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This page is divided into two areas.
Questions asked by Festival Visitors and by Artists/Craftspeople.
You will find, however, that
many
questions might be of interest to everyone,
and give some insight into PFA's
world from both sides.
| How do I go about displaying my work at a Pacific Fine Arts Festival? First you need a California Resale license (number) before you can sell your work in California. This can be obtained from the State Board of Equalization. Next, you need a body of work and a way to display it. Once you have all of these things, fill out the New Artist/Craftsperson Questionnaire, which is available here as an Adobe PDF file, and return it along with three photos of your work and one of your display. The quality of these photographs is very important as they will be the manner in which your work is juried. |
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| Do the exhibitors make their living doing this or is it just a hobby? Most of our festival participants work at their art or craft full-time and do make their living that way. |
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| These festivals always cause such a parking problem because the exhibitors vehicles take up all of the parking spaces. Why don't they park somewhere else? All participants in PFA events are required to park their vehicles well off-site in designated parking areas once they have unloaded their displays and work. PFA enforces these parking requirements so that parking spaces and lots adjacent to the festival are left available for visitors. |
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| I saw an artist at one of your shows last year and want to buy something from her but didn't get a card and don't remember her name. Is there any way I can find out who she is and when she will be participating in a festival in my area? If you can describe an artists work, the artist him/herself, at what festival you saw the work, and even where at the festival the artists booth was located, PFA can probably provide you with a name and at what PFA festival in your area that artist will be appearing next. Address your queries to pfa@pacificfinearts.com, or come to the Information Booth next time you are at a PFA event. |
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| This show is really great. Why don't you do this here every weekend? Most of the artists you see at a festival are showing their work every weekend, just in different places. This gives them exposure to a much larger audience than they would get if they only displayed their work in one location. |
| I'm signed up for a show in April. What happens if it rains? Every professional artist is expected to handle rain and wind. We recommend clear, heavy duty plastic with clamps to hold it to your display. For wind, every display should be set up in a manner to insure stability, and be well weighted. You are liable for any damaged or injury caused by your display if it blows over. If a show is canceled or cut short because of weather, you will be notified on the spot. PFA never cancels an event based on a weather prediction. |
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| Can I request a specific location at a show? Judy and Dana always tries to honor location requests. However, it is ultimately their decision based on many factors. If you base your participation in an event solely on getting the display space you want, your entry fee will be returned as that attitude robs the promoter of the flexibility necessary to set up a show. |
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| I am on your mailing list and I make cloth dolls. What shows on your schedule can I do? PFA sends out two separate schedules each fall. One schedule is for fine artists and one for craftspeople. Anything on the schedule you receive is open to you if your medium is not full. There is one exception to this rule. PFA's King's Beach show at Lake Tahoe appears on the fine arts schedule but is restricted to 2 dimensional wall art and sculpture (no jewelry, ceramics, etc.) |
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| Why is PFA so strict about when exhibitors have to move their vehicles from the street and where they park? Parking is a major problem at most locations where PFA events are held. The merchants are guaranteed that vehicles will be moved at a given time and to designated areas that will not interfere with their customers' parking. PFA monitors this aspect of an event very closely and those persons who do not cooperate risk their participation in future PFA events. |
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| PFA charges a 10% commission at most shows. Why not just charge a flat fee? Judy and Dana feel, as the the promoters, that this policy makes them truly part of the team. They work hard to insure that you have a good show so they have a good show. Very good artists are often prevented from participating in festivals because of high entry fees. The low entry fee 10% commission policy ensures that an artist can exhibit without worrying about covering a high initial overhead. |
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| As a follow-up question, how does PFA know that participants pay the full 10%? PFA believes in the honor system. By treating festival participants honestly and fairly, the same is expected in return. If PFA is made aware that someone is cheating, the offender will be removed from the mailing list. In the Arts and Crafts Festival Community word of an artists reputation for cheating or unreliability can spread quickly. |
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| I am a new PFA artist and signed up for several Festivals this year. How will I know when and where to check in at the show and where my space will be? You will receive in the mail prior to any show you are signed up for, a packet of information detailing everything you need to know about that particular show except your space number and location. That will be given to you on the first morning when you check in. It is very important that you read this information thoroughly and bring it with you to the show. |
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| I participated in a PFA event recently and feel that the space I was assigned was in a bad location which did not get the traffic that other locations at the show had. Why was I given a bad space? It sometimes happens that certain areas of a show do experience less traffic than others. This can be as a result of a number of factors, especially at a new event or an event with a new layout. With a new show or new layout at an existing show, care is taken to insure the maximum exposure for everyone with the realization that once the show is underway, traffic patterns may not develop as predicted. Copious notes are always taken in these instances which are used to modify layouts at that event in the future. PFA veterans understand that at any show, new or old, with any promoter or organization, there are variables that are unpredictable and not within anyone's control. |
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| Do you have a question about PFA that we can include on this page? Send it to pfa@pacificfinearts.com. |
