Jeanette Harris on sun 23 dec 07
The Oregon Potter's Showcase is one of the best artists' run show in
the country. They do a wonderful job in organization, presentation
and educating the public. Because of this and because they have never
strayed from their original purpose, they have built up a clientele
that returns faithfully each year.
I don't know if they are really aware of this on a conscious level,
but the first time I walked into this show, I noticed the bank of
cashiers and the shopping handbaskets stacked neatly at the entrance.
The message here is, "We're here to sell pots." nay subliminal echo of a grocery store where you make your selection
and proceed to check-out.>
Don't get me wrong, this does not cheapen the show one bit. It really
encourages the buyers to be hands-on inviting them to shop and select
from the shelves. A wise marketing move indeed. They even provide a
will-call section where you may leave your selections, should they
become too heavy and/or numerous, to be picked up before to the
cashier line. Members will even help you carry large loads to your
car.
What a concept.
>A central sales desk and not jurying are two ongoing issues that
>especially bother newcomers. We like the central desk because it
>frees us to be in our booths with customers, or working or visiting
>around with other potters, and the cooperative, rather than
>competitive spirit this has engendered over the years is a real
>value to all of us.
--
http://jeanetteharrisblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.washingtonpotters.org/members/Jeanette_Harris/wpa_jeanette_harris.htm
Jeanette Harris
Washingzona
Craig Martell on sun 23 dec 07
Ellen was saying:
>Sorry about the long post. =C2 There is just so much to say.
Hello Ellen:
Not to worry. Everything you said was dead on the $$ and totally=20
accurate. A very concise and accurate explanation of how Ceramic Showcase=
=20
and OPA work. I enjoyed reading that post. Now I have a better idea of=20
what I'm doing.
regards, Craig Martell Hopewell, Oregon
Ellen Currans on sun 23 dec 07
I have long thought that the only shows worth doing are those organized and=20=
controlled by the artists themselves, and some of those even run down after=20=
awhile if the members lose sight of their purpose. =C2=A0 There have been so=
me good community organized craft fairs also, but it is difficult to build a=
customer base far from home, so finding the good local events and sticking=20=
with them is more useful than driving all over the country.=C2=A0(I could ne=
ver figure out how a potter could do 25 or 30 shows a year and make good pot=
s or make any money after the expenses. Unless they have elves at home doing=
the work, or don't sell enough to deplete their stock? =C2=A0A sure path to=
burnout! ) =C2=A0
I agree with Mel's philosophy of selling local and Kathi LeSueur's post abou=
t doing our own shows.=C2=A0The shows that work for me are local and organiz=
ed by the artists ourselves. =C2=A0 The two I am still doing at 75 I have be=
en in for 40 and 25 years.=C2=A0Another we did for 32 years was a well organ=
ized community street fair that treated its artists very well. =C2=A0I would=
still be doing except it is in the next state, and we no longer care to loa=
d up the flat bed truck and drive 300 miles. =C2=A0I think it takes time to=20=
build a customer base in a new show, and if you are three states away and ma=
y not get juried in the next year, how do you build that base? =C2=A0Most of=
my customers are old customers who have been buying my work for years, givi=
ng it to their friends and family, and coming with grandchildren and nieces=20=
to buy more. =C2=A0 They know where my studio is and what shows I will be do=
ing each year. =C2=A0 I tried a lot of different ways to sell in the beginni=
ng but gradually found what works for me.
We all have different needs to be happy in our craft. =C2=A0Finding the form=
ula for that takes time and thought. =C2=A0I found I did not like the stress=
of supplying galleries on commission or wholesale, nor the prices required=20=
to make that possible. =C2=A0It is difficult to price functional work at a p=
rice that sells well when you are paying 50 percent to a gallery, or $1200 b=
ooth fees. =C2=A0I sell out of my showroom or shows that take less than 20%=20=
commission with low booth fees. =C2=A0 I might consider a website if I were=20=
younger, but I don't want to spend time on photography, shipping, keeping th=
e website up to date, or making sure I have multiples on hand. =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0
The OPA Showcase is a good example of what could work everywhere. =C2=A0It i=
s now 25 years old and held in the Oregon Convention Center with about 200 p=
otters participating: we have around 140 full and half booths, a group booth=
, a gallery for l piece by everyone in OPA, both a children's and an adults=20=
hands on clay area, a gallery for local high school ceramic class work, and=20=
ongoing demos by members throughout the show. =C2=A0It is a three day event,=
free to the public. =C2=A0Commission has ranged from 12% to 20% and is curr=
ently 18%. =C2=A0A full booth costs $160. =C2=A0This is a non-juried show (i=
n keeping with concept of being a cooperative group) but you must have been=20=
a member for one full year before you are eligible for a booth. =C2=A0Becaus=
e we have more members that want to be in the show than we have room for, yo=
u also have to qualify for a certain number of points to get in now. =C2=A0Y=
ou earn points by being a member, being in the gallery, serving on OPA or Sh=
owcase committees. =C2=A0In other words, work is rewarded by a place in the=20=
show. =C2=A0Points vary from l5 for being chairman of a important committee=20=
to l per year for OPA membership. =C2=A0The point system only came into bein=
g when we began to have more potters than space, but it has helped a great d=
eal to fill the committee positions required to put on a show of this size.=20=
=C2=A0=C2=A0Everyone in the show has to work on one committee and three work=
shifts =C2=A0for a full booth. =C2=A0Our show has a central sales desk, hol=
ding tables and wrapping desks so potters are free to be in their booths whe=
n not doing workshifts. =C2=A0Potters do not need to handle money, visa or w=
rapping in their booths. =C2=A0Two years ago we put the bookkeeping into a c=
omputer system which operates during the show and gives us and each potter=20=
=C2=A0a daily record. =C2=A0We post flyers around town and mail postcards=20=
=C2=A0to a huge mailing list (which brings in about 1/3 of our customers).
