Now that spring is here it’s time to start thinking about booking some fairs & festival for the summer. You have already booked some shows for this summer, haven’t you? I thought so. You are awesome!

I would like to recommend one magazine I used when I did art shows. It is called Sunshine Artist. This magazine is directed more towards artists looking for fine art shows, therefore, I don’t recommend you subscribe to the magazine but just order a copy of one issue. I have not seen the magazine at the local Barnes & Noble Book Store here in Grand Rapids, MI, but I have seen it in the racks of Barnes & Noble’s in other cities. If they don’t have them in stock at your local news stand, ask if they could order a copy for you. If they cannot, here is the phone number of the magazine: 1-800-597-2573 their web address is: www.sunshineartist.com. When I visited their website, they only had information for those looking to subscribe for one year or more, so your local book store or a phone call to the magazine may be a better bet at getting just one copy of the magazine.

I think this magazine would be helpful for you because it does offer a wealth of information that you would be able to use. The magazine focus on outdoor art shows so it is chock full of ads for everything you would need to set up at a show, such as canopies, chairs, display equipment, credit card processing, lighting equipment, tables, etc.

There are a few articles in each magazine that are written by the magazine staff that may have some helpful hints for you. Each month the magazine has a state by state recap of show critiques written by artists that have participated in that particular show. They address everything from the attendance at the show to the treatment of the artists by the promoter. Near the back of the magazine, there is an Alphabetical Index of Events, entered, state by state. In the back of the magazine is an Event Listing of shows, month by month. In the Event Listing section it gives the dates of the shows, application deadline, cost, contact information, number of attendees, number of spaces available and the percentage of artists who want to do the show again the next year.

I do think it may be worth a try to call some of these promoters listed in the magazine and try to get into some of these shows. Most of these shows I have attended have a section with food vendors. This would be a good location for a tat artist. Many of the customers have children who came just for the food. How nice would it be for the children to make a purchase at an art fair and get a cool tat?

A lot of art shows listed in Sunshine Artist magazine are part of another event. For example, the fine art show of Happy City is part of the Blueberry Festival. You could call the contact person listed in the magazine and ask for the phone number of the event coordinator to see if you could get into another part of the festival.

I think getting one copy of Sunshine Artist magazine will be a great help to you. Even if you book one event or get one idea that would be helpful for you, it is worth it.