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If you're looking for some inspiration this weekend and you're in the vicinity of NYC, head over to the Park Avenue Armory for SOFA (Sculptural Objects and Functional Art), continuing through Sunday.
Dozens of galleries will be exhibiting and selling works by the likes of Dale Chihuly, Wendell Castle, George Nakashima, alongside pieces by emerging and mid-career artists.
Some works that caught my eye:
Just two this week, mostly because I found both of them so valuable:
Nicolette Tallmadge describes - in perfect detail - her experience as a Visiting Artist at the Buyers Market this February. (If you're interested in attending the August Visiting Artist Program, drop an email to meghan@artsbusinessinstitute.org.)
Over at Modish, Jena offered some excellent insights this week on how to craft an effective pitch letter/email to a blog or any other member of the media.
Louise Fischer Cozzi has been working in polymer since 1991. Her award winning pieces and articles have appeared in Belle Armoire, Bead and Button, and Lapidary Journal as well as numerous books.
In her current work, she forms simple elegant shapes of translucent clay and infuses them with layers of texture and color that suggest infinite depth.
For a few days each February and August, children are my enemies. Actually, their parents are the enemies. At every show, there are a handful of parents (both exhibitors and buyers) who didn't read their materials carefully enough to realize that we do not allow children under 12 years old on the show floor.
In many cases, artists have chosen their careers as a result of wanting (or needing) to be home with their children. Traveling to a show can seem overwhelmingly complicated when you throw in the logistics of managing childcare on top of pricing, booth display, marketing, shipping, and filling orders.
It doesn't have to be impossible to do a show as a parent, even of small children. What is necessary, however, is that you determine in advance what the show's policies are regarding kids. Some shows (retail shows in particular) have no guidelines at all -- children are welcome, strollers and all. Other shows permit children of certain ages, or ban strollers, or offer childcare. Do not assume that what is allowed at one show will be okay at the next -- always ask for specific information.
At the Buyers Market, for example, absolutely NO children (including infants) under the age of 16 are allowed on the floor during move-in or move-out. With the large amount of heavy equipment driving around the floor, it is simply too dangerous.
Once the show opens, we allow children 12 and over on the floor, and infants under six months old as long as they are constantly in a front carrier. Anyone between 6 months and 12 years is welcome to take advantage of the childcare service that we offer at a reasonable fee to exhibitors and buyers. Our show, like all wholesale tradeshows, is dedicated to conducting business between sellers and buyers. Not only do children distract from the business at hand, it isn't a particularly safe environment for them - sharp metal and breakable glass lurk around every corner.
But we do understand that leaving kids at home with a spouse isn't possible when your spouse is your business partner. Which is why we do provide the option of childcare, which is open from the beginning of exhibitor move-in to the end of move-out. For many of our artists, the service is what has allowed them to do the show while raising a family... and doing the show has allowed them to raise their family while doing a job they love.
Looking for an arts-filled vacation that you don't have to plan? Check out the upcoming AmericanStyle Travel Program trip to Seattle this September.
Highlights include a tour of the Microsoft Art Collection, stops at the Museum of Glass and the Bellevue Arts Museum, visits of artists' studios, including Kat Taylor, David Chatt, Marilyn Moore, Dona Anderson and Karen Willenbrink Johnsen, and special gallery receptions.
At the Buyers Market of American Craft this summer, NICHE magazine will announce the winners of the 2008 Top Retailer Awards at a ceremony on August 3. Hundreds of shops and galleries were nominated by artists, and after each nominee completes an application, 24 Top Retailer winners are selected, along with the Retailer of the Year.
This year's nominee list is available online; if any of the nominees are galleries who carry your work (or who you'd like to carry your work), now is the perfect time to send them a short congratulatory note.
Erin Lambers will be bringing her line of functional ceramics to this summer's Buyers Market, and sharing a booth with her mother, who makes handcrafted soaps. Erin has been working as a full-time potter since 2005, and currently teaches both adults and children. "It is my goal as an artist to create beautifully affordable pottery for people of all walks of life to enjoy," Erin explains. "The ability I am blessed with is a love that I share with all ages."
This is really a multi-part project, but each step shouldn't take more than 15 minutes.
