Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival Reviews.

Randall Fox gives you a hard time just to show off.
He will also throw you out with no other reason than "its my show and I can do whatever I want" I don't know why he is still in bossiness, I guess that is why he has so many retail type booths (Real artist will not return once they go through the experience).
He will not give you a location till you get there and do a line to get your paper work. After doing shows with him for two years he acts like he never meet you before and requires you to show your drivers license. We park like 3/4 of a mile away and if was very hot, I left my wallet in the car and my wife ask him politely, please Randall you know us. He got upset and said he will not bend the rules for us, throw us out of the show and said that we need to take a break. Just a few minutes before, I heard that one of his associates ask him over the radio about a jeweler that was there and had not paid if it would be possible to pay for the show after the show was over with the money she will collect at the show, and he said it was OK, actually he said to tell her she can do what ever she want.
We have not done shows with him anymore.

Posted by: JMIGUEL HERNANDEZ | 03/14/2023 at 09:16 AM

I think people who see other people sitting in booths have to consider these may be spouses or family members there to help out. It can be extremely tiring and even impossible for artists to be present in their booths 100% of the time, even 95% of the time, even if it's required. My husband is present in my booth when I need a break. I don't know how you tell if someone is an "agent".

Posted by: Shelly Leit | 10/25/2015 at 02:19 AM

This was a very fun art fair to do and I sold more than I thought I would. Yes, there is some junky re-selling stuff there, but not a lot. Really it was the best art fair I was in all year so far. Lots of crowds, affluent people, people interested in art.
It's very well promoted and run AND the volunteers are great.
Also, the bagpipe music in the morning was awesome.
The neighborhood it's held in is getting increasingly upscale. I would like to be in this art fair again.

Posted by: Shelly Leit | 10/25/2015 at 02:15 AM

I agree with Amy's comments above. it's the co-owner Randall Fox that gives all the artists a hard time. He will also throw you out with no other reason then "its my show and I can do whatever I want". I with others have had several run-ins with him. He seems to forget that we pay him to be in theses shows. This was my first and last year at this show because of him.

Posted by: John Quesnell | 09/03/2015 at 11:40 AM

Medium: Metal
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2014
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501-$2000
Price Range of your Work: 20-250
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
1st time
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: 2
Sales: 2
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: 501-10,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
The promoters are great. They are well-organized and helpful.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
In a new park with no trees, and this show is the last weekend of June...in Atlanta...I was miserable.

Plus I was in a section of the show that required me to dolly in from quite a distance.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Try to get one of the spots that can be driven to. If you are at the far north end of the show, it's quite a chore to load in and out.

Additional Commentary on this Show:
This is an up and coming area with lots of new loft condos going in. The art I saw people purchasing were things that would go well in an urban apartment.

Posted by: Nancy Biggins | 04/21/2015 at 05:14 PM

Amy Fletcher -- have you done other art fairs in the Atlanta area that you liked better?

Posted by: Shelly L | 02/25/2015 at 11:03 PM

I believe this is the second year for this show and it is located in an area of Atlanta where many new condos and homes are being built. That means that attendance can only get better over time. The residents are young though so are probably looking more for home décor than jewelry, although I didn't do badly. I think that the AFFPS tries hard to keep out buy/sell but they may have had a "market" area at this show where buy/sell was allowed. They typically don't allow them to intermingle with real artists. The location is in a new park adjacent to the city of Atlanta so it has lots of potential. I would do it again.

Posted by: Susan Toole | 08/18/2014 at 07:53 AM

Medium: Painting
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2014
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: < $500
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 1 (poor)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 3
Ease of Participating: 3
Sales: 1 (poor)
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Poor
Estimated Attendance: 501-10,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
There were many helpful assistants who had eager smiles! There were regular visits on both days with water and snacks.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
From the get go, I was put off by one of the main volunteers (or perhaps an employee of the AFFPS). I had just driven six hours, dollied my things to my spot, picked up dog poop from my spot and began setting up, when a golf cart stops in front of my tent (which I was under and opening).
"Do you need help?" I hear someone say. "Yes, thank you," I answered as a kind man helped me finish locking the tent.
The OTHER man, got out of the cart and said, "Where are your weights?"
Sweating, gasping for air, and completely exhausted, I was confused. "What?" I said.
"I need to see the weights for your tent," he said. "Yes, I have them".
"I NEED to see your WEIGHTS. Do you have 40 lbs per leg?"
"They are in here," I said as I opened a container.
"You'll thank me later," he said as he drove away.
I don't think so!

As I was leaving the festival, he insulted me again! I won't go into it but my encounters with this person were so off putting because he was so rude!
This was my first "zero" show. It was slow. There were buy/sell and clearly NOT artist made "crafts". I saw "agents" sitting in artists booths both days, with no artist present, etc., etc.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
From the RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE SHOW:
"All Artist Market merchandise must be original, handmade and created by the Exhibitor."
This was NOT true!
There were many, many booths where the items were NOT "made" by the exhibitor.
"Artists must be present with their work for the duration of the Festival. No commercial agents, dealers or salespeople may operate an artist's booth."
Also, not true. I saw a couple of booths that had other people sitting in other than the artist on both days.

Additional Commentary on this Show:
This is a fun show for families looking for something to do on the weekend. I don't consider it a buying market. YET. It could get there in the next few years with all the new housing going up in the area.

If the AFFPS would stick to their rules, then I think the show could become a higher caliber show. Right now, it's not what I had been led to believe it would be.

Posted by: Amy Fletcher | 07/07/2014 at 12:30 PM

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