I have to correct Hank Murrow as to the highest income for Showcase. =C2=A0T=
he first few years we were happy to make $l3,000 (with around 38 potters. We=
have moved =C2=A04 times to larger spaces and increased sales slowly over t=
he years. Our best year so far was 2003 when we sold roughly $495,000. =C2=
=A0We have never sold 3/4 of a million. =C2=A0The last 4 years have each gon=
e down a bit, and we are looking (as all of you are) for the reasons. =C2=
=A0Not good enough publicity? =C2=A0That is certainly very important! What g=
ets shown in the papers or on TV makes a lot of difference. More competition=
from the Glass, Fiber, Bead and Metal Guilds who now rent spaces and piggy=20=
back on our show the same weekend? =C2=A0That makes for a very interesting e=
vent for the public but it probably siphons off some of our profits. =C2=A0G=
ood weather (everyone goes to the beaches or stays home to mow the lawn) or=20=
having to move to a late April, rather than an early May date also affect=20=
=C2=A0our sales.
I think one of the reasons sales are down for potters is that we are not doi=
ng a very good job of educating the public about our work. =C2=A0Changes in=20=
college curriculums to art instead of pottery creates fewer lovers of nice p=
ots. =C2=A0For a few years glass has taken over as a more exciting craft.
The concept of lovingly prepared and presented meals has gone by the wayside=
with two working parents and over-programmed children.
Slick, quick and hi tech seem more important to many than a nicely set table=
. =C2=A0 Many of our members are ceramic artists rather than potters and som=
e of them do very well, and some do not. =C2=A0Having worked on the bookkeep=
ing committee for all 25 years I can tell you that who sells well and who do=
es not is =C2=A0not always easy to predict. =C2=A0Some consistently sell wel=
l. =C2=A0Some sell well the year they get some kind of special publicity in=20=
the paper. Some sell well one year and not the next. =C2=A0Some change their=
work to something they like better and hardly sell anything in the new styl=
e. =C2=A0Beginners with rather crude work some times sell better than MFA's=20=
with very sophisticated work. =C2=A0We figure that each booth needs to make=20=
about $850 in commission to run the show. =C2=A0Some booths pay as little as=
$100 =C2=A0and others pay as much as $2500 in commission (at 18%).
OPA deliberately decided to hold Showcase in May just before Mother's day, s=
o that we would be able to use it as an educational tool without the hype of=
Christmas buying. =C2=A0This has taken us out of the realm of Christmas baz=
aars and we get better publicity for it. =C2=A0We can tell that Portland has=
become a better place to sell pottery than it was 20 years ago. Also, we fe=
lt we had plenty of opportunities to sell at =C2=A0Christmas, but early Spri=
ng has always been a slow income time. =C2=A0Many of our members work togeth=
er to have studio sales at Christmas time, and OPA prints a brochure listing=
all of those.=C2=A0
A central sales desk and not jurying are two ongoing issues that especially=20=
bother newcomers. =C2=A0We like the central desk because it frees us to be i=
n our booths with customers, or working or visiting around with other potter=
s, and the cooperative, rather than competitive spirit this has engendered o=
ver the years is a real value to all of us. =C2=A0We don't jury because the=20=
best potters are not always the best workers, and hard workers deserve their=
spot in the show. =C2=A0I think the show would have disintegrated by now if=
we had juried the work, and over the years, new better potters got in and l=
ong-time hard workers were juried out. =C2=A0 We started out with a pretty g=
ood mix of good and not so good, and there seems to be a market for both.=
=C2=A0Beginners learn a great deal in the process of showing, and either get=
better or leave eventually. =C2=A0The group booth is a good venue for begin=
ners and newcomers.=C2=A0Putting on a show of this size requires a lot of co=
mmittees and year round work, but it doesn't have to start out that way.=C2=
=A0
I agree with Kathi about staying away from the 501C3 non-profit status. =C2=
=A0A few years back some in out group thought it was a good thing, and all i=
t has added is another layer of complicated board requirements and bookkeepi=
ng. =C2=A0We were doing it on our own without asking for grants.
