Monday, March 04, 2013

Fairing Well: What I Learned, What I Would Do Differently, What I Would Do the Same

All booths are good, all wall space is good – the first piece that sold from our booth was hung in a back side aisle right next to an emergency exit.

 I would bring less work, hang less work; I'm not sure that the works placed higher – above 6 feet - could be seen very well.

 I'd plan a more open booth, use a smaller table, allow more room for people to come in with smaller or no returns on the sides, smaller or no middle wall. Again, the easier it is for people to see the work, the better.

 Norman Zammitt, North Wall, 1976 
Acrylic on canvas, 96 x 168 inches, Installation view


 
Kate Breakey, Las Sombras Series 

 Bright colors sold first. Overall most of the work I saw everywhere was big bold bright. Very few quiet, subtle pieces – they were there, but few, or maybe just difficult to notice.

 Professional art handlers and installers were a godsend, although expensive - but worth it. Would I use this option again, or do it all myself? I don't know....

 Bring only work that can fit in my vehicle – I had one over sized piece and was always aware that it is expensive and time consuming to hire a truck to deliver or one must depend on favors from very busy and often asked busy friends with trucks. That’s partly why I work more these days on triptychs and other modular art. I did manage to fit 23 paintings into my car including, 3 triptychs and a modular piece, one of which is over 10 feet wide installed, of course about half were small to medium sized work.

 Make more use of the provided storage area and of viewing rooms to show work that isn't on the wall. The storage provided was ample and it was pretty easy to grab pieces from storage to show. I can also see possibilities for changing work out every few hours.

 Labeling the cardboard with an image of the work along with pertinent information was really helpful when pulling artwork out of the car and in and out of storage.

 Be comfortable. Wear comfortable shoes. Put gel soles in your shoes, bring your own water, bring protein bars. The food available is reminiscent of airports. It's okay, but rarely vegan and was expensive. Luckily there were vegan and vegan friendly restaurants nearby.

 No need for an electrical outlet if your booth is near a perimeter wall.

 Consider bringing your own table and chairs.

8 comments:

Kathryn Hansen said...

some really great advice and interesting observations! would you say that the colorful pieces that sold first were abstract,landscape, still life or mostly portraits?

Katherine Kean said...

Hi Kathryn, speaking for our booth contemporary landscapes.
Overall, work that you might think of as landscapes sold from artists Andy Burgess, John Baeder, and Jason Kowalski.
A couple of Mark Sijan sculptures sold, and Michael Eastman, Mel Ramos, etc., although I can't say whether they were first, last, or ongoing...
There's a partial list from one of the PSFAF press releases:
http://palmspringsfineartfair.com/2nd-annual-palm-springs-fine-art-fair-wows-with-sophistication-and-quality/

Beth Rommel said...

Katherine thank you for taking us on this journey with you. Watching you paint these treasures then seeing them displayed for everybody to see, like watching children grow up and take flight. Beautiful!

Katherine Kean said...

Thanks Beth, glad to have you along for the trip.

Anne M Bray said...

Love all your posts about the Art Fair, this one especially.
Maybe next year I'll be there in a TAG booth!

Katherine Kean said...

Thanks Anne. It would be fun to see you at the Fair. I'm glad you've found this post helpful!

loriann signori said...

Hi Katherine,Excellent post you have here. Such good points you made. I wish I could have seen your work in person.
PS I didn't know that you are a fellow vegan...and yes travel and eating can be a challenge.

Katherine Kean said...

Thank you Lori. I'd love to see your work in person too!
Yes, finding vegan food away from home can be a challenge sometimes. I've learned to carry some along.

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