What it takes to get into the top 10 shows

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05bfd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>What it takes to get into the top 10 shows</B></div> <div> <B>6260 N.W. 19 Street, Sunrise, Fl. 33313 Toll Free 1-877-512-3333    Email: </B><A HREF="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com"><U><B>mike@mikealbin.com</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05cd2043.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mike Albin.Com "><U>Mike Albin.Com </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wd.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web design"><U>Web design</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ma.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Articles"><U>Marketing Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="sr.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Show Reviews"><U>Show Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Tools"><U>Marketing Tools</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="l.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#DDDDDD" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>What it takes to get into the top 10 shows</B></div> <bR> <div> It's that time of year again, the month in which <I><B>SA</B></I> tallies up your ballots and lists the 200 top-selling shows from around the country. Last year, I wrote about what the top 10 fine art shows had in common and revealed that the success of those events was mostly due to promoters marketing their shows to art buyers. It's not enough to get crowds at a show - it's all about getting the <I>right</I> crowds.</div> <div> One of the things all of the top shows have in common that I did not write about last year was that we, as artists, all want to get into them. For instance, some of these shows get as many as 10-15 applications for every available space. That makes them pretty tough places to break into. So, this year, I set out to interview the directors of several of the top 10 shows on both the fine art and crafts lists to find out what they are looking for in our slides (or JPEGs), our work in general and our display. I wanted to know what catches their eye and lands us an acceptance letter. I asked each director how much emphasis they place on image quality (both of the art and the booth), overall quality of artwork, originality of work and presentation of work.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Image quality</B></div> <div>  </div> <div> Not surprisingly, the one thing almost every show director said was most important was the quality of the image of the art. If your work doesn't show up well, you'll have almost no chance of getting into these top shows.</div> <div> "Because 80 percent of the slides we get are of the utmost quality, anyone whose slides are average (or less) are not judged on their work, but on their photography," says Joseph Lillis, executive director of the Sausalito Art Festival in California, the #6 fine art show, up from #11 last year. </div> <div> Amy Amdur of Amdur Productions agrees. She has two fine art shows in the top 10 this year, Port Clinton Art Festival (#5) and Gold Coast River North Art Fair (#10). "Slide quality is very important," she says. "The better the quality, the lighting, the sharpness, the better the work looks. Artists do themselves a major favor by having great slides or digital images. Artists should invest in themselves by getting the very best images they can from a professional who specializes in taking pictures of art." </div> <div> Kimberly Stoilis, the new director of the Bayou City Art Festival in Houston, the #3 fine art show this year, also agrees. "Blurry slides are the worst thing for a juror to see and the easiest thing to fix," she says. </div> <div> If you want to see what top-quality slides look like, visit the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Web site, www.coconutgroveartsfest.com/artists.asp. Just click on any of the categories and artist names. Show these images to the photographer taking photos of your work and tell him or her, "Make my slides look this good!" </div> <div> I asked the directors what were the biggest mistakes they had seen in artists' slides. The top answer was slides or JPEGs that are blurry or not in focus. The next response was improper lighting, be it too light, too dark or uneven. Number three was backgrounds. All work should be shot against the same <I>dark</I> background. Some artists use different backgrounds, which is confusing to the eye. Or they use light backgrounds which, when projected, can distract the viewer from the art. The final mistake was including work that was representative of more than one medium. The promoters recommend presenting a single body of work. (You'd be amazed at how many artists send in slides that include a couple of paintings and a couple of pieces of jewelry. Instead, applications in the painting category should have all images of paintings, while jewelers should present all jewelry.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>Overall work quality</B></div> <div>  </div> <div> Overall quality of work ranked second among the most important elements. Regardless of slide quality, artists must be producing high-quality artwork to get into these elite shows. With so many applicants to choose from, artists who really haven't honed their skills or are not at the top of their game will find themselves with the weekend off. </div> <div> "Quality, of course, is king in a show like ours," says Sausalito's Lillis. "I am happiest when artists comment to me during the show at how impressed they are by their colleagues' work." </div> <div> Amy Amdur backs Lillis up on that one. "Quality of work is the heart of what getting into a show is all about," she says, advising exhibitors to "work for a body of work, have a point of view."</div> <div> While most directors rank slide or JPEG quality above actual quality of work, Tami and Clyde Gilmore of Gilmore Enterprises, who have three craft shows in the top 10, have a slightly different opinion. "We look at quality of work first," says Clyde. "We've been in business for 35 years, and we know a lot of the artists that are applying to our shows. If they have new slides and the quality of photography is not up to par, they'll be given scores based on their past works, not on their present poor photography skills. Presentation at past shows is more important to us than presentation at a jury." </div> <bR> <div> <B>Booth shots</B></div> <div>  </div> <div> Booth shots and the overall design of your display come in at #3 on the list of importance. A neat, clean booth with proper lighting and displays can make a huge impression. It's where a lot of artists go wrong - and their jury scores suffer because of it. And what's the one thing artists should always remember about booth shots? <I>Never take them while you are at a show, period!