Take pride is the ability to support your own work and keep the government a=
nd paid professionals out of it. =C2=A0Let people support you by buying your=
work, not donations.
Sorry about the long post. =C2=A0There is just so much to say.
Wishing you all a long, peaceful rest after Christmas.
Ellen Currans
Dundee, Oregon=C2=A0
=C2=A0=C2=A0 =C2=A0
________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.=
aol.com
Kristina Pell on mon 24 dec 07
I really appreciate this thread on sales and shows. It helps me to choose my path. I have been struggling to kick start my career as an artist for 20 years now. I haven't been able to get the damned engine to turn over! Trying to find my niche but rarely ever having the space or time to do so. Things go very slow when pottery is part time, very slow. Pottery is even more than a career, it is a lifestyle. And it helps to own property. People keep telling me I should do craft fairs but they are ignorant about the differences between gallery work and craft fair work. The work I am doing now are narrative sculptures that are not going to be mass produced. They belong in a gallery and it makes me a bit frustrated when uninitiated people tell me I should do craft fairs. Even when I explain why I don't want to do craft fairs with this work, I get a blank stare of confusion. I have a friend who has been doing craft fares for 20 plus years with her metal patina'd tables and wall
hangings and she has been experiencing falling sales too.
So please, keep talking about business. I get a lot out of it!
Krista Peterson
________________________________________________________________________
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Chris Campbell on mon 24 dec 07
One of the replies to this string asked about
limiting imported objects at shows and wondering
why it was not always done.
As a juror of a show that claimed to be trying to keep
out imports I can attest to how incredibly hard
it is to identify and classify imported work.
First of all, the show's promoters were opposed to imports
but not really interested in digging for details ...
'close' was good enough if you paid your money.
Second, you have to be in the craft to know when something stank.
As a potter, I could see the signs in pottery but not in other work.
Was it made by machine from original designs or made by machine
from a common template?
e.g. when is using a knitting machine the same as hand knitting?
Metal work carved by laser computers and 'aged' with chemicals ...
how do you know if the pattern is the artists own? or the process?
With glass ... what about hand painting glass ware that is 100%
imported ...
where and when does the handmade start or end?
In fabric ... where did the scarf come from that the artist painted?
Did they only open a box and press them before offering them for sale?
If a potter buys bisque and paints it ... is that 100% handmade?
If a jeweler buys all the parts from importers .. is the finished piece
American
made? should it be in the same area as the pieces made from scatch?
It was a nightmare to jury as the questions are subject to a hundred
varied
answers ...
sure there were easy ones to spot but at least 50% were in this gray
area
and after endless discussion we still did not find that wandering line
that could not be crossed.
Happy Holidays to All
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina - who just found out she is going to
be a grandma ... Yikes!
Chris Campbell Pottery LLC
9417 Koupela Drive
Raleigh NC 27615-2233
Designs in Colored Porcelain
1-800-652-1008
Fax : 919-676-2062
website: www.ccpottery.com
wholesale : www.wholesalecrafts.com
Tom at Hutchtel.net on mon 24 dec 07
As a show juror, I agree with you Chris...it's very hard from slides or
pictures to tell what's import and not. Our local show includes language
that anything not listed in the slide may get a request for removal.
A show we did and do in Chicago let itself go down the slippery slop of too
many booths and too much junk. They're trying to rebuild it and now require
5 pictures of you doing the work and these ultimately have to be posted in
the booth at the show. At least it puts people on notice that they are
trying.
Congratulations on the new status, Chris. Betsy just got to be one a month
ago. Grins ear to ear constantly.
Tom Wirt
Hutchinson, MN
twirt@hutchtel.net
www.claycoyote.com
>>From: "Chris Campbell"
>Subject: Re: An observation about shows
> As a juror of a show that claimed to be trying to keep
> out imports I can attest to how incredibly hard
> it is to identify and classify imported work.
>
> First of all, the show's promoters were opposed to imports
> but not really interested in digging for details ...
> 'close' was good enough if you paid your money.
>
gayle bair on mon 24 dec 07
Krista,
Last summer I started displaying my sculptural pieces along with my
functional work at "craft" shows and our local farmers market. They
were set up on a table dedicated to my pricier pieces.
