Art Fairs: STOP Double Dipping

Since 2010, I have made a living exhibiting at fine art fairs. This year, my son and I have traveled across America exhibiting from the East coast to the West. It was a once in a lifetime trip we will always remember.

But here’s the cold hard truth about doing art fairs as a living. It’s a hard, risky lifestyle. There are things out of our control that can hinder success such as the attendance and weather. You can literally go from winning best of show, to losing everything you have the next weekend in a storm. If invited, artists have to pay hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars per show up to a year in advance. By the time we get to our destination, the investments in show fees, lodging and inventory can be in the tens of thousands.

In the meantime…unforeseen situations arise that keep artists from attending their scheduled events, such as people getting sick, cars breaking down, weddings and funerals. More often than not, these art fairs refuse to offer the artists refunds for ANY of these reasons. Often, they even claim to be non-profit. They will re rent our spot plus keep our money. Many artists call this “Double Dipping.”

On June 12th, a terrorist act happened in my hometown Orlando, a week into our tour as I was in Chicago. That day, as my wife and children were home alone…as I was checking to make sure all my friends and family were ok, I had a moment of clarity. I no longer want to do cross country trips doing art fairs without my family being there. It’s hard enough being away from friends and family as it is…so when something like that happened, it pretty much solidified this feeling.

So after the Orlando attack, I reached out to my last out of state show, Ann Arbor (The Original) in Michigan. I expressed my feelings about wanting come home with my family. I reached out well over a month ahead of time. Now…for those of you who are unaware…Ann Arbor claims to be one of the top events in the nation. What this means…is artists from all over are waiting in line to attend this event. So when an artist pulls out…they have an immediate replacement off of the waitlist. Unfortunately, Ann Arbor has repeatedly refused to offer a refund and continues to support the business like attitude…Double Dipping.

No matter what form it exists in…Double Dipping should be illegal. Or at the very least…discouraged. Renter’s rights were put into place for this very reason. If a landlord re rents a home or apartment after you leave, they cannot double dip. One cannot double dip by earning a salary from one position while collecting a pension from the same organization. The art fair industry should be no different.

So why do they do it?

First, they justify it as being right by saying they have to pay the expenses for the event. I reject this. If you had enough money to pay for the event with the current artist line up…one artist drops out and another one signs up…that equals the same amount of income. There’s nothing to re coop. But they keep it….again and again. I call this greed.

Second, the show director knows the artists are scared to stand up to a situation such as double dipping. They will blacklist you. Not only will you not get your money back, but you will never get back into that event in the future. I call this legalized extortion.

So Ann Arbor the Original: Not only am I disappointed by your support of double dipping…but I’m disgusted by your lack of understanding one’s needs to be home with family. There’s no need to blacklist me, because I will never apply to your show again. Ever.

I’m hoping to make a few extra online sales in efforts to recover my $650 booth fee due to Ann Arbor’s unethical practices. If my art is not your taste level, or if you cannot afford it…I only ask that you SHARE this to create awareness of what artists have had to deal with for decades. You can see my work online here: https://squareup.com/store/artofedmyers

To the PATRONS and SPONSORS: Please do continue to support the arts. All show directors do not support these rules…and many artists depend on these events to make a living. But the next time you sponsor or support an event with donations, please do research to find out if their intentions line up with yours. Ask these shows to STOP Double Dipping. Ask them to STOP taking advantage of the artists. After all…they would not have an art show without the artists.

If you support my message, please SHARE it. 

Ed Myers

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