List them with #1 as
your favorite. Exact name of the show isn't necessary to remember.)
6. What is the best big city fair? This is optional: Please only vote for this if
you are familiar with a specific show.
7. What smaller show is the most fun and is your favorite? This is optional:
Please only vote for this if you are familiar with a specific show.
8. Why do you attend art and craft fairs? Please check all that apply:
9. How do you find out about art fairs?
10. What is your favorite art fair website?
11. Do you buy art?
12. Are there art festivals you used to attend but don't any more? If so, why
not? Please rate the following options as to their importance for you.
13. What shows do you no longer attend and why?
14. Over the last five years how many art fairs have you attended
15. How far have you traveled to attend an art fair?
16. Who are your favorite artists?
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page 6
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17. Do you have any suggestions for art festival organizers on how to improve their events?
18. Help us understand who you are.
19. How did you hear about this survey?
20. Please provide contact information so we can notify you when you win
the $50 Zingerman's Deli gift basket.
21. What did we miss that you would like to see on next year's survey?
22. Would you like to receive updates on this survey?
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View the entire survey here:
http://www.artfaircalendar.com/files/survey_56334117.pdf
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2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page 7
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La Quinta Arts Festival, Quinta, CA
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The Results
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Question 1: Please select up to five of your favorite fine art fairs
and craft shows.
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This is a list of some of the top shows in the country. Is your favorite
show missing? Write it in.
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Notes: In Question 1 the respondent could choose from a list of nearly 100
events, a multiple choice option. The listed shows were selected from the
most popular events coast to coast. In addition to the listed events there
were 78 write-ins, e.g., Rio Grande Art Festival in Albuquerque, Detroit’s
Dally in the Alley, Bonita Springs (FL) Art Festival, Washington, DC, Craft
Show, Midsummer Festival of the Arts in Sheboygan, WI, Beverly Hills (CA)
Art Show, Tempe (AZ) Festival of the Arts.
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We listed these events in the survey to remind the voters of the diversity of
shows and prompt them to recognize an event that had a particular attrac
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page 8
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tion for them. They were chosen for inclusion from nominations from art fair
patrons, artists and our personal knowledge of the fine art and craft festival
market for over 30 years.
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If five events were not chosen the survey taker could not move on to Question 2. By asking for five events we felt that it would more evenly spread out
the results and give the respondents an opportunity to not just be partisans
of one event or another, and that, in addition, it would bring to mind a
broader sense of the varieties of events that they enjoy. E.g., “oh, do you
remember that wonderful event we attended in _____ ____ when we were
on vacation?”
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The total of the scores from Question 1 were compiled in a spreadsheet and
added to the Question 2 scores.
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2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page 9
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Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL
Question 2: !
Part 1: What art fair is the best in the country?
(Respondents wrote in their answers in a textbox.)
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Best in Show: The Ann Arbor Art Fairs
There are four simultaneous city-sanctioned art fairs in Ann Arbor, MI, in
July, one of the seeds of the popularity of art events throughout the Midwest and other parts of the country. It is a four day long affair that brings
the city to a standstill. It runs throughout the downtown areas and on
the University of Michigan campus, hosting 1000+ artists and is a destination event for many. The hotels are full for miles around with people
making reservations when they check out for the following year at the
most convenient locations near the campus. The four shows were listed separately and all received votes in the survey, with the original show, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, scoring #3
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "10
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overall. But there were so many votes for all of them combined the consortium of events was awarded “Best in Show.” Survey says: "Big and beautiful. 4 art fairs all in one place - what could
be better?" "HUGE HUGE HUGE !!!!! AND SO COOL !!!!!!" "Has everything!”
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The Top Ten: 1. Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL (March
20-22, 2015) All the artists want to be in Florida in the winter, consequently this beautiful show receives a record numbers of applicants.
2. Old Town Art Fair - Chicago, IL (June 13-14, 2015) In the Old
Town Triangle neighborhood this fair is Chicago’s favorite.
3. Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original, Ann Arbor, MI (July 1518, 2015) One big sprawling art fair, with over 1000 exhibitors. 4. Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI (June 19-21,
2015) On the grounds of the Milwaukee Art Museum over looking Lake
Michigan. 5. Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami, FL (February 14-16, 2015)
Always on President’s Day weekend on the shores of Biscayne Bay under
the palm trees.
6. Krasl Art Fair, St. Joseph, MI (July 11 & 12, 2015) Set on the
bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan, visitors fall in love with this show.
7. Mount Dora Art Festival, Mount Dora, FL (February 7 & 8, 2015) On
the verdant streets of historic downtown Mount Dora.
8. Cherry Creek Art Festival, Denver, CO (July 3-5, 2015) A great
excuse to plan your summer vacation in Colorado is this well-managed
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page 1
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exciting show.
9. MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, Fort Worth, TX (April 9-12,
2015) The largest four day in the Southwest on the streets in the historic
downtown. A festival that has something for everyone including 200
artists and 300 performances.
10. Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair, Peoria, IL (September 26 & 27,
2015) The historic Peoria Riverfront becomes a live art gallery where visitors can see and buy original artwork!
Additional quotes and comments from the survey can be seen on
ArtFairCalendar.com at this link: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/best-art-fairs.html
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View a year-long calendar of the best art fairs in the Appendix at the end of
this report.
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "12
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Columbus Arts Festival, Columbus, OH
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Part 2: Why is this the best one?
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Respondents wrote their responses in a text box. Here are a few quotes from
the top vote getters:
The Ann Arbor Art Fairs, Ann Arbor, MI:
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Many vendors, something for everyone, great City
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So much great stuff! Diversity. Many artists, great restaurants and
stores and little craft stuff.
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4 art fairs, fab selection, fun town; variety and quality.
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College town atmosphere. Variety, large selection of art, low to high
prices.
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Three are at least 5 authentic art fairs, plus at least 7 or more nonjuried mini art fairs scattered throughout the entire city of Ann Arbor.
The true official art fairs offer a high level of quality and beauty. With
all of these art fairs there is something for every one.
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Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL
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Quality art, great weather, beautiful brick streets, boutiques, lovely
park, friendly people. Consistently high standards.
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Most entertaining with amazing ambiance and the artists are quite
talented.
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Many wonderful artists from all over the country displaying all types
of art. A fabulous display of talent. A beautiful setting for the artwork.
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Old Town Art Fair, Chicago
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Oldest juried and range of Art work in beautiful setting
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Artists top quality, charm of Old Town as venue, organization runs
very smoothly, volunteers trained, helpful and friendly
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Neighborhood feel with extremely varied and high quality art
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Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Milwaukee
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Weather is no issue, Artists are top notch, entertainment and food are
delightful, and all with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan.
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Perfect setting along the shores of Lake Michigan, highly-acclaimed
artists, great activities for all members of the family, great food and
wine.
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Location location location & quality art
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Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami
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Huge attendance from a wide variety of artists from all over the world
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Perfect combination of art, music, food, weather and location
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Great artists, beautiful weather, makes me want to stay all day
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Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
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Question 3: Please rate the following options as to their importance for
you in determining what is a "best art fair.”
A "9" is the most important reason you attend. A "1" is the least important.
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The survey was written so the order in which these options appeared varied
from one survey to the next. The options rotated for each respondent in order to allow each of the nine options to be at the top.
Options:
1.
# of exhibitor
2.
family friendly with activities for children include
3.
venue setting & ambiance
4.
variety of art
5.
all the other activities nearby
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6.
quality of art
7.
location, restaurants, shopping, parking, accessibility
8.
good food and music
9.
affordability of art work; wide price range
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Results:
1.
quality of art - 34.54%
2.
friendly with activities for children included - 12.19%
3.
variety of art - 11.29%
4.
