Planning a Festival’s Layout How Requests, Mediums Are Balanced
Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff takes place in Lake Bluff Park in St. Joseph, Michigan. The scenic, blufftop park offers stunning views of Lake Michigan, piers, and lighthouses.
It features walking paths and memorials, and it hosts major community events. There is a lighted stairway to Whirlpool Centennial Park and the beach below.
For the art fair, 172 artists are featured on the entire length of the bluff. Booths are on a grassy lawn with trees, lake breezes, and gorgeous views of Lake Michigan.
There is roomy space between the booths, as they are spaced 6-10 feet from one another with storage space. Booth sizes offered include 10 x 10, 15 x 10, and 20 x 10.
There are bluff-side booths and street-side offered. Electricity may be available on even-numbered (bluff-side) booths. No electricity is available on odd-numbered booths (street-side).
Handling Requests
First, we place the award winners from the previous year. Then it is based on when they paid for their booth space and their history participating in the show. We always try our best to work with the artists to provide them with the space they desire.
We limit the number of double booths in our show. There are only 18 double booth spaces. Those are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
We do not offer corner spaces. Fortunately, we offer quite a bit of roomy space between each booth — therefore giving artists ample room for visitors to explore their work.
Balancing Mediums
Believe it or not, there is quite a math process involved in pulling together the art fair. Our fair is a juried show. Therefore, prior to the jury process, we set a target number of artists we would like from each medium based on the number of applications received. We also set a targeted number of artists to waitlist in each medium.
Once the artists accept and pay for their booths, we begin the process of making sure the various mediums are mixed throughout the show. This is done in an old-fashioned way in that we print the booth layout map very large and use a colored post it notes system to place the artists. The colored post it notes work great and allow us to move artists around until we finalize the layout.
We make every effort to not put two artists of the same medium next to one another unless the artists specifically request to be next to an artist of the same medium. We have found that often, the artists are very good friends and support one another in a variety of ways from setup and teardown to watching each other’s booths throughout the weekend. Camaraderie and friendships are always a key element to making the event a success.
Artists are notified of their booth locations around June 1, which is a little over a month before the event. Much of our event’s success with booth layout is thanks to outstanding long-term volunteers who have helped with the layout for years.
Other Aspects of Festival
The art fair is a gated event with fencing to block the event in. We have found that fencing has helped cut down on theft and crime during the event. It has also made it feel like a special, top-notch event. We do not allow buy/sell.
The fair is in the heart of downtown St. Joseph. Therefore, attendees can enjoy the amenities and offerings of the quaint shopping district.
We partner with the local tourism group to offer the local Farmer’s Market on the Saturday of our event. Additionally, a food truck area is just across the street from the art fair, featuring four to six options for event attendees.
Family friendly activities are offered on the grounds of Krasl Art Center — located across the street from the art fair. Also featured on Krasl’s grounds are emerging artists, a local nonprofit art organization focused on glass, and a VIP lounge for our presenting sponsor.
We have an area in the center of the bluff for event sponsors to showcase their products. For example, a local car dealer is a long-term sponsor and features four to six vehicles on-site. Additionally, the local radio station broadcasts live throughout the weekend.