Art Fair - To Do or Not to Do...

Last night was my first 'Art Walk / Fair' of the year.  This one was Art Walk St Albert and it is held on the first Thursday of the month from May until September.  I was actually supposed to have also been in the May Art Walk, however it was snowing and cold that day before and morning of, so I pulled out of that one, fearing for my art and my toes. Here is some info for VENDOR artists considering a booth at any art fair.

- The  Cost. St. Albert Art Walk is free for outdoor vendors to set up, who have applied.  This is great if you are just starting out and want to test the water's. ( It's great for anyone really).  check out prices of applying when you want to do an art fair.

- The location. This one was great, as it is in front of St. Albert Place which holds a library, studios, City Hall, the Arden Theatre.  Quite busy with people coming and going for the first while.
You get plenty of exposure, even if you aren't making sales.

- The Duration of the Art Walk.  Lots of work to prepare for a short duration Art Walk - from 6 until 8:30 pm.  I spent most of the day before-hand setting up my tent to make sure I had all the bits, laying out my paintings, making portfolio, labels, price lists, etc.  With time I will get faster at doing this.

- Weather - it is uncontrollable - I came prepared with gloves, toque, layers - but we were all a little chilly.

-Your set up.
Costly Version.  We lucked out, the rain held off and the wind was moderate.  Saw 2 easels go down and I was eyeballing my neighbours tent as it was not pegged or sandbagged.
Your options are - going big and getting the tent and its accoutrements - which DEFINITELY REQUIRES 2 PEOPLE for set up and takes MUCHO time.  I purchased my tent on-line from Impact Displays for about $380 and search their website well, as I found a package that includes all 4 walls and a small awning for just about the same price as just the tent.  It comes in a handy wheeled bag that almost fits everything back in again, but not really.  My display racks were 8' lengths of wire shelves from Canadian Tire or Walmart, that are zip tied together.
- Staying small and portable, which my neighbour on the other side had, with a nice professional display rack and table that looked like if it started raining she would be warm and dry in her car before I could hardly get started!  She had an additional box of prints and other items to show people who were interested in her art stored neatly under her table.

- The People.  This was a very friendly location.  Most people had positive comments and didn't mind chatting.  I gleaned information on which paintings they reacted most positively too and kept track in my guest book.  (COWS!) Most were just browsing but I enjoyed chatting.

- The other artists - all super friendly and very willing to share their tips and tricks.  THANK YOU for sharing info on who your printer is, where to get the best prints, etc.  It was recommended that I get some prints made of my work to sell at a lower price point for those who could not afford the original oil paintings.  Guess what I am doing today!