# of exhibitors - 9.37%
5. all the other activities nearby - 8.58%
6. affordability of art work; wide price range - 7.56%
7. venue setting & ambiance - 7.56%
8. location, restaurants, shopping, parking, accessibility - 5.98%
9. good food & music - 2.93%
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quality of art
# of exhibitors
family friendly with activities for children
venue setting & ambiance
variety of art
all the other activities nearby
location, restaurants
good food & music
affordability of art work; wide price range
3%
6%
8%
11%
8%
35%
9%
12%
9%
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Note: Anyone who took the time to fill out this survey (it was lengthy) has to be
someone who really loves art fairs. It is heartening to see that even with all
of the extraneous activities that events put together to bring in attendees
and to keep them there as long as possible, that “quality of art” and “variety of art” was the first choice for 45% of them. It is also astonishing to see
that only 2.93% said they were there primarily for the food and music. I did not expect this imbalance. When you see all those people on the
street at an art fair enjoying themselves I would expect that they were
there because of all the other activities and the ambiance.
Yet, when you stop and think about it it is logical that they could have chosen go to the movies, to a ball game, hiking, to a play, to a museum, etc.,
yet they chose to be at the festival.
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Question 4: In what area of the country do you attend
shows the most?
Note: The appeal of Art fairs and festivals changes around the country. In
the Northeast they are, in general, fine craft events developed by artisans,
such as the United Maine Craftsmen, or organized by for-profit show producers.
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Art fairs are a popular form of shopping in the Midwest and the best attended are revered cultural events most often run by non-profit arts organizations bringing 100’s of 1000’s of people to attend. During the months
of May through September just about every weekend you’ll find these
popular events in the cities, parks and shopping areas.
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The South has a tradition of handcrafted work with events that showcase
heritage work with organizations like the Piedmont Craftsmen’s Guild and
much pottery. The Florida shows more reflect what you’ll find in the Midwest, a combination of 2D fine art and 3d crafts. !
Although the Western part of the country has many fine events, the festivals are not as dominant a part of the culture there, and in general, it is
harder for artists to earn a living because the quality of the events does not
encourage collectors.
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Question 5: What are your favorite five shows in that area?
List them with #1 as your favorite. Exact name of the show isn't
necessary to remember. (This was a write in, in a text box.)
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Why is #1 your favorite?
Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College, PA
Best East Coast Art Fairs
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1.
American Crafts Council, Baltimore, MD - Feb. 20-22, 2015 - (“Highest
quality, all craft, number of exhibitors and new artists each year”)
2.
Long's Park Art & Crafts Festival, Lancaster, PA - August 29-August 31,
2015
3.
Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College, PA - July 16-19,
2015
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4.
Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Philadelphia, PA - Nov. 5-8,
2015
5.
Guilford Art Center’s Craft Expo, Guilford, CT - July 17-19, 2015
Note: The East Coast doesn’t host as many “art fairs” as other parts of
the country. The best events in the East are called “craft shows” with an
emphasis on 3D objects, with a few exceptions, such as the Armonk
Outdoor Art Show, in Armonk, NY, where 2D work is accepted.
In other areas of the country the shows may be are called “art festivals” or
“art fairs.” It is regional language.
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Best Midwest Art Fairs
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1.
Ann Arbor Art Fairs, Ann Arbor, MI - July 15-18, 2015 - (“Ambiance,
Quality, Price Range, No. of Artists”)
2.
Old Town Art Fair, Chicago, IL - June 13-14, 2015
3.
Krasl Art Fair, St. Joseph, MI - July 11 & 12, 2015
4.
Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair, Peoria, IL - Sept. 26 & 27, 2015
5.
Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI - June 19-21, 2015
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Note: Obviously summer is high season for shows in the Midwest.
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Bayou City Art Festival, Memorial Park, Houston, TX
Best Western Art Fairs
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1.
Bayou City Art Fairs, Houston, TX - (“Large outdoor festival, Original
Art, Lots of Artists, Annual family fun event” ) Memorial Park - March
27-29, 2015; Downtown - October 10 & 11, 2015
2.
MAIN ST Fort Worth, Ft. Worth, TX - April 9-12, 2015
3.
The Woodlands Waterway Art Festival, The Woodlands, TX - April 10-12,
2015
4.
Cherry Creek Art Festival, Denver, CO - July 3-5, 2015
5.
La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA - March 5-8, 2015
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Artfest Fort Myers
Best Southern Art Fairs
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1.
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL - March 20-22, 2015 (“Large outdoor festival, Original Art, Lots of Artists, Annual family fun
event”)
2.
Mount Dora Art Festival, Mt. Dora, FL - February 7 & 8, 2015
3.
Coconut Grove Art Festival, Miami, FL - February 14-16, 2015
4.
Old Florida Celebration of the Arts, Cedar Key, FL - March 28 & 29, 2015
5.
Artfest Fort Myers, Fort Myers, FL - February 7 & 8, 2015
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Note: It’s no wonder artists flock to Florida in the winter. Can you blame
them? Look at these wonderful locations during the time of the year when
it is so lovely in the South.
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Question 6: What is the best big city fair?
This is optional: Please only vote for this if you are familiar with a
specific show. (This was a write in, in a text box.)
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Favorite Urban Art Fairs
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1.
One of a Kind Art Show and Sale, Chicago, IL - December 3-6, 2015 (“Indoors before the Holidays, the highest
number of artist in one locale from around
the country”) The One of a Kind Art Show in
indoors during shopping season. Chicagoans
are probably more passionate about their
art fairs than any other city. They mob this
show. It has great energy.
2.
Gold Coast Art Fair, Chicago, IL - June 20
& 21, 2015
Gold Coast is held in the city’s most famous
park, Grant Park, on Lake Michigan, a haven
for residents and tourists love it.
3.
Saint Louis Art Fair, Clayton, MO - September 11-13, 2015
The Saint Louis Art Fair is in an affluent
community and is really an “insider” show.
If you live in the area you want to be “in.”
Much beloved by artists. Evening shopping in Clayton, MO
4.
Columbus Arts Festival, Columbus, OH - June 12-14, 2015 Columbus’s show is along the riverfront with long hours, lots of parties,
lots of community and lots of artists. Summer starts here.
5.
Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, CA - Sept. 4-7, 2015 Residents of San Francisco ride a ferry across San Francisco bay to attend the Sausalito Art Festival and they come back again and again.
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Question 7: What smaller show is the most fun and is your
favorite?
This is optional: Please only vote for this if you are familiar with a specific
show. (This was a write in, in a text box.)
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Favorite Smaller Art Fairs
Note: There are so many fine small festivals across the country we wanted
to give recognition to those who do an exemplary job of involving the community and bringing something special to their citizens.
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1.
Park Forest Art Fair, Park Forest, IL - Sept. 19 & 20, 2015 (“Range and quality of art, affordability, accessibility”) - Park Forest,
great community spirit attracts dedicated buyers and a diverse group of
artists.
2.
Riverwalk Art Fair, Naperville, IL - Sept. 19 & 20, 2015 The Riverwalk Art Fair is laid out on paths along the Fox River, encouraging families to spend the weekend learning about art and enjoying the
beautiful fall weather.
3.
Old Florida Celebration of Arts, Cedar Key, FL - March 28 & 29,
2015 - Wouldn’t you like to spend a March weekend on Cedar Key in
Florida in an historic fishing community? Need I say more?
4.
Waterfront Art Festival, Charlevoix, MI - August 8, 2015
In Northern Michigan in high tourist season in the land of second
homes, a dedicated group of volunteers captures the visitors to spend
one day on the shores of Lake Charlevoix buying one of a kind work.
5.
Marion Arts Festival, Marion, IA - May 16, 2015
One day “secret” show in Marion, IA, brings in buyers to empty artists
booths — all in one city block.
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Question 8: Why do you attend art and craft fairs? Please
check all that apply.
(This was a multiple choice question.)
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Aren’t you pleased to see this outcome? Isn’t this why you are hosting your
event, to bring new and original work to your community? The buyers love
all the facets of your events but their primary interest is the opportunity to
purchase from the artists and own original artwork. Good work, show organizers!
