Shows can only do so much to bring attendees to the event. They work hard to attract a wide audience and give you the opportunity to sell your art. However, they cannot bring YOUR patron to the show. YOU need to work hard these days to create a patron base that will consistently purchase your art.

Gone are the days of impulse buying. Today's art show attendees are more discerning and mindful about their purchasing decisions. They crave authenticity, uniqueness, and meaning in the art they buy. They want to feel a personal connection to the items they bring into their lives, They are drawn to stories, craftsmanship, and authenticity that evoke emotions and stir their imagination. No one at an art show needs anything - they want to purchase because they feel connected to YOU!

For artists, this shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity. It requires you to go beyond simply showcasing your art and instead focus on telling your unique and compelling story. Evoking emotions, and connecting with the attendees on a deeper level. You can inspire consumers to fall in love with your work and become lifelong supporters.

This involves a combination of strategic marketing, effective booth presentation, and engaging customer interactions.

Pre-Show Promotion: Utilize social media, email newsletters, and your website to promote your participation in the art show. Share sneak peeks of your artwork, behind-the-scenes glimpses of your creative process, and details about your booth location and booth number to generate excitement and anticipation. Use the media packet provided by the show to help you - you can personalize your post by overlaying your image onto the provided creative.

Attractive Booth Display: Create an eye-catching and inviting booth display that showcases your artwork effectively. Use professional signage, lighting, and displays to draw attention to your booth and highlight your best pieces. Arrange your artwork thoughtfully and consider grouping pieces by theme, medium, or style to create visual impact.

Engage with Attendees: Be approachable and friendly to attendees who visit your booth. Greet them warmly, introduce yourself, and initiate conversations about your artwork. Share stories and insights about your creative process, inspiration, and techniques to engage their interest and deepen their connection to your work.

Offer Promotional Materials: Provide printed materials such as business cards, postcards, brochures, or catalogs that feature images of your artwork, contact information, and details about your artistic practice. Business cards with images are the most cost efficient advertising you can purchase.

Demonstrate Your Process: Consider demonstrating your artistic process (video) to give attendees a firsthand look at how your artwork is created. It is easy to set up an IPad with the video on a loop.

Collect Contact Information: Have a sign-up sheet (paper or electronic) available for attendees to provide their contact information if they are interested in learning more about your artwork or receiving updates about future shows or events. Follow up with these leads after the show to nurture relationships and potentially make sales.

Follow Up After the Show: After the art show, follow up with attendees who expressed interest in your artwork or signed up for your mailing list. Send personalized thank-you emails, share photos from the show, and provide information about how they can purchase your artwork or stay connected with you online.

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively reach YOUR customers at the art show, build relationships, and ultimately create a patron base

Life with an Art Show Director

From the viewpoint of the SO

(not involved in the art world)

Living with an art show director is like living in a perpetual whirlwind of creativity, chaos, and cardboard boxes. Forget the conventional rules of domesticity—when you share your home with someone whose life revolves around art shows, every day is an adventure in avant-garde living.

First things first, forget about having a designated dining table. That space is reserved for sorting through stacks of artist applications, wrestling with spreadsheets, and endless cups of coffee fueled by caffeine and sheer determination. Who needs dinner when you have deadlines, right?

And let's talk about décor. Say goodbye to minimalist aesthetics and hello to a home that doubles as an impromptu art gallery. Every wall is a potential exhibition space, every nook and cranny a storage area for radios, tables, chairs, programs, postcards (thousands) and posters. Sure, the living room might resemble a packed car, but hey, who needs a clear path when you're navigating the maze of the art world?

Don't even get me started on conversation topics. Want to discuss the weather? Think again, that is the conversation all day long for the week up to the show. Living with an art show director means your daily discourse revolves around the weather (in detail and always with radar), nuances of art mediums, the merits of abstract expressionism versus realism, and the eternal debate of form versus function. Casual chats about the latest Netflix binge? More like passionate debates about the cultural significance of performance art.

And let's not forget about social gatherings. Hosting a dinner party becomes a negotiation for space on the calendar and a performance piece in itself, with guests navigating through a labyrinth of boxes and the newest peices of art that must find a home, just to find the bathroom. Who needs small talk when you have avant-garde art installations to spark conversation?

But despite the chaos and eccentricities, living with an art show director is never dull. It's a journey filled with spontaneity, creativity, and endless inspiration. So if you find yourself sharing your space with someone whose life is a masterpiece in organizational details, buckle up and enjoy the ride and learn to not clean up the mess on the table.