ARTIST TIPS: Art fairs! What you need to know before, during and after 

Thank you so much! Glad it was helpful ❤️

No problem ❤️ Glad you found it helpful! Thank you for watching! 😊

Exciting - I hope it goes amazingly:)!! Thank you for watching

You are so very welcome

You’re very welcome :)

Thank you so much for watching

Thanks for mentioning this. I'm in the burbs and have never been to an art fair, this sounds awesome to attend.

It’s so fun! I hope you get to go one day! ❤️

Glad you found it helpful :)

I’m so glad it was helpful :) best of luck!!

Hi Kairee! Congratulations on your first craft show. I know its so nerve wracking the first time you do one of these events - its hard to know what to expect. Excellent your husband was there to encourage and support you. Us artists need supporters like that in our lives :) I bet you learned a lot for your next one in June. All shows/fairs are different, but you start to catch on to what the audience is looking for over time. I'm so happy you found my checklist helpful. Wishing you luck for June (my next is also in June that I'm prepping for now!!)

@@FionaCArt I'm working on two commissions at the moment and I've started working on preparing for June. Unfortunately it's hard to find time sometimes with kiddos especially when they're young (youngest is 3.5 years old) plus on top of that I work 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Usually my husband keeps the kids busy so I can do my thing. Good luck on your upcoming show!

Wow! Kids and commissions! You’re one busy artist :) well done! Wishing you the best

@@FionaCArt thank you 😊. You as well!

Thank you for watching, Tiffany :) a lot of fairs will require some kind of insurance and may have it included in the package. If they don’t and you don’t have your own, then I’d recommend finding something to protect your artwork.

@@FionaCArt Thank you very much.🎨🖌️🖼️

Depends on the fair! Many of them have complimentary packaging stations. If it’s on my own though, I have packing materials stored either in my booth hidden away or out in my car. I’ll ask the buyer to come back in a few minutes.

Anytime 😊

Aw thanks for checking in! It’s been busy and I’ve been recording here and there so I hope to have some videos out in the near future :) Sounds like uni is going well - I’m so proud of you!!

@@FionaCArt thank you so much remember to take breaks and rest well after work eat alot

There definitely are! :) There’s all sorts of different styles just depends on which fairs you attend. I’d really recommend checking out Art on Paper for a good variety! Thanks for watching :)

Hey Sammie Rae - thanks for watching :) There’s most definitely figurative artists doing art fairs!! If you’re on instagram, shoot me a DM at fionac.nyc and I’ll send you some accounts of figurative artists.

Does your fair run sales or will you be conducting them yourself? If you are doing it yourself and you aren’t giving digital receipts then you could have a paper receipt form to give out. I’ve never seen anyone use a receipt printer at any of the fairs I’ve done. 🤷‍♀️ I’d perhaps also email the fair manager and ask them what is most common at their fair. Good luck!

I use Mailchimp to send my emails to my list. Generally I’ll sit and do a set leading up to the fair so I can schedule them to send ahead of time :)

That is a GREAT question! I would say depending on the fair, they may have a network of artists (for instance, other art fair has a Facebook group of everyone who has participated is added to) and I would ask there first. Of course there’s paid services too if you can’t find a friend or fellow artist to help. If you look up art handlers there may be ones to help you hang the show. I know with other art fair the teams that do the complimentary packaging, also have paid packages to help artists hang their booth. Hope that helps :) good luck!

Thank you for the fast response. I was actually talking about someone to be there with you.

I usually ask friends or family. But you can always try artist groups on social media if you don’t have anyone.

Maybe if it’s an outdoor one? Once again, the organizers should be able to help with that :)

No problem :) glad you found it helpful!

Totally fair :)

Thanks so much for watching :) I’m glad it gave some alt ideas! Would love to hear any ideas you may have too!

Yeah. Sometimes if your browser has a pop up blocker it doesn’t work as easily. Shoot me an email at fionac.nyc@gmail.com and I’ll send it as an attachment

You’re very welcome :)

Hi Jessica! Yes, I was waitlisted once recently, but they ended out offering me a spot 3 days later so it worked out and I was able to plan. I would caution against going day of and seeing about cancellations because you would be selling yourself short on preparation time and advertising time (you want to give your community notice to come visit you at these type of events). With that said, I’m not sure what the scale of the art fair you applied to is. Booths can be costly, so I would recommend applying again in the future and taking this chance to visit the fair (if you are nearby). Take some notes on set up’s you like and connect to some artists :) Best of luck, Jessica!