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Question 9: How do you find out about art fairs?
(This was a multiple choice question.)
Important Note: Social media has revolutionized advertising for art fairs.
Artists and art fairs benefit from a well developed website. You can’t underestimate the importance of a well developed website and skillful use of
Facebook pages to promote attendance at art fairs.
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If your website doesn’t attract much traffic of if your email list is small let
us help you.
ArtFairCalendar.com has a nationwide reach and is the #1 google rated site
for “art fairs.” Our mailing list also reaches nearly 60,000 people. Advertise
inexpensively with us to get the word out year round about your event.
Where else?
• “WORD OF MOUTH.”
• “Happy vendors & Artists will gladly tell you where else they are going to be, or why they won't be back.”
• “When I know I am going to be somewhere, I check to see what
else is going on in that area or along the way.”
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Question 10: What is your favorite art fair website?
(This was a text box for write in.)
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More than 60% said ArtFairCalendar.com and ArtFairInsiders.com.
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Some other favorites:
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AmdurProductions.com, art.com, CoconutGroveArtsFest.com,
festivals.com, Howard Alan Events, artcolonyassocation.org
(Bayou City in Houston), peoriaartguild.org, gasparilla.com (Tampa), wpsaf.org (Winter Park), and many more individual event websites.
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Question 11: Do you buy art?
(This was in the form of text boxes that asked several questions.)
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94.4% of respondents said “yes” to this initial question.
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How Often?
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A representation sampling of nearly 2000 answers:
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• 1 to 2 times a year
• annually; year round
• 10-15 times a year; 2-3 times
a year
• always; constantly; once or
twice a year - usually for gifts
• Anytime I see something I
want
• As often as practical and possible; When I can't live without it
• almost every time I go; monthly (husband would say weekly)
• Not as much as when younger. Have enough.
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• At least once a year I buy one significant sculpture or painting, especially
during studio tours
• When I can't say NO; as I can afford to, space is available
• When I see something that catches my eye and warms my heart; Whenever we find something we like that we have a place to display
• whenever I find something that calls to me and that I can afford
• Yes, but not like we used to.
• when I find something I really like (many answered this way)
• I try to support the arts by buying something at every craft show I attend
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Where do you buy art?
At Art Fairs?
• my favorite place to buy because of meeting artists and prices
• yes-seven times a year
• frequently; always … every show we go to
• My favorite. Most all of my art is from art fairs.
• When I do buy I like to buy from artists I can talk to. Craft shows too.
• I will not attend a show however that has a gate fee -- I should not be
charged for shopping.
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In galleries?
• sometimes, but the prices are higher
• seldom; sometimes; rarely; occasionally
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Online?
• rarely; never; sometimes on artist’s websites
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Question 12: Are there art festivals you used to attend but
don't any more?
If so, why not?
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Please rate the following options as to their importance for you. Respondents
ranked the choices from 1 to 13.
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Results:
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1. The art isn’t as good as it used to be - 25.27%
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2. Its the same art or artists over and over - 19.85%
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3. Too crowded - 17.95%
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4. The art has been crowded out by all the other event activities - 17.88%
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5. The economy has affected my buying power - 16.48%
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6. Too large - 16.48%
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7. Difficult or expensive parking - 13.92%
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8. Didn’t see advertising/missed it - 13.92%
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9. Not a good geographic location - 13.55%
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10. Competitive events on the same weekend - 12.77%
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11. Show layout confusing/inconvenient - 10.58%
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12. Not handicapped friendly/not enough bathrooms - 10.57%
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13. Not friendly for families - 10.57%
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Note: There weren’t too many surprises here. We’ve all heard these reasons, but what is most alarming is the #1 choice, “The art isn’t as good as it
used to be.” When we wrote this question I was expecting it to be #5, “the
economy has affected my buying power.” !
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "29
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The results of this question can be very helpful to an event in their planning. Some of the choices are out of your control like the economy, but
most of them are situations you can do something about.
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Gather your committee and board together and make a plan to avoid the
mistakes listed above.
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2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "30
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Question 13: What shows do you no longer attend and
why?
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Here is an assortment of answers that hits the many reasons that attendance can fall and that formerly enthusiastic attendees do not return. !
57th St. Art Fair Too crowded and usually on the same weekend as the Old Town Art Fair
57th street art fair. the same art and artists
ACC Baltimore Arts and Crafts Show
Akron, Perkins park - AU dropped it
American Craft at Lincoln Center....too crazy..too much buy/sell, 4 Bridges, Chattanooga- I love this
show but nobody makes money anymore. Piccolo Speleto Festival Charleston, awful setup on dirt.
Ann Arbor - too big
Ann Arbor - too congested
ann arbor - too crowded, parking terrible, too big, too expensive, too hot for large crowds
Ann Arbor - Too hot, too crowded, too expensive, poor parking.
Ann Arbor Art Fairs - Always the hottest July week in Michigan and it has gotten way too big - spread
out
Ann Arbor for quite a few years because it does not have the quality or variety as it used to have
Ann Arbor Shows, except for the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair
Ann Arbor- crowds, parking, art expensive
Ann Arbor, MI it is to large and to expensive
ann arbor, mi, too big and too crowded
Ann Arbor, regretfully. Being unemployed, I just can't afford the travel or to buy anything.
Ann Arbor. I'm too old and the AA art fairs are TOO big. Usually hot and stormy weather.
Ann Arbor. Too big , too crowded, too arrogant
Ann Arbor.. We grew tired of driving up there since there are nice shows in FLa and Ohio
Any craft-type fairs. I feel I've become educated enough on artwork that I would rather spend my
money on quality, original works.
Any south haven fairs. The quality of art has gone down so they are more craft than fine art.
Art Basel - too expensive
Art Beats & Eats, Big Show that goes around the country,
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "31
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Art in the Park Holland, MI is always same weekend as Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival which wins
out because of the fireworks
Art on the Square in Madison is getting too crowded for me. I feel like one of the herd walking the
show, and the last couple of years it's been HOT without much shade in sight.
Arts and Apples b/c I moved to FL
Arts Eats and Beats Ann Arbor
Arts, Beats and Eats in Royal Oak,Mi and West Bloomfield Art Show, West Bloomfield Mi. I resent
having to pay to attend an Art Fair.
At the DIA (outside in the summer). No more advertising for it. I assume that it has been d/c.
Bayou, too much modern way out work
Bonita. Too far to go
Broad Ripple Art Fair -- moved to Florida
California street fairs that are wine festivals....
can't remember the names
Cave Creek< AZ. Haven't been there for a few years
Charlevoix - because I missed notice of it occurring.
Cherry Creek. Difficult to attend.
Chicago's Old Town Art Fair
Coconut Grove To eensive to park and go in
Coconut Grove, because they charge to get in and also to park
Coconut Grove; it takes forever to get in there by car, the parking is impossible to find and very very
expensive and far from the venue. It's sad, because the art there is great, but I can't stand the fight to
get there anymore.
Columbia festival of the arts
Columbus Art Fair, geographic location
columbus arts festival see above for answer as to why
Columbus Arts Festival-too spread out, artist treated poorly, poor jurying letting in junk
Columbus Ave, NY, NY
Covered Bridge in Parke County, IN. It is not as nice as before, more junk, than Arts or Crafts!
Cow Days, Ham Days Apple Festival
Cranfest, too crowded Autumn Fest, poorer art
Crocker Park because it's not a Guild show anymore
Detroit it ended Arts beats and eats too much non art made in china junk
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "32
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Farmington, MI - Art on the Grand Rochester Hills, MI - Village Fine Art Fair Covington, KY - Winterfair
Columbus, OH - Winterfair
Fountain Hills, AZ Gone to crap Bayou City, TX Too expensive and not enough sales Anything low
quality or w too much B/S
Frankfort fest/too crowded/costly parking
Gold Coast Art Fair Location and lack of parking.
