Perhaps I Should’ve Listened to My Parents about Becoming an Artist…

It’s interesting in talking people to find out that most of you guys have no idea what goes into exhibiting at an art show, but you’d like to know. So… for something a little different this month, how about if I regale you with the process?

It often starts with the show attempting to fit 250 artists’ SUV’s and trailers (or in our case an 18′ box truck with a 5′ lift gate) into the set up area which allows about 20 vehicles at a time to unload. Next, you dolly your canopies, display walls, art and support materials (or in our case, we push eleven 6′ x 3′ x 8′ six hundred pound carts) to your booth space.

Yes – that’s right! We all own or rent our tents and walls. The show does not supply these. Our fair fees just cover our 10′ x 10′ piece of concrete. Next, we then proceed to erect our outdoor galleries, which on our fastest day takes about 7 hours – that’s as long as there is no heat, humidity, rain, or extra dollying (like uphill over grass at the Cottonwood Art Festival.)

Then, when the weekend is over, we pack each artwork in protective wrapping and take it all down. Luckily this process goes quicker and we can finish in 3 to 4 hours, although it’s usually dark by this point. And, occasionally such as in Ann Arbor and Chicago, the show has allowed locals to drive on the streets while you are still loading up.