by Georgia Lange
Last month I paid homage to the prestigious Beverly Hills art show known as the “Affaire in the Gardens”. This art show features over 200 nationwide artists and attracts up to 40,000 spectators every fall and spring since 1973. If you are a fan of outdoor group art shows and fairs, Affaire in the Gardens is top of the line. Even the Andy Gumps are swank at this renowned event.
The Affaire in the Gardens art show is almost too prestigious to be labeled an “art fair”; these individuals are not selling candles and clothing. In researching the exhibition guidelines, I learned that all wearable art and accessories (with the exception of jewelry) is strictly prohibited. Although this particular art show may be out of the traditional art fair league, no one can say that its magnificent display methods cannot be used as a model to other artists for other art shows.
How do these artists prepare for a show such as the Affaire in the Gardens art show; how were the booths set up? How was the necessary equipment acquired? What did each artist offer to promote his or her work? This article is specifically geared towards artists who may want to participate in the Affaire in the Gardens art shows in the future, and how one can prepare for application and participation. However, many of the principles discussed here could be applied to outdoor art shows other than the Beverly Hills art show. It is important to remember that every art show has different guidelines, and it is vital to do the research and examine the requirements before beginning the preparation process. Pay strict attention to deadlines and be at least partially prepared before applying, and remember that what applies to one show may not apply to another.
OK, you’ve decided that one way to sell your artwork is on greeting cards. You’ve found some places to sell them – craft fairs, farmer’s markets, local merchants. However, displaying them in booths or on the countertop is different than displaying larger artwork. The most common ways to display cards are in spinner racks, on slat walls, on acrylic shelves, and in free-standing displays. Any display that shows the full faces of cards is ideal. Beyond that, greeting cards aren’t exactly a three-dimensional product, sometimes making them difficult to display creatively.
Here are some easy tips on how to display your cards for sale.
1. No room for a table top display at your farmer’s market booth? Show them off on string or colorful ribbon strung between the posts of your booth or hanging vertically. You can even find mini-clothespins at a craft store to attach them. Keep cards for purchase stored in a box under the table.
2. Make shoe boxes (perhaps wrapped in wrapping paper) with dividers for clients to sort through. Just Something I Made is a wonderful blog on how to build a tiered box system for displaying your cards.
3. Sell sets in clear boxes. Prepare a sheet for the bottom of the box that shows all the card designs included in the box, as shown below:
4. Buy acrylic cardholders for counter-top display. These can be very inexpensive, and are perfect for displaying just one or two card styles on a countertop. Oak Creek Printworks carries small and large stands.
5. Use office divider racks to display your cards. Some office supply stores have what they call “junior” racks, which are smaller than the 8.5 x 11 file size racks (too big for greeting cards).
6. Laminate your cards together on a large sheet of paper. If the cards are blank inside you can just show the fronts. If there are verses inside you will want to show both the front of the card and the inside. These laminated “posters” can be displayed on a table or by hanging on a wall. Depending on the size, they can also be displayed in an album or flip chart. The art always stays clean, and you can even use dry-erase markers to write on the poster, and wipe it off later. Perfect for listing prices or emphasizing sale items. The actual cards for purchase can be stored in a box or file under the table.
7. Display your art online using a website or a blog, such as Facebook or WordPress.
Facebook – Display your designs and cards on your own facebook page. Link to your blog on WordPress. Join groups of artists who will link to your page and blog, like the Graphic Artists page.
WordPress provides public domain blogging software, which means it is FREE! It is easy to set up an account. Here are some examples of sites that are selling cards with WordPress sites:
Rikki O’Neil and Friendship cards
8. Use a scrapbook or portfolio book to display the cards on a counter top, and store actual cards for purchase in a box or file underneath the counter. The scrapbook can be purchased or even homemade.
9. Arrange a 3-D display on heavy posterboard using the adhesive 3-D dots that scrapbookers use for their album pages. The downside to this method is that if the display board or cards get dirty or dogeared they can be hard to clean.
10. Acrylic Spinners – a perfect countertop or floor display.
Don’t forget, when displaying your cards, the best way to protect the artwork as potential customers handle them is to use some type of protective sleeve. Check out our card jackets, no-flap bags, and protective closure bags.
We hope that this information has helped you, and would love to hear how you display your products. Leave a comment, or send us an email at info@oakcreekprintworks.com. Include a photo and we will try to post it here on the blog.