Gold Coast Art Fair. Location is terrible. They have brought in food and music vendors. This is
supposed to be an art fair - paintings, jewelry, metal works, pottery, hand made clothing, etc. The
people in charge of this art fair are for profit for themselves only and could care less about what the
original gold coast art fair was and should be.
Gold Coast, since it moved to Grant Park it is too big, too many buy/sell booths. Its more of a festival
than an art fair.
Gold Coast. I remember how it was in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. It lost something when it was no
longer run by The Reader and no longer on Rush Street. We attend occasionally. Location is better
but not for parking. Generally take public transaction. Live in Park Ridge.
Gruene Clay Fest, Gruene, TX. Tired of pottery
Health issues
I am semi retired
I attend many shows if the weather permits
I missed the advertising. I would go to more if I knew about them. Please suggest a publication.
I skip most of the Amdur shows because it is the same artists over and over. I attend the larger ones
so I can see pretty much everyone.
In the city of Chicago Long drive hard to park
Large Chicago Fairs
Lincoln Center - costly parking and bridge/tunnel tolls
Low attendance shows usually do not have great vendors
Madison - Art Fair on the Sqaure - overwhelming with lots of crap on a stick!
Madison Alabama Street Festival
Madison WI Art on the Square - way too crowded.
Madison. 100 miles. Parking.
Mainsail Art Show St. Petersburg FL
Maitland Art show - lower quality each year Many Florida beach shows - low quality
Manatee Fest in Crystal River, FL - Fine Art has been crowded out by hobby crafts & there is
admission and parking fees.
Michawye, Wyandotte Apple fest, charlevoix
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "33
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Michigan - too crowded and spread out
Michigan - too many events in summer, some traveling in July and Colorado is great that time of year!
Midland Summer Art Fair - same old thing Plymouth Art in the Park - show organizer is greedy and
does not take care of artist needs
Most florida shows are to far with gas so high
Most outdoor shows in Chicago proper--no parking, too crowded, too many competing shows, and
almost all arranged by the some company (Amdur) leading to a lot of the same artists over & over
Mount Dora - crowded, predictable, overall quality a bit lower
Mt Dora, too crowded
Mt. Dora. Just don't remember the dates for it.
Nappanee art and craft festival Massed produced junk and flea market junk from china
New Smyrna beach. Art isn't that great
NO artists!!! or not many anymore. Format seems to have changed. Grew, now arts ,crafts,antiques,
merchants,and junk that is Mass produced pieces from china also selling on eBay. Same artists
always doing the same old things. It got tired.
No longer attend Evanston
No longer attend out of town events - too much travel.
none above, We loved the ACC show in Sarasota but it is now run by others. I still go but it is not as
nice and smaller.
None out of state.
Oakbrook, and Old Orchard the art isn't as good as it used to be. Old Orchard used to be a favorite
and bought a lot from there. I don't know what happened, but it's awful now.
Oct. Sugarloaf shows in Timonium and Gaithersburg, MD. ........the Nov. show in Gaithersburg offers
more artists and variety of work.
Old Orchard Skokie - mix of artists not what it used to be and too much Jewelry
Old Town, Chicago - very limited parking and it is excessively expensive. The Fair recommended a
parking area which charged $35 to park. Ridiculous. Also, the pedestrian space is very limited and
therefore is very crowded, even first thing in the morning.
Old Town: too congested.
Old TownArt Fair - Chicago,IL ...moved to NM
Omaha, Chicago shows
One of a Kind because I don't live in Chicago anymore
One of a Kind in chicago. We moved to the Southwest
Ones that are in NY we now live in FL
Park Forest has produced less interesting artist/artwork/setting
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "34
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Pecan Street Art Festival, Austin TX
Penrod Art Fair, Indianapolis, IN is only scheduled for one day so the crush is unavoidable. Public
transportation to and in Indianapolis on weekends is dismal.
Penrod. Prices keep going up to attend and I haven't found anything in several years that I wanted to
buy. Bad timing on my calendar.
Philadelphia, Smithsonian--travel times and cost prohibitive
Rhinebeck Craft Fair summer.....geographical location and prices high
Riverwalk in Naperville. Still go occasionally, but not as desperate to...it's because there used to be
more variety--funkier art at one time now it's mainly too expensive FINE art
Rochester Apples and Art -date conflict, too distant.
Rochester village. Boring Shelby Twp. Boring
Royal Oak Art Beats Eats, pontiac Art, gold Coast in Chicago, and Orchard Lake in Or hard Lake MI
Royal Oak Arts beats n eats
Salem, Oregon; two in Chicago; one in Indianopolis
Saline Arts & Craft Fair - too crowded, not enough variety
Sarasota Sometimes too busy to travel to Sarasota
Sausalito
shows are rotated ~ so that we can get a better feel of what is being shown & shared; continue to go
back to shows form past years
Shows that end up more craft show than art. Quality goes down and so does the show
Shrimp festival, Fernandina Beach, FL Gasparilla Festival of the ARts, Tampa, FL
Smaller Ohio shows where talent is lacking
Some in Chicago - due to parking and event dates
Sonoma, California Moved to Florida
St Joe because it's convenient
St. Augustine. Too far to go.
State College PA because we live 1000 miles away now.
Sugarloaf Shows.....too much mass produced mdse. Great shows for wholesale buyers to stock their
stores.
Sugarloaf, Timonium, Md. - Art work is not up to par with Gaithersburg. Too much bad Crafts.
Sugarloaf. Don't like the locations, and the quality of the art/crafts varied too widely, with some
seeming like a PTO fundraiser.
The WV Arts & Cratfs Festival always around the 4th of July. I no longer live in WV and the distance is
to far.
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "35
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Those in Detroit venues
Twin lakes in Greensburg pa
Usually only when they cease to exist.
Was Hathaway Brown in Cleveland, now Shaker Heights Art & Music. On blacktop, venue change.
Just isn't the same.
We drove all the way to Maine from KS to see the show that is now located at LL Bean, not knowing
that it was located at LL Bean space. The work was poor and way too much jewelry. It was so poor
quality and not impressive, so we did not stay long.
We moved from Florida
Wyandootte. Long drive for mediocre offerings. Went once and never again.
Wyandotte Art Fair. No longer an art fair.
It's mainly a craft and crap fair
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2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "36
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Question 14: Over the last five years how many fairs have
you attended?
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This was a multiple choice question. The choices were:
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•1-5
•6-10
•11-25
•more than I can count
•other (please specify)
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Note: Amazing numbers! Right? This was a very dedicated group of survey
takers, the people you need to reach who believe in “art fair tourism” as
much as I do!
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2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "37
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Question 15: How far have you traveled to attend an art
fair?
Note: As I have traveled to art fairs, both as an artist and as the publisher
of the ArtFairCalendar.com websites I’ve encountered people shopping at
the shows in the restaurants nearby the shows and in the hotels where
they are staying and ask them what is their favorite art fair. These are welltraveled people.
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Last summer I stayed at a hotel in downtown Ann Arbor, the license plates
in the parking lot were from all across the Midwest. Every bed was taken in
town that week. In Ann Arbor “art fair week” is bigger than Christmas!
These are not only day trippers. This group of art aficionados want to see
the newest and best and take it home with them.
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In recent years the artists who are earning the best incomes are mostly
those with higher priced work, from the upper $100’s into the $10,000’s.
Those who depend on a high volume of lower price point sales do not do as
well as they did when the middle class was/felt more affluent.
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Plan your advertising beyond what you think is your geographic marketplace. I receive inquiries often about how many subscribers I have for various regions, e.g., Central Midwest. People love to travel and they love art
fairs, take advantage of that. !
High income people spend on homes, luxuries and travel. You want them
on the streets of your show.
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "38
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Question 16: Who are your favorite artists?
