It feels like the art market application season has been getting earlier over the last few years, but honestly, it’s great to be able to plan out these events further in advance (especially since I’m working around my “day job”). I’m happy to say that I’ve lined up two already since my last entry: one in April, and another in July.
The Boneyard Arts Market takes place April 5-6 and is part of the Boneyard Arts Festival, happening at multiple locations throughout Champaign and Urbana. BAM will be at Lincoln Square Mall, and there will be at least one other market set up at the Orpheum in downtown Champaign, plus numerous other temporary exhibits set up at different businesses in C-U. There will also be various demonstrations, receptions, and chances to meet lots of local artists (myself included, of course, since I’ll be staffing my booth).
The second market is the Glorious Garden Festival, happening in July at the David Davis Mansion in Bloomington, IL. The market is outside on the grounds around the mansion and typically includes options to walk the gardens (of which there are several) and take a tour of the mansion. They also usually have a couple of food trucks and at least one coffee stand if you want to make a day of it. (Official dates and details haven’t been announced publicly yet, but I will share once they are!)
I’ve attended both of these markets in the past and had great experiences, so I’m excited to be able to return. Because I am a repeat vendor, I’m also working on making sure I have a nice mix of new stuff to bring along with the note cards and journals that people know me for. (I had a customer drive an hour to see me at Mistletoe Market and pick up more pocket journals as holiday gifts after she first saw me at Sugar Creek last year. How cool is that?)
As promised last month, I’ve painted some new 5×7” note card designs, and also designed the first in a new group of A4 note cards which I’m sharing here for the first time (woo!). The red version is already available at the Vault, and I’m planning to create versions with blue, purple, and yellow flowers and put them in a set. The blue flowers are drawn and waiting to be painted, so you’ll probably see those here soon!
I applied to a couple more markets today and have plans to apply to another soon, well before the May application deadline. I’ll add my list of confirmed markets and dates to my home page as I’m accepted. Hope to see some of you there!
Fairy Tree Studios 