Challenge New Mexico Arts & Crafts Show Reviews..

Medium: Mixed
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2019
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2,001 - $5,000
Price Range of your Work: $25 - $525
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: 5
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 5
Overall: 5
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: Not really sure.

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Santa Fe is an art town & people are there to experience the ambiance of New Mexico. Being on Santa Fe Plaza during the height of tourist season is taking advantage of time & place.

The organizers are great, the cause is non-profit, sales were, for me, great (as I had heard from others last year they would be).

What could this Art Fair have done better?:
Within their control, can't think of a thing.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
My experience with out of state shows is limited, but I'd look for inexpensive lodging, Motel 6 on Cerrillos Road, or in Espanola.

Bring lots of water & a hat, weights for tent, bug spray. Be sure to try Central New Mexican cuisine.

Additional Commentary on this Show:
We live in NM so participation in Santa Fe is convenient for us. Santa Fe is a tourist town, although locals from the area (Central NM) do attend and purchase.

This was to date my best show (outside of balloon fiesta artisans tent, which I’ve been doing for the last six years).

There are always conditions which cannot be controlled, but this year the weather was excellent (hot & dry, bring lots of water), and plenty of people buying.

Loading/unloading is hectic but under control, with lots of volunteers to help as requested/needed.

There is a parking structure reasonably close to the Plaza that charges $5/day parking; parking on the streets on Sunday is free.

The 5 & 10 across the street allows us to use their restroom for free, but I always buy something anyway.

Storage behind tents is discouraged (not allowed), weights are necessary since staking is prohibited. I didn’t see any buy-sell; there are always plenty of jewelry booths (why is that), but also a wide range of other mediums.

The City has strict limits on when sales can be made (during posted show hours only); word is the regular retail stores don’t appreciate the various shows held on the Plaza.

I don’t stay in Santa Fe, but Googling, looks like there is a Motel 6 close by, with reasonable rates. The next closest area would be Espanola to the north (approximately 30 minutes away).

The one thing that I don’t have enough experience to know is whether tourists prefer to buy from local artists, or not. Recently we did Steamboat Springs and the people who seemed most inclined to purchase my larger pieces were, strangely enough, tourists. I think I need to prove I’m not a fly-by-night to the locals before they will spend larger $$, which is one reason I believe I need to do a show at least two or three times before throwing in the towel.

If I had made as much at Steamboat Springs, CO, as I did at Challenge NM, I would have been dancing with glee.

The URL of your profile on ArtFairInsiders.com. https://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/profile/show?id=KateMcKeough

Posted by: Kate McKeough | 07/31/2019 at 08:39 PM

Medium: Glass
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2018
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501 - $2,000
Price Range of your Work: $65 - $500
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) 2
Location: 5
Facilities: 3
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:
First, I'm a poor judge as to how many people attend. This was held in the square of Santa Fe. People milling around in the park were not necessarily attending the show.

The park was pretty and had lots of shade trees. Pretty easy load and unload. Bathroom inside at nearby hotel.

What could this Art Fair have done better?:
Parking is where ever you can find it. If you have ever been to Santa Fe on the square then you know what I'm talking about. Parking all day in the closest lot we could find was $15 a day. It's not their fault. Parking there is just premium.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
We came from Houston, TX to do the show. A long way with lots of expenses. Didn't do well enough to come back.

It seems if you have done this show for a long time you do better. I don't know why that is. Show is more than half jewelers. Too much.

You might do well if you were close enough without too many expenses.

There are no perks as this is for a non profit. The booth fees are a little high but it includes a city selling license.

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

See my blog on ArtFairInsiders.com for additional commentary on this Show

Posted by: Cindy Cherrington | 07/03/2018 at 12:41 PM

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