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Here are some of those answers, including media and shows where they
meet those artists:
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Albert Drehyer
oil
Turquoise Tortoise Gallery,
Tubac, AZ
James Coleman
Allison Designs
Jewelry
Newtown, Brookfield, Ct
Marti Logiurato
Amanda Houston
watercolor
Sausalito
Amos Amit
Batik
Several across country
Liztech
Amy Gernhardt
Pottery
Official Florida Celebration of
the Arts
Donna Tanck
Amy Huisinga
acrylic paintings
57th Street Art Fair
Andrew Sandstedt,
Susan Otterson
Andrew Carson, Shelly Corbett
sculpture
Krasl, Ann Arbor
Andy Warhol
Mixed media
Deceased
Banksy
Anita Roth
Pottery
Ephraim, WI
Barbara McLaughlin
ardisart
copper brass
Bob Osborne
watercolor
Gainesville
Jeff/ Darlene
Dawald
Bob Simmons
Wood
Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair
Bryan Yung
painting
Three Rivers
Amos Amit
Carrie Pearce
Oil Painting
Peoria and Madison
James Pearce
Charles Gatewood
Oil
Old Town Art Fair
Multiple artists
Chris Dahlquist
Photo
Des Moines, Saint Louis, Plaza,
Portland
Jodi Perry
Chris Maher
Photography
Ann Arbor
Paul & Marnie Taylor
cicero greathouse
painting
Maitland, UCF
Claire Malloy
Oil
Winter Park Arts Festival
Dale Martin
Pastels
Ann Arbor Art Fairs
Cathy Heno-Suffel
Carolyn Weins
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "39
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David and roberta
williamson
Jewelry
Washington craft show smithsonian
Ford and forlano
Deb ieswald
pastels
For the love of art
shireen cline
Denise Greenwood-Loveless sculpture
Bayou City Art Festival
Ella Richards
Desarae Lee
Illustration/
drawing
Mission federal Artwalk
David smallcombe
Doug Roy
Paper
McMinville OR
Doug Spalding
Ceramics
The Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair
Eric Lee
Glass
Bayou City Art Festival
Eric Lee
glass
Bayou City Art Festival MP and
DT
Kimber Fiebiger
Eric Silva, Barbara Rubright
jewelry, fiber,
oils
Ann Arbor, Sarasota, Birmingham, E Lansing
Gaston Petridis
Erin Callahan Blum
Watercolor
Covered Bridge Studio Tour
Flynn Sochon
pottery
Park Forest Art Fair
Various
Fobots
recycled items
Lakefront Festival of the Arts
Benjamin Frey
Fred Jones,Richard Jolley
painter, glass,
clay
57th, Baltimore, IL SOFA
Gabriel Ofeish
Jewelry &
Sculpture
Baltimore
Chihuly
Gayle Fisher
Oil and
acrylics
Harrison Street Oak Park
Ed Croynm
Armando Pedroso
Ella Richards. Tonya Doskova Vic lee
Gene Rizzo , Richard Hunt
Venice FL
George Bochnig
Glass
Petoskey, Glen Arbor
Paddy Skwira
George Lowe
Pottery
ACC Craft Shows
Yvonne Hegmann
Ginnny Herzog,
Painting, Collage
Lakefront Festival of Art
Lisa Burge
Henry K Gernhardt
Clay
Old Florida Celebration of the
ARTS
Hiram Toraason
Glass Blowing
Peoria
McKenzie
ink
peoria art fair
Kana Handel
Vicki Schwager, Gaston
Petridis
Irena Siwek
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "40
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James Pierce
Wood
Peoria Fine Art Guild
Jean Yao
fiber
cedar key,fl
Jeff Condon
Pastels, acrylic Northern Virginia Arts Festival
(Reston, VA)
beebop & wally
Jill Warner
Clay and glass
Fiends of White Tanks
Larry Warner
jim gerard holehouse
water color
orlando area
john frieda
Joan Bulf
scenery
Park Forest, Crete
John Costin, Greg Strachov
Susan Livingston
David Wolter
John Whipple, Russell
Yerkes
Painting
Winter Park shows, Festival of
the Masters
Julie Seymour
jewelry
Port Clinton, One of a Kind
Julie Sutter-Blair
Pen, ink, color
Peoria, IL
Julie Sutter-Blair
etchings/
drawings
Port Clinton
Julio Garcia
paintings
Glenview, Port Clinton, Arlington Ala Taska
Hts.
Karin Conolly
Photography
Coconut Grove Arts Festival
Kathryn McKlung, Lila
Copeland
watercolor,
etchings
Ann Arbor, Bonita Springs, various
Kathy Nash
watercolors,
acrylics
lots of Chicago shows
Kemper
paint
Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair
kraig kenning
music
deerfield beach
Laurel Peterson Gregory
Sculpture
Peoria Art Fair
Michael Mikula
Linda Painter
Pottery
Lisa Norton
mixed media
too many to mention
Laurel Sprague
Lynn Morris
Pottery
St James
mike dishman
M.P Marion
Handmade
Paper
Ann Arbor Art Fair (She's retired
now)
S Michael
Lawrence
mamie joe, lisa burge, jim
wilbat
printmaking,
painting
William McCarthy, Deborah
G. Rogers
Painter, Folk
art
Longs Park, ACC Baltimore,
Bedminster
Mary Elizabeth Kinney
Marc Sijan
sculpture
Coconut Grove Arts Festival
Toni Mann
Steven Spiro
David Becker
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "41
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Margaret Howard
watercolor
She is now deceased
Tatiana
Yanovskaya-Sink
Margot Barnes
painting (watercolor)
Artwalk - Lancaster, Ohio
Ty George
Marilyn Kelly
watercolor
Old Town
Winefred Godfrey
Mary Jane Whitlock
Chalk
Tall Grass Art Fair
Mary Johnston
acrylic/ oil
ann arbor siuth univ
Kathi LeSeuer
Matthew Cornell
Paint
Winter Park
Daphne Covington
michael bond
prints
lake forrest, IL
walter moskow
Michael Chow
Pottery
Coconut Grove, Fl
Clyde Butcher
Michael Cole
Photography
Milwaukee Lakefront, Madison
James c brown
Michael McKee
Pastel
Most all top 100 Midwest shows Chris Vance
Michael Pflaghaar
mixed media
I buy directly from him or at art
galleries
Bonnie Blandford
Michael Webber
Watercolor
Broad Ripple Art Fair
Annemarie Cianciolo
Michelle Courier--Paintings
Paint
don't meet the artists
mike dennis
air brush
numerous dsm shows
nick lapole
Nancy Gardner, Laura Eskenazi
Ceramics, Ceramics
many shows
Annie Turbin
Nas
figure
Chicago
Natalie Blake
Ceramics
ACC, Baltimore
Norm Darwish
photos
Ann Arbor, Beats & Eats
Ora Tamir
Painting
Tempe, Ft. Hills, Arizona
Pat O'Brien
Fiber
Around the St. Louis Area
Patti and Mark Mohrenweiser
Encaustic
Alexandria, One of a Kind
Phil Mundt
stoneware
Park Forest
Pretty Baby Soaps
Soap Making
Sugarloaf Craft Shows
Randy Higdon
W/C
Krasl Art FAir
Richard Wilson
Watercolors
Bayou City Art Festival
Helen Little
Robert Ross
Oil
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival; Maitland
Duncan McClelland
Boris Kramer
Adam Homan
Brad Patterson
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "42
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Robert Walker
painter on
canvas
Delaware Arts Festival
Ronald & Leigh Linton
Jewelry
Peoria Fine Art Fair
Julie Seymour
Russell Yerkes
Watercolor
The Winter Park Art Festival
Bill Slade
Ruth Ipsan Brown
Mixed media
Wyandotte, MI street fair
Stephen Meyers
Shano
Jewlery
Tarpon Art Show Tarpon Springs Richard Auger
FL
Sharon Spillar
Paint, canvas
East Lakeview
Jan Bell
Sharon Spry
Jewelry
Ann Arbor, Birmingham Art Fair
Ted July
Shelby Keefe
Painter
LFOA
James Brown
Sherab Khandro
Painting, Jewelry
All
Stanley Edwards
Painter
cant remember - long time acquaintence
Steven Olszewicki
Stephanie Ray
Stephanie Ray
Stephen Brehm
Steve Nowatski
Printmaking
Most all of above mentioned
Erica Hall
Riverssance, Madison
Randall Spangler
Sue Brown Gordon
Charles Munro
Susan Flanagan
Fabric arts
various
Susan Kemenneffey
Raku
Ann Arbor
Tattoo Dreams (Jon & Patricia Hecker)
wood
Woodlands; Armadillo Market,
Bayou City
the Glocke's from Wisconsin glass
They seldom go to shows now
Theodore Gall
Metal
Lakefront Festival of Art
Tim Ludwig
Clay
DeLand, WPSAF, Gainesville,
Images
Tom Fedto
paint
Evanston
Valentine (Carefree, AZ)
Robert Rivera
Steve's Pottery
Rick Loudermilk
Umarrid (Tony) Eitharrony
Chicago and Suburbs - Quality
Art Fairs
Mary & Spencer
Watson
Ummarid Eitherong
painting
Winter Park Arts Festival
Matthew Cornell
tres taylor
mixed media,
painting
CC, Plaza, etc
Signe/ Genna Gurshovenko
Tricia young
cloisonne
Art Harvest, Dunedin
Forney
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "43
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Question 17: Do you have any suggestions for art festival
organizers on how to improve their events?
