In an effort to learn more about the American Founders Bank Woodland Art Fair, I sent email correspondence to this year's list of confirmed participants (graciously provided by Kandace Tatum, Communications Coordinator for the Lexington Art League). In response I had hoped simply to hear what this annual event, now in its thirty-third season, means to these artists and craftspersons in terms of business. I have included just a small sampling of the first respondents, with a bit of a bias toward those living in and around the Lexington area. Without doubt, all of them agree on one thing: they need your participation. So, on August 16th and 17th plan to attend the fair, ask questions, buy something, meet the artists, or simply just look around. I look forward to seeing you there.
Barbara Nelson
St. Charles, Ill.
www.BNelsonDesigns.com
The major portion of my income is derived from selling my work at art fairs. I exhibit at 15 to 20 shows per year throughout the Midwest and Southeast. It is important to find new shows each year to expand my market and replace the lowest performing shows. Due to the differing tastes around the country, I am never sure what my bestseller will be in any given city. I try to maintain a full and balanced inventory at all times, filling in the holes after each show. I work on new items after the inventory is balanced. It is always exciting to exhibit new work. Customer feedback is very important as I develop a new line. Working with customers on a face to face basis is not only a pleasure, it is a portion of the product development process. As a jeweler, pricing my work is fairly straightforward. The price is based on the cost of materials, the amount of labor involved and sundry shop expenses. I run my company singlehandedly, so I wear all of the hats.
Cynthia Carr
Harrodsburg, Ky
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As a local potter from Harrodsburg, participating in the Woodland Art Fair has been important and rewarding. Over the years, I have established a following and had the opportunity to develop and explore my craft. By combining found rustic metal with clay, my new direction has been exciting, creative, and refreshing; I make custom hanging lamps and floor lamps with copper patina shades as well as unique bird houses, bird baths and garden jewels.
Joan Schulte
Louisville, Ky.
This will be my first time exhibiting at the Woodland Art Festival and is, in fact, my first year of exhibiting my artwork at all. Over the year I have had varying results as far as number of sales per show and amount of profit. I have come to expect a reasonably positive response to my work, yet a very unpredictable response in terms of actual sales. It is always my hope, as with the Woodland show, that I go home with a great deal less artwork than I came with. However, it seems that I increasingly am looking for a connection to something larger, Ö a gallery or retail offer that will allow me some kind of predictability as far as income. I consider a show successful, even with low sales, if I have come out of it with a good connection, Ö and with many shows, that has been the case.
I do use the shows as a way of increasing my inventory or producing a larger body of work. Having a deadline always works well for me as far as producing work. My pricing is based on several things. Primarily, I want to sell my artwork, so I try to have a range of prices Ö I have notecards for $4, and my largest, ready-to-hang work currently tops out at $180. My average sale is about $60. My prices reflect my costs for materials and the time involved in creating each price and preparing it for display.
Mary Beth Shaw
Wildwood, Mo.
www.mbshaw.com
This will be my first year exhibiting at Woodland, although I do shows in other parts of the country and this is how I earn my living. As with any show, it is obviously my intent to sell my mixed media paintings at the show and possibly also meet clients for commissioned work later on.
In order to be accepted into the show, we were asked to submit several images for the "jury" to consider. The work that we bring to the show must be consistent with the juried work. Typically, I bring a range of works in all price categories so I can appeal to a wide range of people.
The economy is definitely affecting art fair purchases. I used to sell a lot of collage paintings around $200, however demand for the mid-priced work is basically gone at this point. These days I sell work in two categories - either under $100 or over $1,000. Despite the economy, I have had more interest than ever in my very large abstract paintings, and frankly, I am grateful for the success I continue to experience in this difficult market.
Phillip Jones
Lexington, Ky.
The Woodland Art Fair represents an opportunity to show work to crowds of 60,000 people. I have shown my work in galleries in New York, London and Paris, but I am sure that 60,000 people never came to a single show. It also allows me an opportunity to show here in Lexington, which is something that I have only recently begun to do. I don't feel pressure to make sales, but am not opposed to them, of course. It's also a way to push people. Contemporary art is a big step for this town. Throwing myself into the mix of decorative pottery, photos of flowers in vases is always fun.
Lisa Austin
Louisville, Ky.
Making art is my business, so any fair or show I do has to be considered in terms of how profitable it will be for me. This particular fair is attractive to me because I have a nice history of selling work there; it is not far from where I live, so the expenses aren't as much as a fair further away; people are discerning buyers and know good work from junk; and the time of year is good as people are already thinking about Christmas gifts. I frequently make contacts for commissions at fairs as my work is one-of-a-kind and very unique. It does force me to make a large body of work, as I do several fairs and exhibits a year, and that requires me to have a rather large inventory. I can't afford to sell out everything at one fair and then have nothing for the next one - not a good business move.
