I am looking to do participate in several outdoor arts festivals this fall and I need to figure out what to do about getting a tent. I was told I could pick one up locally at Home Depot (cheap version) or I could rent thru the venue and I am interested in any suggestions you all might have. How much do I need to invest in a tent? Where is the best place to buy it? What else do I need to buy to go along with the tent? Do I need some sort of credit card processor at my booth? Thanks very much for your time and assistance.
Hey Michael, one of the most important parts of doing the art shows is the tent. It protects your artwork from rain, wind and storms. I'm writing this from my hotel room in South Bend, Indiana where I'm participating in an art show. Last night we had storms pass through with damaging winds, which took down some trees and power lines. The artist with the good quality tents that are properly weighted and staked down are still standing, the ones that received damaged and a couple blew over, were the tents you are referring to from Home Depot. They are called Easy-Ups (and in a storm you could call them easy downs) which are cheap tents to get started with, and will work fine providing you don't end up in a bad storm or high winds like last night, or two weeks ago when I was in Cleveland and a storm went through taking out a bunch of Easy-Ups. I have also witnessed many times these tents leaking through the tops and ruining artists work. I had to help one poor lady that was set-up next to me in a downpour whose tent was leaking very badly and she sent her mother to Home Depot for a giant blue tarp which a group of artists helped pull over the top of her tent to keep her art dry. Anoither lady photographer that I know finally bought a decent tent after many times having to deal with leaks and ruined prints. There are quite a few artist that do get by using these tents, but I seen enough things go wrong with them to never recommend them. You can get these tents for about $250.00 but if your serious about being in the art show business, the tent I use is called a Light Dome (by creative energies) which will cost about $800 at the base price and go up with some bells and whistle added. I've had this tent for five years doing from 20 to 25 shows a year and never had a leak or a problem with wind when properly weighted and staked down. There is another pro tent called a TrimLine canopy from Flourish that is another sturdy tent which starts out at about $850.
Most of my sales are with credit cards and can't imagine doing decent sales without offering a credit card option. Most banks can get you set-up with a merchants account for credit card processing or you can check out the company I use called, Innovative Merchant Solutions, (due a web search to find them).
Okay hope this helps, and I'm off to my art show, hopefully to make some big sales today, good luck with your venture.
Michael: I highly recommend this book:
http://www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/artfestivalguide/book.html
It will tell you everything (everything!) you need to know about doing art festivals.
Good luck!
Posted by Larry Reitz on June 19, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Hi Michael,
Great advice from Mike and Michael. I'll add my .02. I survived for a few years with an Easy-Up and four very heavy weights to keep it from blowing away. You must also put some sort of hoop across each corner to keep rain from pooling and literally crushing the top in. And yes, they tend to leak at the seams, fixable with canvas waterproofing. On the positive side, they do offer a low price and, if you decide the business is not your cup of tea, you are not out much.
After dealing with it for more than I cared to I bit the bullet and purchased the Trimline. From what I see, the Light Dome is just as stable and I think weighs substantially less. I opted for the Trimline because it offered an option which could be set up 10x10 or 10x15. Where space allows the 10x15 foot set up makes a big difference. By all means purchase Maria's book (1000 Woodcuts referenced above). She also explains the advantages of having this type of flexibility.
Another thing to consider is display panels. There are many options available, but, you should try to make them look as professional as possible. I think Mike M. uses Propanels. Very high quality, but expensive. For about $500 you can get mesh panels from Trimline. I don't have them, but, as I rapidly get older they seem to make more sense. Light weight, easy to set up, but limited to stretching along the booth sides.
One more suggestion. There is a Yahoo Group call "Art Show Photo" moderated by Larry Berman. It is dominated by chit chat by a relatively few members. However, there is often used equipment listed for sale. It seem more people are getting out of the business lately--another discussion entirely.
I have been using an Easy Up for about 4 years I have been fortunate to not have really bad weather. There have been a few thunder storms which it survived fine. I agree that in a really bad storm it would leak.
I have 4 three foot 4" PVC pipes filled with concrete and an eye bolt embedded in the cement on top. They weigh about 30 pounds each. This is what I weigh the corners down with.
For displays I use 2 sets of metal mesh panels from Graphic Display Systems. My wife sewed a covering of black fabric over the mesh. We also use 4 print display slings (stands) we got from Jerry's ArtArama. Don't forget a folding table and a chair or 2.
For credit cards - and yes you do need to accept them - we use PRO Pay. We call in on our cell phone and get approval. Cost is about $60 per year for the basic plan with no minimum usage. There is a fee for each charge, but it is reasonable.
Good luck. We sell some, but spend a lot of time talking about photography and locations. It is kind of fun.
