If you are an artist, you have probably noticed a drop in sales this year. Or, as some have told me, a slow decline in sales over a couple of years. I have been following a blog out of Michigan that posts comments from artists who attended the Ann Arbor shows last weekend. Their comments aren't pretty, but consider that the decline of the auto industry has provided Michigan with some of the highest unemployment levels in the country.
http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blog/list Here is the link to that blog. If what they say is correct, we have been experiencing a decline in quality and profits for a few years. What do some of you artists out there think?
Are art fairs in general on the decline? Are art fair promoters more interested in the bottom line than in art? Or is it just the economy and soon art shows and customers will be back? And those of you who aren't exhibitors, what have you purchased at art shows this year? Have you cut back?
I watched a rerun of an Oprah show yesterday. It was all about teaching people how to live with less. Buy only the necessities, they preached over and over. Get your credit card debt down and clean out your closets filled with things you don't use.
To many people, art is a necessity. It lifts your spirit, inspires you, reminds you of a happy time and speaks to you in only a way that you will understand. Art shows will survive because people, not just the producers of art, need them. I think eventually we will recover from this recession and people will want art for their homes and offices.
Friday, July 24, 2009
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