Fourth Street Festival of Arts and Crafts Reviews.

Medium: Fiber
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2016
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Price Range of your Work: 55-675
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
2-3 times
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: 3-5 years
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 5
Facilities: 5
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:
This is my 3rd year participating in 4th Street Art Fair in Bloomington,Indiana. I must say, of the 10-15 shows a year that I do, this is one of my favorites.

It is so easy to do. It is well run. The quality of art is top notch. The patrons are wonderful. The money is decent and the show is very affordable.

Booths are lined on the street 2 blocks long with ample room behind the tent and pathways between every 2-3 tents. If you are one of the lucky artists, your booth backs up to a surface parking lot right behind your booth. That makes for very easy load in/ load out.

This year the weather was PERFECT. My sales were 10x booth fee. I stayed at a very reasonable Air bnb.
Overall, I would call it a worthwhile weekend.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
Because the show is located on a city street, setup begins at 6pm Friday night. If it takes you a long time to set up, you could be using a flashlight to finish your booth.

Posted by: Jeri Vitello | 09/06/2016 at 11:47 PM

Medium: Fiber
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2014
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: 5
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 5
Overall: 5
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
I am relatively new to the Art Fair circuit, so I can only speak to what was good about this fair based upon what I liked about it. The show is small in comparison to others which I seem to do better at smaller shows.

The load in and load out were both easy with parking in a reserved lot behind the booths. The show organizers were very helpful. They provided a great meal along with the awards ceremony on Saturday night.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
There was nothing BAD about the Art Fair. It would have been nice to have information sent prior to the show rather than perusing their website for requirements. But that probably keeps their expenses down which is a good thing.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Apply! It is a show run by artists, supported by the community. All the work I saw was quality. Despite feeling proud of my work, I was humbled by those who were there and their work and proud to be a part of the show.

Posted by: Jeri Vitello | 04/12/2015 at 05:34 PM

Show Name: Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts
City and State: Bloomington, IN
Your Medium: Sculpture
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2012
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 10+ times!
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair: Easy set up with nearby parking. This is a laid back show with an easy-going feel. Artists set up without a lot of rules or hassles and all runs smoothly. Crowds (when it's not raining!) are good and art-savvy and sales can be good.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: Last year's weather really washed out Sunday and slower sales were reflected for many.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: There is a lot of competition for this show, so don't be discouraged if not accepted. There is an opportunity for artists/public to view each year's applicants. It always seems like a good idea to attend a jury when possible to see what your competition is like!

Posted by: Cappi Phillips | 04/06/2013 at 02:23 PM

Show Name: Fourth Street Festival
City and State: Bloomington, IN
Your Medium: Metal
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501-$2000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 3-5 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 2
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 2
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Poor
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair: Fair is on a street lined with ethnic restaurants in old victorian type homes. That lends a kind of ambience to the show. A well run, well attended show. Set up and tear down can be a little hectic but not terrible. In past years I have had very solid sales here with lots of interest. 2011 was way off for me but it was also horribly hot (106 in the shade) and while people did come out they walked around looking stunned.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: There isn't really anything bad to say--the set up and tear down can be a bit crazy with the traffic flow down to one way on the street and artists intent on setting up before they move their vehicles or vehicles with trailers clogging up the street--you know, the usual business.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: While the show is on a residential tree-lined street there are several parking lots that back up to it. If your booth is in front of a parking lot you can park and unload and set up without moving your vehicle. Spots on the street in front of the restaurants are a little more problematic when it comes to setting up and tearing down but I like them better.

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

Posted by: Vinnie Sutherland | 02/16/2012 at 03:12 PM

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