Identify your competition -- who are your top three competitors? If you don't know, add an additional 15 minutes to this project and FIND OUT.
Once you've identified the enemies, your mission is to learn as much about them as you can. Google their company name. Google the artist name. Google their phone number. Visit their website. Find out their prices, where they are advertising, what stores their work is in, what shows they exhibit at, what they're doing that you're not, how they make their work... everything you can.
Make a folder for each of your competitors and put all this information in it. We'll open them up again next week.
Include a “Call to Action”
First, determine the goal for your mailing: Is it orders? Getting buyers to your booth? Collecting information from buyers?
Once you’ve decided on a goal, you can then develop an appropriate call to action:
A call to action is a VITAL aspect of your mail piece. Without it, it is impossible to measure the success of your mailing.
Don’t forget the details
Your mailer should always include the following:
- Company Name
- Booth Number
- Show name, dates and location
- Your phone number
- Your email address & website
Ensure your piece is mailable
If you are sending postcards, be sure the mailer side has a sufficient amount of white space to affix a 2 5/8” label. Leave at least the entire right half completely blank – postal regulations require no text, graphics or color.
Manage your expectations
Even with daily work on updating and maintaining lists of active and prospective buyers, you can count on a certain number of returned or undeliverable pieces (these will only come back to you if you include your return address).
The average response rate for a direct mail campaign is 1-3 percent. If you send out 1,000 pieces, you should expect to see 10-30 responses if you include an appropriate call to action (if you don’t have a call to action, you’ll never know if you’re getting a response).
Even with a BFA in Metalwork and Jewelry Design, DeAnna Cochran spent 15 years as a quality consultant in the corporate world before returning to her first love, metalsmithing. DeAnna will take part in her first Buyers Market this August, and we're thrilled to have her join us.
PEACE & POLITICS: An Artists’ Agenda for America
August 2-4, 2008
Open to the public during the hours of the Buyers Market of American Craft
Pennsylvania Convention Center, second-floor concourse
Philadelphia, PA
Reception: Saturday, Aug. 2, 6-8 p.m. with cash bar
Peace & Politics is an exhibit expressing the social and political concerns of professional artists in this election year. For this show, we have invited artists to express their views on the issues that they believe should be part of the national agenda for the presidential candidates.
The issues will be as diverse as the artists themselves: intellectual property and protection from illegal infringement or copying; trade regulation; incentives for small business; the environment; censorship; peace and freedom; war and its impact on society and artists; the economy’s effect on the price of artists’ production materials and utilities; and public investment in the arts and arts education, just to name a few.
We encourage and invite Buyers Market exhibitors to participate; the entry deadline is June 2. There is no entry fee. The full call for entries and the application form are here: www.americanmadealliance.org/events.htm.
The show will be open to the public as well as Buyers Market participants. There will be no retail sales at the exhibit. However, the artists may list purchase, contact and gallery information (and exhibitors may list booth number) in the show catalog.
While we anticipate that some entries will reflect partisan advocacy -- and we respect the artists’ right to voice their views of the election -- the broader goal of this exhibit is to examine the artists’ agenda for America, as expressed through their art.
For more information about entries, contact Jean Thompson at the American Made Alliance/The Rosen Group at 410-889-2933, ext. 218, or jeant@rosengrp.com.
The American Made Alliance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization engaged in advocacy efforts that support American craft artists. Founded in 2005 by The Rosen Group, it is a 501c6 trade association. Through its campaigns, projects and partnerships, this organization strives to inform public policy and trade legislation that affect the value of made-in-America craft art and the careers of its makers.
Among the many new exhibitors that will be joining the Buyers Market this summer is Paige Cox of LuLugroove in Greensboro, N.C.
She'll be showing her line of felted balls, holiday pieces and dolls. "This collection was started out of my love for fibers and my insatiable need to 'make stuff," Paige explains on her website. "Like me, my creations are whimsical and fun. The lulugroove is about soaking up life, experiencing color, laughing loudly, and loving everything in your path."
This week's 15-minute project probably won't even take 15 minutes, but you should commit to doing it everyday.
Right now, make a comment on any one of this blog's posts. Be sure your comment includes your URL (for your website, your blog or both), either in the body or as a link attached to your signature (this is automatic on some blogs). Then tomorrow, do the same thing on another blog. The next day, do it again. And so on.
