1) Artist-Centric: Artist-Centric means that we believe the shows should be focused on the needs of the participants. If we find the best artists and treat them well, all else will follow. We've been asked how that affects the communities and the art collectors. Easy answer: Community relations is an important part of focusing on the artists. If the cities are not welcoming, the venue is not appropriate. If the shoppers are not honored, they will not return. It is our job to clearly communicate and to create a favorable environment. If we cannot do that, then we are not in the right community. We have dropped shows when we have felt unable to create a sharing and caring event.

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2) Communication: We endeavor to communicate a clear message to artists and collectors about what to expect at each event. If there is a common understanding, it is more likely that shopping will be robust. You will find things on our Zapplication that most skip—for example, we discuss other types of expenses an artist may face, such as insurance and travel. Our show names are clear and indicate what to expect. We have instituted an urgent text service for artists so that we can keep them apprised of weather or other factors that may affect the event. Communication is especially important when it comes to jury standards and results.

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3) Jurying: Jury results are usually available within a few days of the deadline. A committee of artists familiar with the show jury independently using Zapplication. The criteria are clear. They are encouraged to add comments. Different jurors are invited each year to assure a balance. Unique to us is our three-year jury rotation, designed to even the playing field. Why should the producer have all of the power? An artist who is juried into our show is assured three years of participation as long as they apply on time, have not violated rules, and have a consistent body of work. The third year, those artists are juried again. We end up with about 60% of the spaces available for new artists each year as artists retire or change their schedules. Those who have not been invited are encouraged to ask for feedback. We found that unsolicited feedback is rarely appreciated. Most of the artists who are not invited do ask, and we take our time to give thoughtful feedback. Sometimes our analogies are unclear, so we encourage artists to ask for clarification. We limit the number of artists in any given medium to assure that there is not too much competition, nor so many jewelers, for example, that people cannot make up their minds. Our waitlist is by medium, and only an artist in a similar medium is invited if there is a cancellation. We would rather have empty booths than harm artist income or invite artists we are not proud to host.

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4) Emerging Artists: Our emerging artist programs are getting more and more popular, and unfortunately, competitive. Artists who would be appropriate for a specific show and have not been in juried art fairs can apply at intshows.com. The criteria are similar to our juried artists, though display is less a part of the score. For emerging artists, we supply shared or individual tents as well as display equipment and short workshops. The fee is reduced to help them get a start. We also helped to found Mint Artists Guild more than ten years ago. Mint works with teen and young adult artists to help them find a career path in the arts. By the way, we support Mint with thousands of dollars and space, and would never consider using it as a way of bringing in funds (see Integrity above). We used to do a series of workshops open to all artists and hope to return to it. These had a small optional fee and all funds went to the presenting artists (while we paid all expenses). Visit our YouTube page for some of our past workshops.

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5) Heritage Tent: Our Heritage Tent at the Belle Isle Art Fair is a way to provide opportunities to older or infirm artists. For a small fee, we provide a shared area, support, and equipment. The invited artists bring their art and helpers if needed. We also provide support. This is perfect for those who love doing art fairs but no longer want to haul heavy tents.

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6) Rental Equipment: We have a variety of tents and display equipment. We rent these at below-market rates for artists who do not yet have equipment, or who want to try out different types. The rental rates cover our costs of transporting and assembling the tents.

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7) Recruitment: Like many shows, we visit events throughout the country to meet artists who are new to us. When we have a chance to discuss our shows with them, we give specific suggestions about how their work would likely fit into an event. We do not invite artists or otherwise go around the jury system.

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8) Inclusivity: We get calls every month from other shows asking how we are able to attract so many minority and young artists. The suggestion is given freely, but seldom followed. Artists apply to shows where they feel invited and where the audience is likely to buy their work. If some class of artists is not applying, think about how you can make them feel invited. And if you do invite them, make sure that you set them up for success by also inviting their collectors.

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9) Music, entertainment, food.    We occasionally have a stage when it makes sense for a show. However, we feel that the art is the entertainment, and purchasing is how attendees feel satiated. The art always comes first. I have pulled the plug on musicians if they do not understand that. What is appropriate entertainment? Art demonstrations, hands-on art projects... And food? Remember, we want to support our communities without losing our Artist-Centric attitude. We make sure to have a variety of foods available with healthy choices, and if that is already the case (as in Funky Ferndale), we encourage people to patronize local restaurants, adding little or no food vendors. For the park shows, we try to have enough interesting choices without including too many restaurants, which can make it so none of them are successful.

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10) Home improvement booths: A limited number of home improvement booths, paying as much as ten times what an artist pays, helps us to keep the booth fees down while allowing us to have some of the largest advertising and promotion budgets in the business. It also allows us to not compete for grants and sponsorships with museums and arts organizations. Also important to note is that these booths do not take money out of the show. They set appointments for future sales so that patrons do not feel that they have already spent their art budget.

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11) Grants and sponsors: Sometimes our partner organizations get grants to support the shows. We do not apply directly, nor do we aggressively look for sponsors. We feel that there is a limited amount of money available to support the arts and do not want to compete with organizations which rely on those funds for their excellent programming. We also do not compete with existing, well-run art events. When we add a new show or a new city, it is because artists have requested it.

12) Questions and support: Happy to answer any questions and to provide advice. We will not share our artists' lists (most do not want additional emails), though we will allow you to visit the shows and politely talk to our participants. (If a promoter is too aggressive, let us know).

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13) Amenities: We often have a dinner or breakfast for artists so that they are able to socialize with other participants during off-show hours. We always have beverages and snacks. Booth sitting has been a challenge. While we would love to do so and help as we are able, we find that we are unable to handle the varying demand. We work with a paid crew to assure that we have friendly, experienced people at the show and are not comfortable with the idea of sending a volunteer to manage your booth.