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Lawrence Sawyer

Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2022
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501-$2000
Price Range of your Work: $40-$1500
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: 5 (great)
Facilities: 5 (great)
Ease of Participating: 5 (great)
Sales: 3
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: 501-10,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Easy app, affordable booth fee, lovely setting, and a smaller but engaged audience.

What could this Art Fair have done better?:
Creatively thinking, it would be cool if they had motorized carts for every artist to use to get their stuff to and from the booth location, since many artists can't drive to their booth. But that's a big ask, and the load-in/out isn't terrible as-is.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
It's one day only, so you are rolling the dice.
Also, recognize that most of the true hotels are about 30 minutes away. This is very rural Wisconsin. However, the Maiden Rock Inn is a B&B just six miles up the road, and it is absolutely gorgeous. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

Additional Commentary on this Show:
Venue is Stockholm Village Park, a multi-acre, heavily shaded, flat village park on the St. Croix River.

Weather: Well, it is July on the St. Croix, so expect 85 and humid. Maybe worse, but if there’s a breeze off the river, it could also be 80 and not so humid and you’ll likely have shade most of the day. Lots of shade from those huge trees.

Load in/out: 50-yard dolly or less for almost everyone across relatively flat ground. No system, nor did it seem like one is needed, but pray it hasn't been raining for a few days.

Setup: Easy to get in Friday evening after 5:00. Lots of room to maneuver. Probably half of the artists will just show up Saturday morning.

Break-down and load-out was a little more chaotic, but not bad. Everyone is agreeable and makes space for their fellow artists. Pretty good vibe among the group.

Very small-town-ish, let’s all get along.
With the assist from my wife, we were packed in the trailer and driving away in 99 minutes.

Parking: dedicated artist parking 100 yards from any booth, with room for a trailer if you have one.

Lodging options: AirBNB’s, hotels 30 minutes away, but before you die, you must stay at the Maiden Rock Inn. It’s astonishing.

The Dirt: Sleeper show. Could be great for you, who knows? Well-run. They keep it simple. 150 applicants each year for 95 slots. If you get in and want to come back, they’ll give you the same booth spot if you want it. Some rotation happens every year for variety.

Population of the town is 78. That’s not a typo. 78. But this is the 48th year for this show and people come from far and wide to support it. 5000+ will show up. Crowd is educated, engaging and many arrive early to buy.

I walked the show and the quality of work was generally very, very good. Heavy on pottery, jewelry and textiles. I couldn’t judge jewelry or textiles if you put a gun to my head, but the pottery was great across the board. I saw some very inventive techniques in play.

There was also ample and excellent painting, etchings, wood work, and really great metalsmiths. Total of three photographers, so I’m a fan already.

The crowds were heavy before opening at 10:00 a.m., packed by 11, tapering by 1:00 and very slow by 2. Most of my sales were made before 1:00.

Matt, the show director, stopped by to introduce himself. He probably already knew 75% of the artists. I saw him helping at least one, breaking down their stuff and packing it. Seems like a righteous dude.

The URL of your profile on ArtFairInsiders.com. https://www.artfairinsiders.com/members/LawrenceMSawyer

Beth Marcus

Medium: 2D mixed media
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: 5
Ease of Participating: 5
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: Not really sure

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Beautiful location, well run & diverse selection of Art. And it was Art!

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
The show was on a peninsula w/a train track cutting it off from mainland. If you are not in a hurry then no problem.

My feedback was about parking (isn't it always) & getting big purchases to the car. I ended up delivering my large piece that sold.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
This was my first art fair. My only other experience before this show had been the Eau Claire,Wi. Downtown Farmers Market. I had a lot of positive feedback & comments like ,you are new here!

I loved being able to park my car close enough to access & my spot had a breeze w/ the water behind me.

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