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Here are about half of the ideas, starting off with my favorites:
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Its gonna be a long day. Legs and feet get tired. If parking is far out,
arrange for a trolley or bus, at nominal fee so I don't have to walk a
half mile or more B4 & aft.
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Arrange for some sort of waiting area or seating near eating & restroom areas with a antibacterial or hand washing station. MARK
SOME RESTROOMS 4 women only PLEASE with a hook to hang your
purse or bags on.
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If its a large show offer golf carts to take you to pick up packages
from various venders B4 you go home cause its too big or heavy to
carry through the show, and your exhausted.
add more variety - more artists and more art
Adequate space for the crowd. Lots of beverage stations.
advertise it all over
Advertise more
Advertising is key.....don't even bother unless you know how to advertise. And....don't be greedy and
have too many artists at a show...it kills sales.
Amy Amdur should focus on quality not quantity I never come back to her shows
Ask them to leave baby strollers and pets at home
Be friendly to artist in your communities.
Be sure that there is some affordable art for everyone. If I go to an art fair, and all artists are charging
in the thousands, it's a nice day for looking, but can't afford that much.
Benches! Not just in the food areas. Also, partner with art schools in the area and let students have a
booth to get them started in "the life." It will bring more people out and give the kids an idea of what
it's like.
Better advertisement.
better advertising.
Better artist amenities and more advertising to draw larger buying crowd
better deals on parking - as well as better maps
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "44
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Better food vendors, enforcement of "no dogs" allowed
Better instructions for parking
Better publicity! Social media is free!!! Give addresses, specific dates and times! One art show had a
link to the address and maps, but when you clicked on it ( a week before the show) the link was still
under construction.
Bring art fairs to the community like farrner's markets, on multiple weekends
Bring in younger artists/patrons
bring more diversity.
Charge higher admission fee to attract serious art collectors.
Clothing should come in larger sizes most are for size 10 or smaller
Do not allow buy sell, limit the number of jewelers
Do not charge a fee to get into an art show. The vendors have to pay for their booths so why do we
have to pay also.
Do not make a circus of the event
Don't keep trying to get bigger without getting better; keep the art #1
Don't put loud distracting music where it interferes with my talking to the artists
Enter fee
Entry where payment is required should be less congested. After driving hours to get to an event, I am
not interested in waiting to pay and enter the event. Not really happy with the entrance fee. Also,
other parking options should be explored, especially at Old Town in Chicago.
Even if the organizer does not feel it is ART, if it is totally made by made, and NOT buy and sell, it is
art. Everyone sees art different
extend Sunday hours
Find a way to lower entry costs if possible. If we have to pay to park and to get it that it too much.
Find high quality affordable and artistic art
Fine dining - with wine/beer
Free entry
Free parking. Recurring Artists should be allowed every other year and new talented artists
encouraged with first time incentives.
Get better parking for the fair in Hyde Park!
Get rid of sticky food like popcorn vendors. It ruins artwork. No buy sell vendors
Get the Buy sell crap out of the shows,
Getting new artists, and affordable switching things up a bit.
good art, good venue, accessibility, user friendly
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "45
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Good maps to assist with parking. Clearly Mark the times of the event
Have a variety. Crafts and art for gifts, Quality art for your own home and unique items.
Have fewer jewelry artists and don't allow buy sell vendors or advertisers to have booths. There
should be a push to have more 2 dimensional art.
Have Friendly staff
Have one in Scottsdale or Tucson in February
Hold outdoor art shows in shaded areas in Florida; provide parking directions and arrange for nearby
parking (not good trying to take a large piece of art back to car via a shuttle or cab)
I don't have a clue. The ones I attend are all to my liking
I think smaller, art specific shows are more interesting. I don't enjoy having people "hawking" their
wares, everything should be hand-made, food should fit the genre of the festival itself. IE hot dogs
don't belong at an herb fair.
I thought this would be craft fairs.
Improve every year incrementally so that over time the event becomes special
Improvement on the ratings factors listed here is something they should always factor in.
Inside art shows because you do not have to deal with the wind, rain, heat and the list goes on...how
about snow in the mountains of Colorado
Its gonna be a long day. Legs and feet get tired. If parking is far out, arrange for a trolly or bus, at
nominal fee so I don't have to walk a half mile or more B4 & aft. Arrange for some sort of waiting area
or seating near eating & restroom areas with a antibacterial or hand washing station. MARK SOME
RESTROOMS 4 women only PLEASE with a hook to hang your purse or bags on. If its a large show
offer golf carts to take you to pick up packages from various venders B4 you go home cause its too
big or heavy to carry through the show, and your exhausted.
Jury decently-many craft fairs are turning into crap fairs, setting the public expectations too low.
Please quit raising fees and increasing the number of artists, forcing many artist out of business in an
economy that is already staggering
Jury for quality - keep the bar high; diversity of art forms is a major asset; good food; keep aisles wide;
No Pets!
jury in quality work
Just keep them coming!
Keep doing them - mimic Chicago shows as they're the best.
Keep it simple!
Keep striving for quality and new media...
Keep the artists to a reasonable number. Some shows seem very heavy in jewelry.
Keep the bar raised high for quality and creativity.
Keep the music turned down. I stay away from any area of an art show that has loud thumping music.
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "46
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Keep the number of artists small and advertise the show. Facilitate the set up and parking for the
artists.
Keep them small, offer amenities to artists and buyers alike.
Keep things affordable for the lower-middle class, please. We love art, too.
layout for easy pedestrian traffic flow
Less admission fees. Actually NO admission fees!!
Less jewelry, higher quality artwork made by artists
Let me know of a go to publication. I enjoy different art media but don't consistently see the listings.
Look to Grand Rapids ART PRIZE for inspiration and ideas.
love new artists....
Love variety of art.
lower booth costs so newer smaller artist could afford to get in. Let more then 1 artist in a booth so if
they don't have enough items, they could still go & split the costs.
Maintain good quality and variety, provide food and drink courts, seating rest areas
Make it easy to find a specific artist. Better or more festival maps.
Make it personal
Make sure the artwork is good quality. Stop allowing resale and bead buyers who resell jewelry as all
handmade.