Thanks everyone I appreciate. I'll probably go with something basic at first because of: 1) cost 2) practicality - I live in the SW and we don't have much weather so I am not to concerned about wind and rain. If anyone sees any good, quality tents or display panels (that your not interested in) if you could email me with the info I would greatly appreciate it. I am not going to make any decisions for at least another week or so - probably longer. Thanks so much for your input.
Posted by Zack Schnepf on June 20, 2010 at 5:38 PM
I'll second everything Mike said, I talked to Mike before I started doing shows a few years ago and I'm glad I did. his advice set me on the right track, and I've had successful art fairs ever since. Thanks Mike.
Would the posters mind giving us an insight into what kind of prints they sell (size, backing, what you have that doesn't sell (backing and sizes)? I am sure there is a stream on this already, but thought I would ask here!
Thanks, and congrats to Michael for forging ahead in this venue....great luck!
I just posted the wild weather from last weekends art show on my blog. It shows one of the tents that got mangled in the storm, and it's an Easy-Up tent. All the better quailty tents were still standing after the storm. see the post Here
Hey Troup stick with print sizes that will fit the popular standard size frames, as most buyers will go to the local Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Walmart, etc. to buy a frame. Customers hate it when they get home an find out they have to spend a forture for a custom size frame from a frame shop. The sizes I have used is 8X10, 11X14, 16X20, 18X24, 24X36.
Just about everything hung in my booth is on canvas now. Approximate sizes are 8x8, 11x14, 16x22, 21x32 and panorama up to 20x60. Rather than gallery wrap, I attach a 1/4 inch black walnut edge. As far as I can see, I'm the only one doing canvas that way. I offer a few prints in floating frames and to keep the cost down I do all the work myself from stretcher frames to finished frames.
Larry
Discussion
10 repliesMost of my sales are with credit cards and can't imagine doing decent sales without offering a credit card option. Most banks can get you set-up with a merchants account for credit card processing or you can check out the company I use called, Innovative Merchant Solutions, (due a web search to find them).
Okay hope this helps, and I'm off to my art show, hopefully to make some big sales today, good luck with your venture.
http://www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/artfestivalguide/book.html
It will tell you everything (everything!) you need to know about doing art festivals.
Good luck!
Great advice from Mike and Michael. I'll add my .02. I survived for a few years with an Easy-Up and four very heavy weights to keep it from blowing away. You must also put some sort of hoop across each corner to keep rain from pooling and literally crushing the top in. And yes, they tend to leak at the seams, fixable with canvas waterproofing. On the positive side, they do offer a low price and, if you decide the business is not your cup of tea, you are not out much.
After dealing with it for more than I cared to I bit the bullet and purchased the Trimline. From what I see, the Light Dome is just as stable and I think weighs substantially less. I opted for the Trimline because it offered an option which could be set up 10x10 or 10x15. Where space allows the 10x15 foot set up makes a big difference. By all means purchase Maria's book (1000 Woodcuts referenced above). She also explains the advantages of having this type of flexibility.
Another thing to consider is display panels. There are many options available, but, you should try to make them look as professional as possible. I think Mike M. uses Propanels. Very high quality, but expensive. For about $500 you can get mesh panels from Trimline. I don't have them, but, as I rapidly get older they seem to make more sense. Light weight, easy to set up, but limited to stretching along the booth sides.
One more suggestion. There is a Yahoo Group call "Art Show Photo" moderated by Larry Berman. It is dominated by chit chat by a relatively few members. However, there is often used equipment listed for sale. It seem more people are getting out of the business lately--another discussion entirely.
I have 4 three foot 4" PVC pipes filled with concrete and an eye bolt embedded in the cement on top. They weigh about 30 pounds each. This is what I weigh the corners down with.
For displays I use 2 sets of metal mesh panels from Graphic Display Systems. My wife sewed a covering of black fabric over the mesh. We also use 4 print display slings (stands) we got from Jerry's ArtArama. Don't forget a folding table and a chair or 2.
For credit cards - and yes you do need to accept them - we use PRO Pay. We call in on our cell phone and get approval. Cost is about $60 per year for the basic plan with no minimum usage. There is a fee for each charge, but it is reasonable.
Good luck. We sell some, but spend a lot of time talking about photography and locations. It is kind of fun.
I'll also second Michael's suggestion. I purchased Maria's book found here: http://www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/artfestivalguide/book.html This book was also invaluable when I was first starting out.
Thanks, and congrats to Michael for forging ahead in this venue....great luck!
Troup
Hey Troup stick with print sizes that will fit the popular standard size frames, as most buyers will go to the local Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Walmart, etc. to buy a frame. Customers hate it when they get home an find out they have to spend a forture for a custom size frame from a frame shop. The sizes I have used is 8X10, 11X14, 16X20, 18X24, 24X36.
Larry