@@FionaCArt Those are really good points you’re making -preparation time and advertising time - I wouldn’t have time to let people know I was in the show. That’s important! Thanks so much for your input on this!

I’m trying to work that out on my back end - Squarespace requires it for all check out’s. I definitely won’t be mailing you anything - don’t worry haha

@@FionaCArt I love your video. though haha

Thanks so much 🥰

Thank you so much for watching and the kind words :) I’ve never done the Sydney fair, but it always looks amazing. I hope you have a great time!!

Awesome :) thanks for watching and best of luck with upcoming art events!

You are very welcome:) glad it helped!!

Awesome :) I wish you the best of luck! And thanks for watching!!

Every fair is different so it’s just important to know what their rules are :) Even so much has changed since I made this video a few years ago! Pricing is tricky for sure. I would say as long as you personally feel okay with the pricing then you’re good. It’s the worst to sell and feel “icky” after - like you didn’t get what you felt it was worth

Wow! That sounds hard to transport! 😳 but landscape convention sounds fun. An artist collective is when a group of artists run a space together. Not a typical business gallery. :)

So glad to hear that, Elvs :) Thank you for watching!

You are very welcome :) thanks for watching!

So glad you found it helpful, Cindy :)

You are so very welcome :)

Thank you so much for watching and the kind words, Kim :)

Hi Robin! So glad you found it helpful :) Best of luck!!

I’m so glad it was helpful, John! Thanks for watching:)

Why? Seems to me a farmers market would be the target audience. So why would you want to spend thousands on a market that isn't looking for what you're offering?

Hey there! So glad it was helpful :) So when I use my square reader, it’ll email the person the receipt. If they don’t have their info saved on square, it’ll prompt for their email to send the receipt. Then at other art fair, they get a carbon copy of the docket they fill out.

No problem, friend! Glad you found it helpful 😊

You are so very welcome :) My tool kit has definitely evolved over the years. Looking at it at this moment: - tape - scissors - hammer & nails - power drill & screws - business card holder & business cards - extra framing materials (hanging wire and d-rings) - sharpie, pencil & ballpoint pens - eraser - level - measuring tape - chewing gum or mints - QR codes for social/newsletter sign up Hope this helps 😘

Sure appreciate the updated list. ❤

You got it!! Best of luck with all your shows!

Great question, A.! With my larger works on paper, I work with a local frame shop who I have a good relationship with. In regards to online I like www.frameiteasy.com/ because I can put in the specific sizes and pick mattes. You’ll need to assemble them. If you are looking for a more colorful frame or matte, then framebridge is good (but more expensive). I’ve used ikea, michaels, Amazon and blick for smaller works since they aren’t as expensive. I also typically have a print rack that I’ll put original works into. I back them with foam core and put my business card and the price on the back. Then put it in a clear bag. I have a few videos where I prep for art fairs on my channel - here’s one to check out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HyeCDETFfq8.html I recently did a video on framing artwork I’ve bought from others: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OKN1fwaOOP0.html Hope this helps! Thanks for watching :)

​@@FionaCArt this is great, thank you for all the info!😊

You are very welcome :) thanks for watching!

No problem! Hope it’s helpful!

Welcome :)

Thanks for watching :) First, you bring them with you on the Thursday and the fair starts that evening. Unless you courier your artwork then it can arrive the day before, but you can’t be there. And yes, you can display whatever you like.

@@FionaCArt we can display whatever? Is there a thing like deadline to upload actual images online? I’m curious whether I can try to make more works as many as possible before the opening.

Some of the fairs request a sketch or mock up of your curation ahead of the fair so they can plan the best place to put you, but if you are accepted, you are welcome to display whichever works you want. You can switch things out during the fair as well if you change your mind about works or stuff sells and you want to put something new up.

At the Bellevue (WA) Fine Art Festival - in the main show - you can ONLY show what was juried in. Nothing else. So check with the event itself. The one that I will be doing this weekend is invitational - but virtually ANYONE could apply. Anything nice is acceptable. Especially when the artist is nice, not pompous 😁

Agreed to check with the event itself! Every fair is different :) Thank you for sharing your experiences!

It works but can be troublesome if you have a pop up blocker. Sent it via email to you. Best of luck!