Make sure there intrinsic as well as extrinsic values for attendees
make sure to include a wide price range
make sure to include making art - when people realize they can make art, they appreciate the art the
see even more
Make them more adult friendly by allowing us to drink while we shop. Beer gardens keep my money
in my pocket vs. buying from artists.
maps are poorly done for Festival of the Masters Downtown Disney
Meet the artists events
more advertising including social media efforts
more artists and high quality art
More artists, less crafts, no junk
more clean bathrooms, better parking options, smaller sizes, lower prices on everything
More convenient parking
More in the spring
More marketing
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More mixed media
More parking
More price points
More restrooms. Areas to sit and rest.
Move Ann Arbor from July to May
My personal favorite type of show is an arts/crafts show combined with a wine festival.
Need to schedule art fairs for 2 days or more to avoid crushing crowds into 1 day and to
accommodate people's schedules. 4-day Chicago One of a Kind show is deal. Venue needs REAL
restrooms none of that port-a-potty nonsense. Venue needs to be easily accessible by public
transportation and/or protected bike trail. I'm not circling around for parking, paying for parking or
sitting in traffic. Period.
NEW ARTISTS, MIX T UP
No admission and no parking fees
No entry charges. Availability of free water, sunscreen, places to rest, restrooms. Inexpensive snacks,
souvineer tote bags and t-shirts.
No more South American pan pipe groups, turn down (or off) the amplifier on all musical
performances--they're all too lound
No strollers or pets. Food in one area only. No booze. No smoking. Best weather time of the year.
Not too hot.
no, just find more volunteers than you think you will need.
offer purchases to be picked up all together so you don.t have to carry it all. offer motorized scooters
4 rent.
oh yeah, but not enough time
parkin4disabled..parking4disabled..can u do anything about the weather? just kiddin! lol
Parking for attendees.
Parking!
Plenty of Washrooms
pre qualify the artists and then take really good care of them including providing parking and easy load
in and load out. Booth sitting and access to quality inexpensive food. Publicize the show to art patrons
more than the general public.
promote other attractions, places of interest in region of the show.
Provide more benches or rest areas. Big art shows take a lot of time to walk through, don't wear out
possible customers/patrons
variety and not the same artists over and over
Quality is number one and a great selection with different price points.
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Quality upgrade, but I realize you must meet the customer demand in your area.
Respect the artist. I personally don't like seeing people having a site who are advertising their
business: such as newspapers, cars, medical, home improvements. They don't belong in an art fair.
Yes, take a chance on more emerging artists with quirkier styles at various price levels. Too much
"sophisticated art" can be monotonous. Add some quirk!
Search out and recruit new and student artists, who can sell quality work at a lower price point
Set up in format where can make a loop to see everything - start and end in same place - or a figure 8
where start at center. Allow free and easy access to go back and forth from cars to unload purchases
and return.
Shade - really need it in Florida. I will not look at art long if I am in direct sunlight.
Showcase young artists; have more demonstrations
Small and more often
Smaller shows, less shows so they are special. Treat artists well. You exist because of us NOT the
other way around.
Specific parking area, low cost or no cost admission, variety of foods - including healthy choices,
clean bathrooms
Stay true to quality, but be willing to introduce new, creative art/artists.
Stick to it being an art fair. Try not to have so many different activities that the purpose of the event is
lost.
Stick to the art. Have food and appropriate music but go back to being what could be considered an
outdoor gallery. If you have a kids area that is fine, as it gives the kids something to do as well as get
them interested in art but we don't need loud commercial vendors, extraneous activities and
diversions from the art. Also, maintain high quality standards for the show. No production work or
buy/sell.
Stick to what you know, don't try to expand to family activities, dogs or car shows. Bring in buyers for
your people.
Study the areas they are held in. Various price points, look for new young talents
Target Advertising to people who can afford fine art. Wider aisles.
To provide folk art artists alongside the contemporary artists/craftsmen in order to expose more
people to the charm of fol kart and primitives.
Track quality and uniqueness. When you see the art in the booth is not up to par, don't let them in
again next year.
Try being more digital instead of paper-oriented. It creates a mess on the grounds.
Turn down the volume of music and entertainment.
Utilize a fair and easy to follow jurying process. Place the most value on their volunteers and staff.
This makes the artists happy, which makes better diversity in applying .
Weather always seems to be an issue and will many time effect my decision to visit.
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Question 18: Help us understand who you are.
(Text boxes to be filled in.)
Average age: 59.27
Gender: 72.3% Female; 27.7% Male
Educational level completed:
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high school - 5%; some college - 7 %; college - 42%; post grad, PhD, Law,
Masters, etc. - 46%
Income level: $127,843 - average
Others did not give actual figures and frankly we were surprised at those
who did. Some of the answers: "middle income", "well paid", "retired",
"high", "good enough", "not enough", "unemployed", "not as high as I would
like", "very comfortable", "LOTS", "above average", “mucho"
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On average how much do you spend at an art fair?
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too much; varies; $150 to $4250; no particular amount; depends on what
attracts me; $3000+, $$$, $500-$1500; varies, sometimes nothing, sometimes pick & choose; it’s a secret; Depends on what we love; 0 to $600.00;
Not a lot. Less than $50; Usually several hundred on a piece; More than I
care to say
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What do you purchase?
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The answers ran the gamut including every media and such answers as
“everything”, “original fine art work”, “gifts”, “whatever I like”
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How many people answered these demographic questions:
Happy shoppers on the Art Fair Shuttle at Ann Ann Arbor
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Question 19: How did you hear about this survey?
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Question 20: Please provide contact information so we can
notify you when you win the $50 Zingerman's Deli gift
basket.
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We had a 76% response rate on this.
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Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami
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Conclusion: Creating a “Best Art Fair”
A best art fair can be anywhere in the country, indoors or out. When the
weather has brought traffic to a standstill in Austin, Nashville or Orlando
and no one shows up to shop art lovers still get out in the deep snows in
Baltimore because they don’t want to miss the American Crafts Council
show. It can be large or small and still bring a devoted following of buyers. The
Ann Arbor Art Fairs are beloved for their hugeness and also bypassed because of that very factor by the people who don’t want to deal with the logistics. Small events in more remote locations have their fans and devoted
followers. A favorite is the Charlevoix Waterfront Art Fair in Michigan during the tourist season.
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It can be run by a non-profit such as the Smithsonian’s Woman’s Committee
(the Smithsonian Craft Show) or as a for-profit, such as the One of a Kind
Show in downtown Chicago at the Merchandise Mart at holiday time.
Tiny Belleville, IL’s, Art on the Square jumped into the national rankings in
a year or two because of the hard work of its all-volunteer committee. The
per artist sales are some of the best around. These smart people “sold” the
idea to the townspeople and they pull in great sponsorship dollars, the city
buys a big piece of art and everyone turns out for the annual show. Five Important Keys to a Successful Art Fair + 1 More
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1. Outdoors in a “destination” setting. Think Lake Michigan lakefront in
Milwaukee and St. Joseph, MI; riverfront park in Peoria; bay front in Miami; popular cool downtown in Fort Worth; upscale shopping area in
Denver; historic urban neighborhood in Chicago; vintage downtown in a
small town at Mount Dora; old Florida atmosphere in downtown Winter
Park. They are places where people like to be.
An attractive location is key to starting a new show.
2. Great timing. Coconut Grove on President’s weekend when many people
have time to travel; height of tourist season in St. Joe and Mount Dora;
summer vacation time in the Rockies for Cherry Creek; Florida in the
middle of the winter when the population is booming with affluent travelers; piggy-backing on another event that is bringing people to town as
the La Quinta Arts Festival capitalizes on the affluence of the attendees
at the Paribas Open tennis tournament.
When is your population at its height? When is there a break in your
area’s social calendar when an art event would be attractive?
3. Solid marketing and PR campaigns to bring in the buyers and to keep
the artists reapplying. Relationships with local news and TV stations.
