art fairs

[mopinko]

well, i applied without a lot of hope to the most prestigious art fair in chicago, as well as 3 others by the same company. i even paid an extra $50 to have a critique of my entry, assuming that i would want to know why i got rejected. i should have saved the $50. i got accepted to 1, and waitlisted on 2 others, including gold coast (#5). if you are on the waitlist, you can show up that day of and see if there are no shows.
i am happy about the way it worked out because it means i do not have to cough up the entry fees all at once. they are steep. all three shows are $1400, entry fees were $135, and any extras like corner booth, well....... ugh. i am relatively sure that i will make all or most of that back. the fairs are all in very wealthy 'hoods, with gold coast moving this year from said hood to grant park. at least it is a gorgeous view.
unfortunately, that one is the same weekend as my local fair, which is not much money, but is a blast.
i have one other fair besides these, which is a pottery tour that will only cost me a couple bucks, and which i have done twice before and made a couple bucks and some fans.

so, anybody do the art fair thing?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

1. I've only done a couple

that are local to my area. I am a self taught artist, still not sure if I'm willing to do the work of marketing and selling my stuff. I have no trouble creating it though!
Are you set up to take debit/credit cards? Do you have a tent? Do you use panels to display?
However, I keep getting feedback from people encouraging me to take this a step farther. Just yesterday someone was telling me to go sell at some of the local Farmers Markets.
How often do you do Fairs?
I think make a buck, and generate some name recognition and meet people who might be interested in your stuff, doing Fairs almost every weekend is the route to go.

[mopinko]

2. i am going to try to work out the credit card thing.

the fees can be high, and if you rent a machine to run them, it is spendy. i am hoping that i can use my iphone and a google checkout.
i do have a tent. i have a couple tables, and a couple of pegboards. i bought some sea grass baskets that i will turn over for pedestals. i have a few, but they are heavy, and dead weight. at least the baskets double as containers. these fairs require that tables are covered, so i am looking at this.
i have 4 on the schedule this year. that i about as many as i really have the strength for. but getting it out there is where it is at. i think that fees tend to be based on what artists bring in, so the cheaper ones are often not worth the trouble. but then, the one i do that is free is the one i made the most money. it is a niche thing, tho.

[mopinko]

3. just thought i would kick this as i am trying to figure out the credit card thing

there seem to be several iphone apps out there, with charges that are not that crazy. but would love to hear anybody's experience.