Continue, and watch the traffic to your website grow.
This week's blog post round-up focuses more on thinking about your business rather than your art. Enjoy!
You're a hard-working artist, just trying to make a living in a challenging economy. You would never tolerate waste. At the same time, you might not consider yourself a tree-hugger. You're all for doing what's right for the environment, but is there a way to do it that's also right for your business?
Find out by reading this month's Market Insider.
I know it isn't Friday, but I couldn't resist posting a link to a fabulous blog post at Modish comparing scarves from big box stores (Banana Republic, Anthropologie, etc) to their less expensive but comparable handmade counterparts.
NEWS FROM THE BUYERS MARKET:
Dear Exhibitors, Buyers and Council Members:
We've just learned about the one-week gap between our Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft and the ACC Baltimore Craft Show.
As many of you are aware, convention center calendars in both Baltimore and Philadelphia are booked many years in advance and it is not possible at this late date for us to change our dates for the 2009 season.
The Buyers Market will be held February 13-16, 2009 (and the jewelry preview will be held February 12), over the Presidents Day weekend, which is our usual schedule.
While the 2009 configuration of the show dates might be inconvenient for some, others may find the down time between the shows a great opportunity to regroup, rest and be fresh for the second show.
We look forward to working with the American Craft Council and Andrew Glasgow. We support him in his new role as the ACC’s executive director, and we look forward to continued good relations and open communication as we look to future dates, and consider ways to coordinate future schedules to benefit our mutual customers.
Wendy Rosen, President
The Rosen Group/Buyers Market of American Craft
Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 NICHE Awards, celebrating excellence and innovation in American and Canadian craft. Winners are announced at a special ceremony during the February Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia.
Professional entries are due August 30; student deadline is Sept. 30.
Click here to see past winners and download an application.
I'll try to post one of these a week -- a very quick marketing project that can be done in 15 or 30 minutes.
This week:
Write hand-written thank you notes to your top three wholesale accounts, letting them know how grateful you are for their partnership with you. No selling, no enclosing show brochures, no mention of new products allowed... just a simple note of thanks.
The continuation of last week's discussion of drayage... today, driving your booth to a show.
If you live within a reasonable distance of a show and have access to a truck, minivan, SUV or trailer, driving is often an affordable alternative to shipping your work. Plus, having a vehicle at the show gives you a wider array of choices when it comes to housing.
It may seem simple (and inexpensive) to drive yourself, but be sure to ask show management what their policies are for personally-operated vehicles (called POVs).
At some buildings, union rules require you to pay for labor to unload and load your car (drayage).
Other venues will allow you to do so yourself at no charge, but only if you are in an automobile that falls under the technical definition of POV - a personal vehicle (no trailers, rental trucks, etc.). In cases such as this, you will usually also have the option of hiring "valet service," or paying labor to unload your car. Valet service can be offered separately for move-in and move-out. Bear in mind that move-in is generally staggered, so your wait will be shorter than at move-out when everyone leaves at the same time.
At the Buyers Market, exhibitors may unload their vehicles themselves at no charge. All exhibitors who need access to the loading dock are provided with a move-in pass. The pass includes the exhibitor's move-in date and time, which is when they can access the dock. Each exhibitor is given forty minutes to unload their car into their booth space, then remove their car from the dock. As at most shows, dollys and hand trucks are NOT provided, so you'll need to bring your own.
Remember, all shows have different rules regarding POVs -- be sure to ask ahead of time so you're not surprised by an unexpected drayage bill.
NEWS FROM THE BUYERS MARKET:
Buyers Market of American Craft partners with TS2
Exhibitors to benefit from complimentary educational programming, access to tradeshow
BALTIMORE, Md. (May 6, 2008) – The Buyers Market of American Craft, the nation’s largest wholesale tradeshow for products handmade in the United States and Canada, will partner with TS2, the premier conference and expo for exhibit and event marketing professionals.
Buyers Market exhibitors will be able to take advantage of a free two-day (Wednesday-Thursday) conference registration to TS2, taking place July 28-31 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Exhibitors will also be able to access the expo floor at no charge. Package value is $675.