At each show I have sold a sculpture (prices $350 - $425). One couple
came to my last show
said they had seen the sculpture at the farmers market months earlier
and bought it. I also sold one at the farmers market (the season runs
May - Oct). The market is tough because I have to shlep & set up my
work for a 4 hour sale but it also has been a great marketing tool for
me.
I have developed work with a broad pricing range so someone who
admires a pricey piece but cannot afford it can buy something they can
afford. This has worked well for me for going on 6 years.
When you mentioned your friend noticing sales dropping I wondered if
her work is the same or if she is making new fresh work/designs? I
work hard making new work, coming up with new ideas.
I have customers who tell me they love to come to my booth because I
always have new work. This year the sculptural pieces were one of them.
Now the demographics in my area in WA are likely not the same as the
ones in your area which means there are many factors to consider. For
me it's a continual trial and error. I don't expect it to ever stop
being trial and error as so many factors are beyond my control e.g.
economy, demographics, galleries, weather etc. I guess that's what
keeps it fresh and exciting. New barriers to conquer & hurdles to
leap. The trick is to get over the fear and dive in... the water is
warm!
Good luck,
Gayle Bair
Tucson AZ
Bainbridge Island WA
gayle@claybair.com
www.claybair.com
On Dec 24, 2007, at 9:51 AM, Kristina Pell wrote:
> I really appreciate this thread on sales and shows. It helps me to
> choose my path. I have been struggling to kick start my career as an
> artist for 20 years now. I haven't been able to get the damned
> engine to turn over! Trying to find my niche but rarely ever having
> the space or time to do so. Things go very slow when pottery is part
> time, very slow. Pottery is even more than a career, it is a
> lifestyle. And it helps to own property. People keep telling me I
> should do craft fairs but they are ignorant about the differences
> between gallery work and craft fair work. The work I am doing now
> are narrative sculptures that are not going to be mass produced.
> They belong in a gallery and it makes me a bit frustrated when
> uninitiated people tell me I should do craft fairs. Even when I
> explain why I don't want to do craft fairs with this work, I get a
> blank stare of confusion. I have a friend who has been doing craft
> fares for 20 plus years with her metal patina'd tables and wall
> hangings and she has been experiencing falling sales too.
>
> So please, keep talking about business. I get a lot out of it!
>
> Krista Peterson
Kristina Pell on tue 25 dec 07
Last summer I started displaying my sculptural pieces along with my
functional work at "craft" shows and our local farmers market. They
were set up on a table dedicated to my pricier pieces.
At each show I have sold a sculpture (prices $350 - $425). One couple
came to my last show
Gayle,
Thanks for the encouragement and breaking open my preconceived notions.
I don't really care for craft fairs but if it's local and won't take too
effort and gas I'll do it.
I lived in Portland for a couple of years and was very impressed with OPA.
But Portanders seem to be more sophisticated as far as the arts go. Just about
everyone I met there had a hobby in the arts or were artists of some kind. Here in
Phoenix it's all about sports. And I haven't figured out a way to market to
sports fans aside from making sports memorabilia or bobbleheads, ugh! No thanks.
Krista Peterson
---------------------------------
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Kathy McDonald on tue 25 dec 07
I agree about the farmer's market and local art craft fairs,
I've done much better with the higher priced items at our
local farmer's market there than at galleries.
People stop by my booth for a cranberry scone or 2, checkout
what's new in the jewelry dept.
(which is much easier to set up than a whole pot display).
Then I take 4 or 5 fairly pricey pieces (bowls or vases) and
feature them with some staple items like mugs and butter
keepers.
I sold one nearly every week.
Maybe marketing has changed. Way back when a garden store
featured my pottery, about 9 years ago they quit. Now they
are back ordering nearly every month and they want earth
tones, and wood fired things.
Mel's mile radius...the buy local message is getting thru.
Happy Holiday!
Kathy
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of
Kristina
Pell
Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2007 9:54 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: An observation about shows
Last summer I started displaying my sculptural pieces along
with my
functional work at "craft" shows and our local farmers
market. They
were set up on a table dedicated to my pricier pieces.
At each show I have sold a sculpture (prices $350 - $425).
One couple
came to my last show
Gayle,
Thanks for the encouragement and breaking open my
preconceived notions.
I don't really care for craft fairs but if it's local and
won't take too
effort and gas I'll do it.
I lived in Portland for a couple of years and was very
impressed with OPA.
But Portanders seem to be more sophisticated as far as the
arts go. Just about
everyone I met there had a hobby in the arts or were artists
of some kind. Here in
Phoenix it's all about sports. And I haven't figured out a
way to market to
sports fans aside from making sports memorabilia or
bobbleheads, ugh! No thanks.
Krista Peterson
---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo!
Mobile. Try it now.
____________________________________________________________
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Clayart members may send postings to:
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You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, or
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Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots2@visi.com
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