Your Best Shows Advice, Tools for Finding the Right Fit
After 36 years in the art show business — 16 as an artist and 20 as a promoter — you would think I know the scientific formula for finding the best art festivals. But, as with most things surrounding the arts and artists, it is one part reality and one part perception.
Those new to doing shows must first define if they plan to do local, regional, or national shows. There are many resources beginner artists may use to gather information about shows they are interested in. And for seasoned artists, these resources are helpful for discovering new shows as well.
ZAPP (zapplication.org) is among those resources. Most applications artists submit are on this site. You can search by state to find art shows in your area or search on a national basis. There are also blogs for new artists.
Another tool is Sunshine Artist (sunshineartist.com). This brand has been around since 1972 and features the annual 200 Best list — the 100 best fine art shows and 100 best contemporary craft shows based on artists’ reported sales. It also has event listings and show reviews.
In addition, artists can do internet searches to find other resources with listings and reviews about outdoor and indoor shows. They may also find the private Art Fair Lounge Facebook page useful for reading artists’ comments about shows they did.
Once you find shows you are interested in, visit their websites. You should be able to see images of artwork by the artists who were in the most recent show.
Looking at artwork that was in the show quickly lets you know if your work belongs in the show. If you have fine art and the show is a craft show (or vice versa), then you can move on to the next show to research.
When you find a show you want to apply to, research it online to see if there are articles or videos about it. Press coverage can show the amount of support a show received.
A negative article may result in you not wanting to participate in a particular show. There are many ways to research shows today to give you the information needed to make decisions.
A festival’s atmosphere is also important to an artist’s success. If an event’s focus is a large beer tent with loud music, that may not work well for fine artists.
On the other hand, it may work for those who do better in a festive, high-energy atmosphere. Likewise, I have found create-your-own-art areas for children to work better to keep a show’s focus on the arts versus a climbing wall or bouncy castle.
If still unsure about whether your work is a fit, email a couple images of your artwork to the show. I appreciate artists who do this. If I tell them their work probably would not fit, they are grateful to save the application fee. Not all shows will respond, but you can try.
If you live near the show, visit it and watch the crowds. Find an artist whose work might complement yours and see if they are selling. Do not expect artists to spend time talking to you. But you can certainly express how you like their work and ask if they like the show.
An artist’s success at a show is also related to the area’s art-buying demographics. There needs to be a good representation of the type of art people in the region will buy.
The artwork people want in Los Angeles or New York City is probably not what those who live in Denver want. The price points need to match the financials of the local art buyers.
Make sure your research includes getting information from multiple artists for each show you are interested in. I have a personal story to support this.
I did a show in a ski town in the mountains of Colorado. I do photography and my work was more abstract. I was right across from another photographer who had wildlife images. I made $400, and he sold $4,000.
If you asked me about that show, I would say it was not a good one. If you asked him, you would have received two thumbs up! So, even without a scientific formula, there are tools available to find the best shows for you.