Seawall Art Show Reviews.

2022Show: A decent event, a bit hot and a sudden rain storm on Saturday to deal with. Sales a bit slow, not much different than the 2019 show. Nice awards dinner offered to the artist on Saturday night. The quality of the items offered by the various artist was top notch. Saw some new faces at this show and new art types as well. Best rest rooms were inside the Police/Welcome Center building next to check it. Very well run event. Plenty of volunteers offering coffee/water during the event. Parking with a trailer a bit of an issue. I took mine back to the hotel but you could use the bank parking lot on the weekend. I would do this show again.

Posted by: Michael Gillespie | 08/29/2022 at 11:57 AM

Medium: Digital Art
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2015
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $500
Price Range of your Work: 10-125
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
1st time
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: 1st year
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 3
Location: 4
Facilities: 5
Ease of Participating: 5
Sales: 3
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: Not really sure

Good Things about this Art Fair:
The volunteer staff is excellent. They come around often with water and snacks for the artists.

Any problems are dealt with swiftly. "Booth sitters" are available for restroom breaks. Setup was well organized, even for a newbie who didn't know the ropes.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
The wind, as everyone else notes. I had over 100 lbs per corner and my tent still constantly moved, plus the pro-panels flex and 2d art might move on the hangers. Some areas are worse than others, but I was on an inside row not near the water and I still felt the wind.

Security is good enough that most artists left their art overnight.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
I think it's worth trying if you don't have to travel far or make over $2000 to make it worth your time.

It was my first big show and I enjoyed the clientele. They were/are art savvy, though not necessarily inclined to buy. The economy definitely had a big impact on purchases, according to more seasoned artists around me.

I did make back my booth fee, but didn't cover all my expenses, however, I still felt it was a good show to attend. At this point in my career I'm not expecting to break records.

The URL of your profile on ArtFairInsiders.com. http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profile/EliseIglio

Posted by: Elise Iglio | 03/28/2016 at 11:20 PM

Medium: Digital Art
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:
2-3 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 3
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 3
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: Not really sure

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Easy load in and out.
Supportive show organizers.
Good hotel within walking distance.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
Windy, real windy.
Many novice artists with not enough weight. Artist next to me had 10 lb. gym weights on bungee cords. Very windy next to dock. Assisted picking up one EZ up in pieces Sunday morning.

Organizers really need to police this better.
If anything happens with the tunnels it does affect attendance.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Unless you have unbreakable art and a heavy tent do not get a spot on the dock. People with Trimlines and plenty of weight were complaining.

Line up for load in starts well before start time and load in can start early as well. Bring a book.

Additional Commentary on this Show:
A good solid show for me as long as the tunnel is open.

Posted by: Alison Thomas | 04/15/2015 at 12:18 AM

I just want to warn artists that last year, the downtown tunnel was closed, but now there is a toll fee that nobody wants to pay. Please consider this issue when booking a booth at this art show.

Posted by: Carla | 04/01/2014 at 12:24 PM

Show Name: Seawall Art Show
City and State: Portsmouth, VA
Your Medium: Wood
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2013
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)3
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 2
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: 501-10,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair: The staff and volunteers were outstanding! They were very helpful, friendly, and just doing everything they could to make the show a good one. The location is nice with the waterfront right there, good traffic control, and good parking.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: SALES! Although there were lots of folks walking through the show, my sales were not what they should have been. I talked with my neighbors and their sales were down as well. Others may have done well, but where I was located, near the water, sales were low. Plenty of folks that liked the work, but it appeared that the economy in the area was tough enough that many folks had to think about purchasing art.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: Two things!
1. I was advised and I saw it working with one of my neighbors, YOU NEED TO HAVE AN IMPULSE BUY! The metal worker across from me did eventually sell a couple of his art pieces, but he was selling hot dog holders as fast as he could put them together, for $10 each.
2. If you are assigned a booth down near the waterfront, make sure you have a heavy tent. I spent two days trying to keep my tent from "dancing". I use an ez up type tent and it was well weighted, but the wind kept the tent structure flexing.

Additional Commentary on this Show: This was my first year doing this show and I have very mixed feeling about this show. On one hand, many folks told me that the fact that the downtown tunnel was closed for this weekend was a huge negative for the show. On the other hand, many folks came to the show via the ferry. My booth was directly next to the ferry landing and lots of folks came by, but my average sale was lower than my usual average sale from previous shows this year. So, was it simply that my prices were too high for this market, was it that the economy in the tidewater area is a little depressed, or was the tunnel closure really a factor. I don't know the answer, but will have to think about whether I will return next year.

Posted by: Wayne Hayden | 09/01/2013 at 08:10 PM

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