Among the sessions Buyers Market exhibitors will be able to choose from:
· Leading with Questions: The Ultimate Key to Successful Trade Show Sales
· Many Happy Returns: Getting the Highest Return on Your Trade Show Spend
· Lose Weight (in Your Booth): Creative Ways to Exhibit Light
· How to Develop and Manage a Budget for Success
· Trade Show Espionage: What Every Exhibitor Needs to Know About the Spies Among Us
· Driving a Consistent Brand Image from Start to Finish
· Marketing 101
· Strategies to Get Maximum Trade Show PR
· Big Impact with Small Booths and Small Budgets
“TS2’s co-location in Philadelphia presented an unparalleled opportunity for our exhibitors to learn how to more effectively leverage their tradeshow participation into greater profits,” says Christine Kloostra, Show Director of the Buyers Market. “Conferences like this are often not affordable for the types of small businesses that exhibit at the Buyers Market, so we’re particularly excited to be offering these sessions at no charge to our exhibitors.”
The Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft takes place August 2-4 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It attracts thousands of retail gift shops, museum stores and galleries that sell fine handcrafted jewelry, glass art, furniture, ceramics, art made from recycled goods and more.
For more information on the Buyers Market of American Craft, visit www.americancraft.com. For more information on TS2, visit www.ts2show.com.
I'm not off to a business trip this week, but suffering from warm weather Friday laziness. Here's a rundown of some recent blog posts I've found valuable:
Art business coach Alyson Stanfield's discussion on how she divides up her marketing time.
These ceramic gift ideas for Mother's Day from Modish.
All sorts of insights from gallery owners Faythe Levin and Kim Kisiolek of Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery.
Have a great weekend!
Shipping your work to and from shows can be a confusing (and expensive) proposition. Within the past week, I've answered questions from new and veteran shippers alike: Why did my freight cost so much? How do I get my booth from one show to another? Do I have to pay someone to unload my own car?
In future postings, I'll address all of these questions, but for today, we're going to talk drayage.
Drayage, or material handling, is the cost you pay to have your freight (crate, boxes, pallet) moved from the loading dock to your booth and back. In some cases, your drayage charge can be equal to what you paid to get your freight to the show in the first place, so it is vitally important that you pay attention to what your drayage charges could be and how you can minimize them.
Material handling fees are typically outlined in your exhibitor kit. Generally, they are charged by the show's general services contractor, or decorator, and are based on the weight of your shipment.
The assessment of drayage varies from show to show:
Free drayage or drayage included
In some buildings, drayage is charged not only for items that were shipped, but also applies when you bring your booth and product in your own car. In this case, many shows will simply increase the booth fee to cover the drayage so that everyone isn't charged for it separately.
Free drayage with preferred shipper
At other shows, those who drive their own cars may unload them at no charge and drayage is only assessed for those who ship their work. In cases such as these, it is often unfair to raise EVERYONE'S booth fee to cover drayage when it only applies to a small percentage of exhibitors. Show management will usually offer a "preferred shipper" (typically affiliated with the show decorator); ship in and out of the show with this company and you will not be assessed drayage fees (though you will probably pay slightly more for shipping). If you choose to use a different freight company, you will be charged the material handling fees outlined in your exhibitor kit.
No drayage included
In some rare instances, no aspect of drayage is covered by your booth fee. Regardless of who you ship with, you will be charged the material handling fee. In these cases, it is vital that you are acutely aware of the weight of your shipment and what fees you will be assessed. Keep your weight to a minimum.
Other things to be aware of:
If you are shipping from one show to another, you'll need to determine in which direction you will be charged the larger drayage fee. If ABC Freight is the preferred shipper for Show #1, and your drayage is free if you ship in and out of the show with them, but XYZ Shipping is the preferred shipper for Show #2 under the same circumstances, you will pay drayage at either Show #1 or Show #2 if you go directly from one to the other. Determine which show has the lower rates and ship accordingly.
It pays to shop around. In some instances, even if a show has a preferred shipper with no drayage fees, you may be able to find a competing shipping company whose rates are so much lower that even with paying drayage, your shipment will be less expensive than using the preferred shipper. At the very least, take the competing price quote to the preferred shipper and see if they can come close to matching it.
