Introduction Page 1 Marshall Hansen

To the Artist - you may have presented your work at a restaurant show, a
gallery, a church bazaar or maybe a corporate setting or ghost gallery - or
nowhere at all. Many potential customers feel that galleries are too exclusive
and choose not to attend openings and shows even when they know about
them. There are many who have attended arts festivals but never crossed the
threshold of a gallery. Still you are restless and you want to do something to
sell your creative efforts not knowing what or how to do it.

There are many artists who have no idea how to market their work yet know
that they must sell to have an income from their art. How do you do this?
What are your options? Who will help me? What am I doing right? What am I
doing wrong? Where do I go from here? Do I even want to try this? For every
person the answers are different but the processes of gathering information
and putting ideas to work are basically the same.

This site will simply point out where some of the doors are. This manual
(collection of topics) is a tool. Tools can be adapted to fit your specific
circumstances and drastically improve the results of your efforts. Keep a
folder on your computer desktop called “Art Festivals” or something like that.
When you find an idea you would like to use put it in the folder and email me
a copy so others may benefit. Please include any author credits and/or origin.

I was trying to find information about how to do this (show successfully at
festivals) when I found there wasn't much more than an eight page section
here in a $60 magazine and two paragraphs there simply saying that
festivals and art shows exist and to call the sponsoring organization for
information on entering and to take sun screen and a chair with you (not
literally true but you get the idea). The solution was several years of
observation, informal interviews and personal experience which I
accumulated for my own use with no intention of compiling it into a book.
After hearing the same questions like "Where did you learn to do that?",
"Where did you get that display?" and "What book is that from?" I decided
there might be others who could benefit from my experience.

The festival is the one selling environment which allows the artist the most
control over how and where the work is presented, which of your works are
presented, what price points are more likely to sell at a particular time, which
venues are most appropriate for your style, media, inventory and pocket
book (entry fees, display, vehicle, etc).