Pat Southwood on sat 5 oct 02
Dear All,
It was a race between me and Janet to comment on this first, Excuse me, did
you really say breakfast, booth sitters and
massages????????????????????????????
Well b****r my old boots. I am definitly in the wrong continent. I forwarded
your e. to a textiles chum from college and it is pinned up in her workshop.
Blast we shruck....
(DON'TEVER EXPECT THIS IN ENGLAND)
I have just recieved the gen on the next "DesignerFair" I am supposed to be
doing in Hampstead, London- v.v.v. posh bit. as well.
Stand fee, £260. elec and furniture, £55 insurance, £20 Petrol. £50 b&b £125
per night. I need to clear £550 min.in order to clear expenses. Never mind
thinking about that insulting word "profit"
I booked and paid for this a year ago, whilst I was going through a phase of
applying for everything to see where I was best placed.
Given that I booked it a year ago, I have a duff site, arrival @ 4.30pm
(Other side of central London) 4hr car drive, set up and private view @ 6pm
. Whaaa?
I've decided not to do it, dont like to let people down , but there is only
so much shit you can take and to watch every scrap of your self confidence
ooze quietly out of the door is an experience I can only accomodate once in
my life.
The very best of luck to those that can do it, I guess doing it with someone
else isnt quite so bad, at least you have someone to either celebrate or
drown your sorrows with. Doing it on your own is the pits.
Sorry to be miserable.
Pat.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Janet Kaiser"
To:
Sent: Saturday, October 05, 2002 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: art fair organizers
On 04/10/02 at 12:56 KLeSueur@AOL.COM wrote:
>Breakfast, booth sitters, and massage all go to making this an enjoyable
show.
JUST WHAT I NEED!!! Shame Tennessee is a tad far away...
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: 01766-523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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OWLPOTTER@AOL.COM on sat 5 oct 02
Oh my! Guess anyone who has a good show had better keep it to themselves!
Especially if it involves booth sitters, breakfast and massages!
We simply cannot have potters on several continents sinking into such deep
depressions that they start counting up their losses before they've even left
their studios.
-Carolynn Palmer,
Somerset Center,
Michigan
Buonaiuto on sat 5 oct 02
>
> Reply to Pat from g.b. ...enjoyed the email even if it was a bit
depressed, just to hear about a show in England. Of course I don't know what
they're like there...we do from 12 to 17 a year here in the states, (often
with breakfast, some with lunch, some with gala suppers that you get ONE
free ticket to, and occasionally massages, most with booth sitters)) and are
able to make a living that way better than doing galleries, though we do a
few galleries too.
But I just wanted to say, that even if your self-confidence is at times a
bit compromised, I've had some very good ideas for new work at bad shows, as
I study the response of the people looking at my work, and study the booth,
seeing what may be needed to make a better presentation.
Even though, I admit, a bad show is singularly depressing.
Good luck.
Shelley
>
Buonaiuto on sun 6 oct 02
> It is especially unhelpful in this case, when over =A31,000 sterling (t=
ry
> converting into your own local currency) in costs before setting
> out,
The situation in the states is that if you don't put out a lot of money t=
o
do a good show, you just won't make money...of course, sometimes you risk
the investment and still don't do well. But there is also the element tha=
t
if you do a show for the first time, people sort of have to find you and
think about it...we have noticed that we usually do best on the third yea=
r
we do a show, and after that we stay even and then decline in sales. So w=
e
don't like to do a show more than 4 or 5 years in a row, unless it's a ve=
ry
large crowd. But these days, with the economy
in recession, the shows in general have been less lucrative. We always tr=
y
to have something affordable to sell.
Shelley
>
kruzewski on sun 6 oct 02
Hi Pat,
I did the first potters fair in Tredegar House, Near Cardiff this year. I
have to say that, although massage wasn't on offer, nor, I'm sorry to say,
breakfast, the help we got and the organisation was excellent. They had
student helpers - nicknamed "fairys" - who came and asked if you'd like a
break and could they stall-sit for you, they supplied bubblewrap free - and
would get more for you whenever you wanted, had a visa fairy (rather like an
oversized Eddie Izzard and just as whacky) so we could all take visa - they
would just come to your stall with the machine - and were always there to
help. They helped put up/pull down our stalla and did all the fetching and
carrying from
the cars to the marquee. Refreshments were just outside the marquee and I'm
sure, if they'd been asked, the fairys would have got anything we wanted. I
paid £125 for stand space and electrity - I wanted to take my own tables -
and I have to say that it was a very happy experience and lots of lovely
potters - including right opposite me Janet and Frank Hamer - of Hamer and
Hamer's dictionary. Lovely lovely people and a joy to be with - even if
Frank was obsessed with re-arranging my stall and scaring off all my
customers (must have been the salmon pink jumper!).
This was a potters fair though, and I think this is why the organisation was
so good. People in our business understand what we need and they want US to
be successful. The idea was/is to publicise ceramics, sell ceramics, not for
the organisers to make a profit (they didn't). In future no more craft fairs
for me. Potters fairs are the way to go.
Jacqui
North Wales
> Well b****r my old boots. I am definitly in the wrong continent. I
forwarded
> your e. to a textiles chum from college and it is pinned up in her
workshop.
> Blast we shruck....
> (DON'TEVER EXPECT THIS IN ENGLAND)
> Sorry to be miserable.
> Pat.
>
Janet Kaiser on sun 6 oct 02
I take some exception to that tart remark, even if made in jest. It evokes
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit", as my Mother used to say.
It is especially unhelpful in this case, when over =A31,000 sterling (try
converting into your own local currency) in costs before setting out, is an
awful lot of money, whichever continent you happen to live on. In the UK,
where the average annual income of a working potter is =A312,000 go figure
out some simple sums before being sarcastic about it.
"Cutting your losses" may not be necessary for some makers on this list,
but I cannot think of many who would "invest" such a large amount of time,
effort and money in a fair, which they know from experience will not recoup
costs and do little to promote their name or work. A negative experience, I
hasten to point out, which was recently shared with the list and no one
thought to commiserate with or share similar experience. Of course only a
hand full of us know which prestigious event was being referred to, so it
was of no consequence.
But don't worry... You can talk about the good shows on clay art to your
heart's content. I can guarantee there will not be a stampede of potters
from the other continents looking for luxury on the US fair circuit. They
will get stopped by Uncle Sam at immigration and their pots will be
impounded by customs... You are quite safe.
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
>Oh my! Guess anyone who has a good show had better keep it to themselves!
>Especially if it involves booth sitters, breakfast and massages!
>
>We simply cannot have potters on several continents sinking into such deep
>depressions that they start counting up their losses before they've even
>left their studios.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art =95 Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: 01766-523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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