big sculpture at fairs

[robertpulley]

I have been showing my work at galleies for years. Before that at fairs.
Times have changed. I've visited a couple large art/craft fairs in past couple years and seen a few guys selling large scale sculpture (stone and metal).
Do any of you do this with relatively large scale work? Does showing at fairs impact the percieved value/ seriousness of your work?

[sculptorsam]

I do a couple of the big National fairs each year with my larger-scale steel sculpture and have had pretty good luck. I haven't broken $10k/single piece yet, but I've been close. Amidst those out for a weekend with family are some real astute collectors enjoying the thrill of the hunt. There's just no comparable way to present your work to 200,000+ people in a weekend and get incredibly blunt feedback. They're not for the thin-skinned. The only fairs worth doing are highly competitive, sub 10% acceptance each, which makes them difficult to count on as an income source. That's why so many artists that do them do dozens every year.

In my experience, the greatest impact on how one's work is perceived is the quality of both it and the sculptor. There is a lingering stigma against doing art fairs as an artist (and I'll admit I don't list them on my resume or mention them in mixed company), but with the rise of trade-show International art fairs around the world, that seems a bit absurd to me. There are great artists, art and collectors as well as mediocrity and glorified interior decorators at both. As with life in general, Caveat Emptor.

[Rick Clise]

Hiya sculptorsam - do you get around with a crane truck to exhibit in the various fairs? Moving and installing large sculpture certainly has practical issues, especially for a short period like a weekend.

Had a quick look at your website and love what you have done with cor-ten. Good to see a blog from your website too! Go RSS!

[evaldart]

I too have had pretty good luck at some fairs. I wont travel too far though. I don't bring my largest or my edgiest work (up to 1000 pounds) and throwing in something with function always works in this environment. Aside from some sales these have supplied comissions so they can feed you all year. You probably don't get top dollar and everyone wants to bargain with you (agree to a price reduction only on the grounds that THEY move it, that will put an end to that discussion) And as Sam mentioned the jury process means that for some damn reason you might not get in every time. I do one of these twice a year and am looking into a couple others. I even won a cash award at one once...a pleasant surprise.

Like Sam,I see no reason to include these on my official art resume either.

[sculptorsam]

Yeah, delivery is usually included in the price with larger works, unless otherwise stated. Another thing to mention is cost. When you take fuel, hotel, booth fee, food, and time into account, it can cost up to $1500 to do a single show. So it's a calculated risk. I've seen people go home not selling a single thing, and I've seen somebody sell $85k in three days.

I have a small crane mounted on my truck bed, but I try to only bring pieces that I can either carry myself or muscle around with a hand-truck. Keep it simple to stay sane. I don't think I'd find them worthwhile with truly large-scale stone works. Site access is usually set up with 2D people in mind. You can't always pull right up to your space. Here's a pic of my Cherry Creek, Denver booth from a year ago.

[tonofelephant]

Sculptorsam,

Admire your fortitude. Did not know that there was a place for sculptors in some shows. I have done the show circuit with my wife before we went heavy into painting and sculpture. It was a less than gratifying experience. Might have been the shows we went to, the dollar amount the crowd wanted to spend, etc.

I will check into some of the fine art shows around here. Thanks for opening up my world to a new possible outlet.

Carl

[Tired Iron]

Woodstock /New Paltz Arts and Crafts show is huge and draws from NYC and Connecticut and the whole Hudson valley. Juried , cut off date for entrance was Jan 15 th and I didn't find out about their fall show till August. I stooped even lower. I set up on a corner lot 6 miles from the Fairgrounds on the detour they use to funnel people around New Paltz from the Thruway. Cost , Zero dollars , made over $1800 dollars in two days. Problem was that the lot was owned by an individual and not a municipality(as I thought) the owner just said finish the weekend out but don't do it again. He was worried about liability. That was two summers ago when I was first getting out with my stuff. It was a blast and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I got commissioned orders as well and keep the names of the buyers I met. WHat was interesting to me was that attendence was very poor at the fair that year as gasoline had just jumped to $3.oo a gallon the week before I got there. I still wonder today what I coulda made if attendence had been it's normal crush. I attended the Fair in Sarasota as
a shopper and was surprised at the high cost of space.But a friend makes approximately 10K there so it is worth it for her to drive down from Wisconsin in mid winter and camp out in the nearby state park with her sewing machine to make the custom clothes she sells. The wood
and metal sculptors there were return exhibitors and people were from all over the country.

[robertpulley]

Tired iron,

I've made up my mind, I'm going to continue to do some research on what shows I might want to apply to and try to get into a couple or three fairs next year. I missed the deadlines this year, but will be ready next. It might be fun.

robertpulley

[evaldart]

Paradise city arts festival is the only fair I do. Twice a year, very national. I bring an assortment of stuff and two or three large pieces (up to a thousand pounds or so). The big ones wont have to go in your booth as they have a sculpture garden for them. 200,000 people. 250 artists I think. Its all on their site.paradisecityarts.com