My pricing is determined by a few things: cost of materials (mine is not too bad); labor and time involved (that is where most of my money goes); overhead costs (i.e. costs of fair, utilities in my studio, taxes, my salary, etc.) and finally what the market will bear. The challenge is that sometimes after I add together the first items, the market will not bear the price I need to make a profit. Then I have to rethink where that piece is going to go: to a fair or a gallery where I can get more money than from a street fair.
Don Ament
Lexington, Ky.
Historically, the Woodland show has not been a major factor in my art income, but it is such a pleasant show to do that I wanted to give it another try this year, after taking last year off. It's not always just about the money, and I'm actually considering bringing some really huge-scale pieces to Woodland, just to see what happens. As for pricing, I have never felt it wise to compete on price, so it becomes more a process of finding the markets that support my work and prices, rather than chasing the low price.
My sales success at shows seems to be largely tied to the quality of the work on display. I find that shows with consistently high-quality work tend to bring out high-quality patrons, who are actually looking for quality work and not a "stick on a stick." Woodland has made positive strides in this area over the past several years, and I believe they are starting to attract more of the type patron that would be interested in my work. As for the economy, the government is putting lots of economic stimulus checks into mailboxes these days, and I want people to spend some of that money on my art, instead of at Home Depot. I need the money more than China does, and art is more important than a new dishwasher. I just spent my whole rebate check on a piece of glass art, so I have put my money where my mouth is.
Lloyd Hughes
Lexington, Ky.
The Woodland Fair provides both current sales (at the fair) and later commissions. Being a Lexington artist means that potential clients can find me easily after the event. For less than the cost of a newspaper ad, I can rent a booth and show my work and capabilities in a relaxed atmosphere. Even factoring in the costs of displays and set-up, it is money well spent.
I have a local gallery of my own, so I am always trying to maintain a reasonable inventory. If I do several shows in a short span, that can mean long hours spent replacing items that have sold or working on new ideas. Time and materials factor into pricing as well the fact that I am creating original designs in very limited quantities.
Rob Lindauer
Lexington, Ky.
Art fairs are touch and go for professional artists; generally people aren't attending with the intention of spending thousands of dollars for a piece of art, so a lot of artists try to hit a price point that is more affordable to the general art fair patron. As a mid-career artist, I'm less interested in generating multiple sales of inexpensive work because I feel my time and energy is better spent on more complicated pieces. Being a local show, the Woodland Art Fair offers me a chance to meet potential clients in my hometown and it gives me a chance to show my work outside a gallery setting. Unlike artists who travel far and wide to multiple shows, I don't rely on sales from these events, and I'm very selective about the shows I'll attend. When it comes to pricing, time spent and materials cost do factor into the price, but unlike conventional manufacturing, I'm producing one of a kind sculptures or very limited run sculptural furniture, so my prices reflect that.
Zig Zeigler
Lexington, Ky.
www.zeiglerglass.com
Woodland is a wonderful art fair. My sales usually cover expenses, but the real advantage for me at Woodland is the contacts. I've been to other fairs, but Woodland is my favorite. In Pensacola, (Fla.), I usually have better sales but fewer commissions. The Newport Art Festival was horrible. I managed to cover my expenses with commissions, but the show sponsor charged admission, had no amenities for the artists and charged us a fortune to exhibit. It was obviously a money-making venture for them: making money from both artists and visitors alike. Woodland puts on a fair that both artists and visitors look forward to. That is a wonderful service to us all. And the park is just so lovely.
Harriet Giles (photo of artist submitted)
Lexington, Ky.
The (Woodland Art Fair) is an excellent example of how a local fair grew into a very prominent and competitive show by extending its jury to a national level (thus raising the quality of the work), growing in size, coordinating with Lexington Parks & Recreation and local sponsors to provide a lovely site and necessary funding, and just persisting in gradually improving all aspects of the show, including layout, entertainment, promotion, parking, volunteer staff, awards, and hundreds of other details that are necessary to produce a show of this stature.
The (Woodland Art Fair) is indeed a viable place for local artists to sell their work, and most of my sales are rugs in various sizes, handbags, plus orders for area and room-size rugs, often custom-colored. I most always receive additional orders after the fair, averaging about one-fourth of my total sales for the (Woodland Art Fair) over the last five years. I also meet customers that take information home to file for purchases they plan to make in the future. These sales are harder to track as show sales, but a show is often the first point of contact with a customer.