Artist Forum

ARTIST FORUM: Artists hiring stands at fairs. Is this a good investment?

I have participated in Art Fairs over the past 4 years and found them a great platform for selling and promoting my work. I have always been represented by a gallery, so there has been no cost (aside from the commission rate going up to 50%) and my work has been shown alongside other artists, so the stand has a diverse range of mediums and concepts. A question I have asked myself recently is…

Is it financially viable for an artist to hire their own booths at Art Fairs?

There are many art fairs out there specifically aimed at artists (instead of galleries and arts organisations) to sell their work directly to collectors. Having your own wall space or stall/booth can costs hundreds of pounds as well as your time to stay on the stall for the day/weekend to invigilate and sell your works. On the plus side, you keep 100% of all sales and you know you will put your little heart into sales instead of relying on someone else to do it. But the snag is, will you make these sales and/or create strong contacts for future business?…

There are many factors to consider such as the Art Fairs cliental, price margins and selecting your most ‘sellable’ works. These decisions will make a big impact on how successful you are at these events. Thorough research about specific Art Fairs should be done before parting with your money – you will need to see if it is right for you. So, what if it is right for you? It can be a lot of money to part with… so the question is:

Artists: Is this a good opportunity that we should be taking advantage of?

If you are an artist who has hired a space at an Art Fair, please share your experience by commenting below!