I was very pleased to be accepted into the Art Fair East exhibition, which was held at the gorgeous St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich – between 1st and 3rd December – with a VIP night on the 30th November.
It was an expensive exercise for me but I am really pleased that I took the plunge and decided to go ahead with it. I have to admit that I was physically sick with nerves for almost two weeks leading up to the show but I didn’t need to be because I met up with some truly wonderful fellow artists at the show, who I hope to keep in contact with going forward. So, what did I learn?
- Exhibitions, like this large Art Fair, are an opportunity to meet and network with a variety of artists – you cannot put a monetary value on this.
- Be prepared NOT to sell anything – I was lucky and did sell (big smiley face) but I know of other artists who didn’t sell and this is no indication of the artists’ worth. Many of the more well-known artists were also battling to make sales – most people were buying prints or small pieces. This is not a science – there is no way to predict it! People who had been at fairs in other cities a week earlier had both good and bad sales – it all boils down to how it is on the night (or in this case, the long weekend).
- Have a variety of price points available for your potential patrons and don’t be afraid to price your work at an optimum – I was told on more than one occasion that my work was too cheap. I also know of at least three artists who sold some pieces that were over £3000 each, so there was a small percentage of people who came to the exhibition specifically to buy art and were not worried about the price (these people were in the minority though). Some of the works on show were priced in the tens of thousands of pounds.
- If possible, have prints or smaller (unframed) pieces available for sale – they should be well presented in large mounts (that format seemed to sell the best). This was not a ‘craft’ fair, so no postcards or mass-produced items were allowed, it was all original works of art.
- Take names and email addresses of people who show a real interest in your art – I had some exceptional comments from punters about my work and this has given me a great boost as far as my self-confidence as an artist goes. I felt, after this show, like I ‘belonged’ and have blown the ‘imposter syndrome’ feeling right out of the window.
- There are a range of hidden costs associated with exhibiting at art fairs. I will list them below in more detail but it would be worth remembering next time to arrange a ‘plinth’ type table or wall shelf to mount business cards on (the plinth is a handy place to put your point of sale machine).
- I did not have my personal biography displayed on the wall near my work and I think that is important and draws people into your stand.
- This art fair had 62 exhibitors – some famous names and a few galleries.
- I made contact with many of the artists who were situated in my corner of the hall and have been asked to apply to join Art.Can.org – specifically to be included in Art Can East. Today I was asked if I wouldn’t mind being interviewed by one of our local newspapers. There are many on-selling opportunities that can crop up after appearing at an exhibition like this.
Hidden costs:
Besides the cost of the panels (and light) used to display my work, there were a load of other costs that I hadn’t accounted for when I signed up to do the exhibition, such as:
- New updated business cards
- Public Liability Insurance – which cost £38 through a-n.org (you pay for a years’ membership and the insurance is included)
- Frames and mounts for work that you may not have had framed previously.
- Finishing materials for artworks, such as extra fixative, varnish sprays, hanging wire.
- Battery powered screwdriver (luckily, my son helped with that), specific sized screws that had to be purchased to fit into the panels.
- Wall labels – printed and mounted onto card. Labels for the backs of each painting.
- Craft knife, scissors, packaging tape, cellotape, BluTak, string.
- Parking close to or at the venue – in my case I had to use St. Andrew’s Car Park which was a few hundred metres away from the venue at £40 for the four days!
- Refreshments at the venue – coffees and cake mostly – about £5 per day.
- Petrol £20 – over and above what I would normally be spending over the weekend.
- Acres of bubble wrap. Even though the venue provided bubble wrap and tape for sold works – I still had to transport two large pieces to the venue in the boot of a car and they needed to be wrapped up really well, as the weather was bad. Yes, you can reuse this bubble wrap but it is an expense I wouldn’t have had to get otherwise.
- Last but not least, a SUMUP mobile card machine – this cost just under £60 (with its own charging station) and there are no monthly fees, so I consider this an investment for any future fairs I attend – or to take payment at my own … er … ‘studio’.
Some comments I received about my work:
- That is such an emotional painting! (The Fjord)
- Too cheap!
- Can’t believe that’s soft pastels
- You captured the light so well – the mountains look organic and alive.
- That’s a magical place (the woodland scene)
- Reminds me of a scene from ‘The Hunger Games’ (the woodland scene)
Here are a few photos from the weekend:
Setting up with the help of my son.
This was a very well attended show – hundreds and hundreds of people coming through each day – I don’t have the exact numbers of people but there were plenty!
Janice Heather Scott 