Art Festivals vs. Craft Fairs, resources and markets

My 34 year experience is different than the more upscale art shows of most members. It is in a park in a town of 9000 with an annual attendance of about that many people. The environment is great, but weather has occasionally been a problem. There are plenty of food and crafts. Some crafts are demonstrated during the event. Live entertainment is provided. A 10x10 booth for this juried show cost $75 last year. Most exhibitors display in tents. I use free-standing pegboard panels with room for a total of 32 16x20 frames. They have become rather decrepit, but so have I. Several activities are provided for children. In keeping with the local economy, my prices are low. Mounted and matted photographs in 16x20 frames were $50 in my final show last year. Unframed they were $20. Unmounted 8.5 x 11 photos were the most profitable at $5. In my best years sales were well over $1000. More often they hardly covered costs. Being a familiar local photographer with some photos of local iconic subjects helped. Repeat business has also been good. Only in the past 10 years have I departed from traditional darkroom prints. Now everything is printed on my Epson. That seems to make little difference in this rural area.

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Originally Posted by Jim Jones

Mounted and matted photographs in 16x20 frames were $50 in my final show last year.

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I would be losing money with every sale at that price, even with the cheapest frames and mat board available!

I do appreciate you all sharing your experiences.

I'm coming late to the party but, nevertheless, here's my input. The only show I've done was too much schlepping for too little money. I made back my booth fee but that's it. It was a neighborhood house tour and street fair and I should have known that people were just going to be lookers. That said, there are two major fairs in this area (PHX). One is in early December and the word among my friends who do shows is that you can't sell anything for more than $100. The second is in the spring and $100 is the starting point. This is not about photography specifically, rather the difference in patron expectations. Good luck.