Partnerships with NPR and other radio stations. Active Facebook pages
and websites that tell the whole story and make news accessible to reporters. Links to artist websites. If you have 250 artists and they also
partner with you, share the links you multiply your audience.
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4. Knowledgeable Juries to choose the artists to insure diversity and
quality. Quality is what keeps people coming back to your show. Attend
top shows, meet and talk with artists that you want to apply to your
show. Keep building your list of applicants so you have a solid pool of excellence from which to choose. Be on the alert for buy/sell people creeping into your show.
5. Good care and feeding of the artists. This is a hospitality business. If
you make the artists happy word of mouth will bring them back and
bring you new applicants. Include the artists and their work on your website and Facebook pages,
link it to their websites and ask them to link back. Provide convenient
parking; easy load in and load out; hotel discounts; trained volunteers;
knowledgeable staff. Treat them like honored guests.
6. Important suggestion: Attend other art fairs and meet other show directors. Learn from them. Add a new show to attend to your list every
year.
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Five Suggestions for Encouraging Buyers to Attend (Because as we all know, if you don’t have buyers you won’t have artists)
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1. Advertise your show as the quality event it is. Have your publicity
showcase the best artists and their work. Make it the focus of the event.
Talk about the one of a kind work available, the art collecting aspect.
Some shows even host “Art Buying 101” seminars before and during the
events.
2. Make it easy for your buyers to get to the show; plan for parking; provide convenient shuttles; provide package pickup near the entrances so
they can drive up to pick up large parcels. In Winter Park, FL, Amtrak/SunRail runs a commuter train right past the
show. This year they partnered with the Art Festival offering free train
rides to and from the show, making it so convenient to attend.
3. Keep out the buy/sell. If you can buy the work at a local shop or gift
store it doesn’t belong in your show. People attend because it the only
place where they can find one of a kind originals. Be very wary about
this. Artists will not apply to your show if it has the reputation of having
buy/sell agents.
4. Do not worry about the price range of the goods offered. It is up to the
artists to find their market and not a worry of yours.
5. Use social media. Make sure your website has all the pertinent information online early. Publish next year’s dates as soon as your event is finished and/or have the next year’s show dates there at all times.
Include maps, parking areas, public transportation, hours and a phone #
for further information. Blast out information on your Facebook page to
build excitement. The Garage Sale Art Fair in Kalamazoo, with a very
small advertising budget utilized FB to get the word out this year and increased attendance by 28%. This is a gated show, so those figures are
accurate.
Many of our best art fairs have been around for a long time, some of
them close to 50 years. The buyers have them on their calendars to attend
every year. They are “don’t miss” events. Here’s hoping your show will be on
the list next year.
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About Us
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This report was compiled by Connie Mettler, publisher of
ArtFairCalendar.com, CallsforArtists.com, ArtShowReviews.com and moderator at ArtFairInsiders.com.
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Her mission is to encourage “art fair tourism” by
bringing buyers to the art fairs to support the nation’s
artists and craftspeople. ArtFairCalendar.com is the #1
google-rated site for “art fairs”, visited by nearly 2500
people a day looking to attend the shows. It is the
only online resource of fine art festivals nationwide.
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Connie has been involved in the business of art fairs
since 1978. Her husband was an artist who participated in over 500 art fairs over 25 years and she was
with him as partner and a business manager. Traveling from Boston to Miami
to Austin to Denver and Minneapolis. She personally knows 100’s of artists
and art fair organizers and what goes on behind the scenes at art fairs large
and small.
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She has also been a show organizer in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, including
serving as art director of Arts, Beats & Eats in Royal Oak, MI, and as a
project manager on Super Bowl XV in Detroit. She continues to consult with
art fairs around the country.
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Learn more about the art fair business at her podcasts at ArtFairRadio.com,
and view videos from the business at her YouTube.com channel “Art Fairs.”
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Do you have questions about the art fair business and how to start a new art
fair or improve your art fair?
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Please contact her here:
[email protected]
517-278-7515
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Appendix: 365 Days of the Best Art Fairs
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These are 2014’s top 50 shows. Put them on your calendar. Even if your
event is already one of the “big” shows you should be visiting at least one
new show a year. One of the very wonderful facets of this business is that no
two shows are alike, the artists change, the venue changes. Exploring
America by attending art fairs is a great way to see the country. Ask any
artist!
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Artfest Fort Myers, Fort Myers, FL - Feb. 7 & 8, 2015
Mount Dora Art Festival, Mount Dora, FL - Feb. 7 & 8, 2015
Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami, FL - Feb. 14-16, 2015
ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival, Jupiter, FL - Feb. 14-16, 2015
American Craft Show, Baltimore, MD - Feb. 18 & 19, 2015
Naples National Art Festival, Naples, FL - Feb. 21 & 22, 2015
La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA - March 5-8, 2015
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL - March 20-22, 2015
Bayou City Art Festival, (Memorial Park), Houston, TX - March 27-29,
2015
Main Street Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX - April 9-12, 2015
The Woodlands Waterway Festival, The Woodlands, TX - April 10-12,
2015
Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington, DC - April 23-26, 2015
Artisphere, Greenville, SC - May 8-10, 2015
Art on the Square, Belleville, IL - May 15-17, 2015
Broad Ripple Art Fair, Indianapolis, IN - May 16 & 17, 2015
East Lansing Art Festival, East Lansing, MI - May 16 & 17, 2015
Columbus Arts Festival, Columbus, OH - June 12-14, 2015
57th Street Art Fair, Chicago, IL - June 6 & 7, 2015
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American Crafts Festival at Lincoln Center, New York, NY - June 6 & 7
& June 13 & 14, 2015
Old Town Art Fair, Chicago, IL - June 13 & 14, 2015
Royal Oak Clay, Glass & Metal Show, Royal Oak, MI - June 13 & 14,
2015
Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI - June 19-21, 2015
Gold Coast Art Fair, Chicago, IL - June 20 & 21, 2015
Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA - June 26-28, 2015
Boston Mills Artfest, Peninsula, OH - June 26-28 & July 2-4, 2015
Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO - July 3-5, 2015
Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College, PA - July 9-12,
2015
Krasl Art Fair, St. Joseph, MI - July 11 & 12, 2015
Art Fair on the Square, Madison, WI - July 11 & 12, 2015
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original, Ann Arbor, MI - July 15-18,
2015
Summer Art Fair (The Guild), Ann Arbor, MI - July 15-18, 2015
State Street Area Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI - July 15-18, 2015
South University Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI - July 15-18, 2015
Crested Butte Arts Festival, Crested Butte, CO - July 31-Aug. 2, 2015
Waterfront Art Festival, Charlevoix, MI - August 8, 2015
American Craft Exposition, Evanston, IL - August 25-27, 2015
Port Clinton Art Festival, Highland Park, IL - August 29 & 30, 2015
Long's Park Art & Craft Festival, Lancaster, PA - Sept. 5-7, 2015
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Sausalito Arts Festival, Sausalito, CA - August 30 - Sept. 4-7, 2015
St. Louis Art Fair, Clayton, MO - Sept. 11-13, 2015
Art & Apples, Rochester, MI - Sept. 11-13, 2015
Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City, MO - Sept. 18-20, 2015
Riverwalk Art Fair, Naperville, IL - Sept. 19 & 20, 2015
Park Forest Art Fair, Park Forest, IL - September 19 & 20, 2015
Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair, Peoria, IL - Sept. 26 & 27, 2015
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St. James Court Art Show, Louisville, KY - October 2-4, 2015
Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, Asheville, NC - Oct. 15-18, 2015
SOFA (Int'l Exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art), Chicago,
IL - Nov. 6-8, 2015
Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Philadelphia, PA - Nov. 7-9,
2015
Art Basel, Miami Beach, FL - December 3-6, 2015
One of a Kind Show and Sale, Chicago, IL - December 3-6, 2015
Winterfair, Columbus, OH - December 4-6, 2015
2014 Best Art Fairs Report, Page "60