</I> I could do an entire article on this subject alone - and, in fact, almost have (see February 2005 issue, page 14). Some quick advice: Take your shots around noon, when the sun is directly overhead and lighting is best. Have a floor in your booth shot. Carpet or linoleum work great, definitely better than grass or pavement! And hang your work in a balanced manner. Booths that are too cluttered or too sparse don't look good.</div> <div> "The purpose of the booth slide for our Festival is to encapsulate in one image the artist's body of work that will be displayed," says Katrina Gallegos of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival (#2 on the fine art list). "It ensures that the work shown in the individual images is representative of the entire body of work. We give more weight to the booth image when balancing the show. We do not give lower scores or judge more harshly artists that do not provide a `tent' setup within their image. We will gladly accept any shot of a grouping of work that emphasizes the scope, attention to detail and professionalism. We will, however, give a lower score to poorly displayed pieces with low lighting and/or a distracting background." </div> <div> Ed Kaczynski of Premier Promotions, who, along with his wife, Sally, runs the #2 craft show in the country (Christmas in the Country in Hamburg, New York), says, "An organized, eye-catching booth, which includes height, [and a] warm and inviting color coordination is a real plus." </div> <div> The Gilmores took the discussion of booth shots one step further. Occasionally, they get booth slides showing art that is different from the work in the individual art slides. For instance, the slides of the individual art might show color photographs while the booth slide includes black-and-white photography. "We then have to try and decide which artwork is this artist going to show up with, color or black-and-white photography," says Clyde. Tami agrees, adding, "It leaves us wondering if the slides and booth shots for this artist [got] mixed up with someone else's application." </div> <div> Some shows place a great deal of weight on booth shots while others, such as Summerfair in Cincinnati, the #8 fine art show, does not require a booth shot at all. Sausalito Art Festival does require a booth shot, but Lillis admits, "Your booth shot doesn't have to be of the same quality as your work shots. It just needs to show a professional approach to a unified body of work." </div> <div> Overall presentation of work goes hand in hand with your booth shot, but there are a few extra pieces of advice I can add. Many companies now sell all types of displays for every type of work. Just thumb through this magazine and look at the ads. Wall panels, pedestals, jewelry cases and bins for prints can make or break your chances of getting into shows. And take to heart the words of Lillis: "We encourage artists to make their booths as attractive as possible, as the perfect frame for their work. It's no secret that the most interesting displays get the most traffic." </div> <div> Oh, and one last question on this subject: Do bins in your booth shot hurt your score? "I've never felt that," Lillis says. "I suppose that if it were all bins and very little original art, it might."</div> <div> "Nice bins do not hurt," says Amdur, adding, "Broken, cheap-looking bins and too many bins can be a negative factor in a jury."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Other elements</B></div> <bR> <div> Originality of work is also important at some of the top shows. "We strive for uniqueness," Lillis says. "If there is a downside to the show, we have very few pretty pictures."</div> <div> Amdur seems to agree. "Well-done copies of great art are a great way to learn, but in the festivals, people are looking for new, fresh work," she says. "Let your originality blossom." </div> <div> Some of the top shows ask for an artist statement (see July 2006 issue, page 10), a description of your work or a biography to accompany your application. Regarding these elements, Lillis says, "Don't just say, `I want the buyer to find inner peace.'" And even though Sausalito is in Marin Country, "home of tree-huggers, mellow with a capital `M' and hot tubs," according to Lillis, he advises, "please don't say that you want your art to be one with the universe." </div> <div> The Kaczynskis ask their exhibitors for biographical information. "In scoring, we request a biography for a general introduction as who we are dealing with," says Ed Kaczynski. "We pay close attention to details, e.g., how the product is made. The applicant must not be evasive or have us read between the lines, as [a biography] is a good starting point to understand the artisan." </div> <div> Finally, I asked the directors if there was anything that helps or hurts an artist's jury score and if there is any advice they could give exhibitors who might be on the bubble. "I would love to suggest that artists consider calling the show they are applying to and ask them for their opinion on the images if they have any question about quality," says Gallegos. "I have on many occasions asked artists to replace images with ones that I feel are stronger and will project better. Again, it's only my opinion and will not necessarily get them into the show, but a second opinion (especially from someone who is objective and views tens of thousands of images) never hurt anyone. I would also highly suggest calling the show you are applying to, or one in your area, and asking them if they have an open jury. Attending the jurying process will allow the artists to see firsthand how well their images project at 4 feet by 4 feet." </div> <div> I hope I have given you some idea of what it takes to get into the shows that topped the <I>200 Best</I> this year. I should also add that there are many artists already producing very high-quality work and high-quality slides who receive rejection letters from these top shows. Some get in one year and are rejected the next. Often it's purely up to the whims of a particular juror or two. If you make it into one or more of these shows, congratulations for being at the top of your game! And if you still are receiving rejection letters, don't give up: Keep honing your skills, your work and your slides.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>