How I set up my Market Booth.
Congrats on taking the step forward to apply to an art fair or market! It can be an event full of lots of different emotions and of course having your set up be a breeze is welcoming! So here is my most helpful tips and items I use for an art fair set up.
When applying to a art fair or artisan market, the coordinator typically requires you to send them a “booth shot”. Now if you do not have one, no problem! You can let them know this is your first time applying and you can send them a mock up! Once you have your canopy and walls and all the accessories, you can set this up in your yard/driveway/wherever it works to set up and hang your art and get a nice shot of the entire booth with all the art on the walls like I have pictured below. A lot of times they require a booth shot without the artist in the booth- just a reminder.
Art Market Booth Set Up
For my canopy, I use the Euromax white canopy. I do recommend purchasing the canopy with the zippered walls. The weather can be unpredictable! I have done markets where it’s supposed to be sunny and beautiful but ends up raining. The walls will help protect your art from any unforeseen weather changes! Also, a lot of markets are two-day long events and that means you have your art staying the night there (unless you have the stamina to remove it all and put it all back up again the next morning, I do not) so you will want to zip everything up nice and tight for the night! Any event I have done- it’s a must by the curators of the event. I want to add that my paintings are made with acrylics and oil paints on canvas and wood and are varnished for protection! If you have paper art works you may want to frame them or have some sort of protective covering to keep them safe from the elements!
Another thing you will need that is always required for an outdoor event is leg weights for your canopy. It would be a nightmare for the wind to take up your canopy like a sailboat and ruin not only your art and canopy but your neighbor’s as well! Most fairs and markets I have done in the past require at least 40lb weights on each canopy leg. I filled my weights with sand I bought from Home Depot. It was leveling sand and about $5 for a 50lb bag. Perfect!
To save a little money I purchased mesh tarps in white to hang as walls, now I know they are $40/each, but trust me they will save you money! I bought 3 of the mesh tarps/walls. To attach these walls I used these little bungees! Super easy to do, you just slip them right through the grommet holes and attach them to the metal of your canopy frame! They work awesome and with it being mesh you get a nice breeze inside your tent on a warm day, ahhhh!
I then use small S hooks and guide them through the mesh walls for my art to hang on these walls. I hung larger paintings (36x36 inches) and fairly heavy on these small hooks. It works great and everything stays in place! Even with the wind gusts! I just add a few extra hooks with bigger items for peace of mind!
I printed all of my labels by creating a template on Photoshop! It makes things so much easier when I have a template to use! I copy and paste each painting’s description on the label along with it’s title and most importantly price! I like to be transparent with my art, if I am shopping around and I don’t see a price on something I tend to feel more reluctant to ask for the price. And I am sure collectors and anyone browsing feel that way as well. I then print and cut them to size at home. You can send them to your local print company if you don’t have a printer at home.
Here’s the FREE ART LABEL TEMPLATE to use in Photoshop!
Here in the Midwest, the weather can be unpredictable. At my last market, it was 80 degrees and sunny all day, then by 4 pm it was raining and the temps dropped about 20 degrees! So I am glad I purchased these label covers, they looked really nice and professional and helped my paper labels from curling in the humidity! I did not like that I had to cut all these down to size (I didn’t realize they came in a sheet of 8-label covers!) I also loved these little claw clips I found on Amazon to hang the labels on the s hooks, they come in a lot of different colors to match your brand! I bought the gold :)
For my signage, to save a little extra I made my own! I had a round wooden panel for painting and painted my own sign! I thought it turned out really cool! And I can keep it in my studio! I purchased the wooden panel from Trekell!
Hand Made Sign
I hope this blog has helped you figure out what you need for your first art market! I hope you have a wonderful and successful event! Leave me a comment if you have any questions!
~Maria
