Funky Ferndale Art Show Reviews -

Medium: Sculpture
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2023
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Price Range of your Work: 200-800
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
5-10 times
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: 5-10 years
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 5 (great)
Ease of Participating: 5 (great)
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 5 (great)
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
People come to shop.

What could this Art Fair have done better?:
Retailers are not always open.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Centeredly located service Detroit and the suburbs.

Posted by: Kelly O Neill | 04/05/2023 at 10:06 PM

Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2018
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501 - $2,000
Price Range of your Work: $25 - $500
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: Forever...
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5
Location: 4
Facilities: 3
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 2
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Poor
Estimated Attendance: 501 - 10,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Extremely well run and planned! The show director is attentive and receptive, and thinks about artists needs.

The show is well attended, with a constant flow of people. The loading/unloading traffic was extremely well directed and organized. They came by daily with a hospitality cart (water and snacks), booth sitter available via a phone call.

What could this Art Fair have done better?:
The show-goers were walking, not shopping. The overall feel of the event reminded me of a street festival, NOT an art fair. Why? The patrons appeared to be looking for something fun to do, not looking for art.

I realize that the show is in an urban area, but the parking situation sucks. The reserved artist parking is a bit of a hike, alone, in an urban area. Not good for a jeweler.

The show should maybe have a tent/weight requirement, as there were numerous booths that were very unstable in the wind and not properly weighted.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Don't bother applying if you don't have work under $50. That appears to be the magic price point.

Additional Commentary on this Show:
There is a concurrent show down the street, called the DIY show, that is where the hipsters congregate. It stays open late, has live music and beer, and sounds like a lot of fun if you're into that. It seemed like a lot of folks passed thru the Funky Ferndale show on their way to DIY, and were surprised that we were not staying open past 7!

Posted by: Claudia Winter | 10/07/2018 at 08:30 PM

Medium: 2D mixed media
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2015
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Price Range of your Work: 20-1500
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
3-5 times
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: 5-10 years
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 5
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 501-10,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Funky does well

See my blog on ArtFairInsiders.com for additional commentary on this Show
Yes, please note that on my review

Posted by: Paul Flack | 10/07/2015 at 10:11 PM

Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2014
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501-$2000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 5
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
The show starts on Friday afternoon and goes all weekend. Set-up begins as early as 7 am and there was no problem being able to drive to my spot, unload and set up without getting in the way of other artists.

I came from out of town Thursday night, so set up Friday morning and went back to my hotel for a luxurious nap before opening the show.

The show coordinator and his staff were on site all weekend and were very helpful. Sunday morning there was a sumptuous and generous breakfast and a humorous, light hearted award ceremony.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
I was surprised that although this was a juried art show, there were some commercial vendors. Right across from me was the dermatology studio calling out to passersby to enter their raffle. I had to speak with them a few times to please not call out to customers that were in front of my booth.

One down side was there were no restroom facilities for the show, so we had to rely on stores and restaurants to let us use their bathrooms.

Free Parking for the artists was several blocks away, but you could pay to park closer. Worst part of the show for me was that on Sunday after everything was done and I had my booth all packed up I could not remember where I parked my car, and ended up walking around an extra 45 minutes, fearing my car had been towed because maybe I parked in the wrong lot. Note to self: next year write a note on where car is parked.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
The show is true to its name: Funky Ferndale. In my case that is a good thing, because my jewelry tends to be funky and eclectic.

The art represented covered a great variety of talent and imagination. I did not see any buy /sell in the art show. There is another craft show that runs parallel to this one just a few blocks over.

Funky Ferndale is a well known and long standing show and caters to diversity. I felt a good comeraderie amongst the artists and show staff.

Posted by: Sandy Walker | 10/19/2014 at 11:16 PM

The Funky Ferndale Art Show 2012 was fantastic. Well organized and very well attended.

The bonus? The shoppers loved unique things and they were ready to buy.

Great, great, great!

Posted by: kelli | 06/13/2013 at 06:04 AM

Show Name: Funky Ferndale
City and State: Ferndale, mi
Your Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: Rather not say
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 2
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 501-10,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair: it is funky, good energy, good sales, great neighborhood, small but good show

Bad Things about this Art Fair: need more artists

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: apply if you don't have too far of a drive

Posted by: Serena David | 12/08/2011 at 11:59 PM

I had a WONDERFUL experience last weekend at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair! The weather was perfect and the crowds were amazing. I haven't worked a art fair that had crowds like that all summer long. And what a crowd! So arts conscious! An eclectic vibrant crowd drizzled in wearable art bubbling from booth to booth in open admiration of each artist. I was really pleased as I spent the summer watching blue hairs with walkers walk right on by my booth. This crowd had spunk....moxie....it was great! I made my booth rent and beyond. My big pieces stayed on the wall. The crowd wanted affordable art....but they definitely wanted art. Not a problem if you offer something for every budget. I sold quite a few cards and prints. I also added quite a few people to my mailing list, which is good because this crowd seemed loyal and appreciative. Can't wait to see what comes from that! :)
My fellow artists were all wonderful. I met some really talented and friendly artists. And the art out there at the fair was amazing and fabulous....different.....FUNKY! It was a perfect mix. There wasn't the same old.....ceramics, photography, paintings, ceramics, photography, paintings,ceramics, photography, paintings that you see at all the other art fairs. These artists were unique and wonderful.
Mark Loeb and his wonderful staff were great. He made a point to stop by each booth and check on the artists at some point in the show. They had a wonderful "sit-down-in-a-restaursnt" breakfast for us on Sunday morning. So much better than the "grab-a-bagel-if-they-are-still-there" breakfasts I've been offered at other shows. I actually got to have more than a 2 minute conversation with other artists. I really enjoyed that. As an artist you spend so much time alone in a studio or alone in your art fair booth trying to talk up customers, you never get the time to talk shop with your peers like other business/trades might be able to.
I will definitely put this show on my list for next year and the year after that, etc.

Posted by: Maria Oliva Tyra | 09/23/2011 at 10:54 AM

Show Name: Funky Ferndale
City and State: Ferndale, MI
Your Medium: Drawing
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $5001-$10,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 5 (great)
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair: If you have something different, its great. Great attitude from the folks in Detroit. A lot of cool stuff is going on along with the show.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: If you have different, this is great.

For more of my commentary on this show please click on my name below to visit my blog on ArtFairInsiders.com.

Posted by: Paul Flack | 09/22/2011 at 12:23 AM

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by: |

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type:

Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.