by guest blogger Connie Mettler
Art Fair Calendar has announced the results of its 4th annual “America’s Best Art Fairs” survey, the only national online look at the country’s juried art fairs and craft shows, designed to increase “art fair tourism” sharing the top shows in the country with art fair patrons.
Old Town Art Festival
We asked our mailing list of over 57,000 art fair patrons what was the best art fair in the country and had an amazing nationwide response. More than 230 events were nominated in 42 states and over 1000 unique responses were tabulated to calculate the winners.
Best City for Art Fairs: Chicago
Chicago has it all: indoor and outdoor art fairs. 10 of this city’s shows were voted into the Top 50. Click here to see our entire list of Chicago art fairs.
Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
Top 20 Art Fairs
- Old Town Art Fair, Chicago – June 10 & 11, 2017- “Located in the midst of a beautiful (old architecture) city neighborhood, good food, good music and lots to see beyond the art, enjoy the energy of a major city and the art at the same time.”
- The Ann Arbor Art Fairs (all 4), Ann Arbor – July 20-23, 2017 “Huge city-wide art fair, wonderful artists.”
- One of a Kind Show and Sale, Chicago – Dec. 7-10, 2017 “600+ fabulous artists displaying original work. Need I say more?”
- Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL – March 17-19, 2017 “Over 225 of the top artists in the country are selected, the setting for the art festival is amazing, including the best restaurants and the best musical entertainment anywhere.”
- La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA – March 2-5, 2017 “Quality & talent you would be hard pressed to find even in galleries. Spectacular show setting and resort style area with upscale shops, restaurants and Sunshine!”
- Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original, Ann Arbor, MI – July 20-23, 2017 “A wonderful fair to find great art — unique pieces to treasure. The Gold standard of quality art.”
- St. Louis Art Fair, Saint Louis, MO – Sept. 8-10, 2017 “Great layout, well run, new things to see every year. Everything about it is perfect.”
- St. James Court Art Show, Louisville, KY – Oct. 6-8, 2017 “This really is the perfect one for me with the mix of very high end, high end and moderately priced.”
- Cherry Creek Art Festival, Denver, CO – July 1-3, 2017 “High quality artists and high quality of art, only the cream of the crop. We plan our holidays to attend this show.”
- Old Florida Celebration of the Arts, Cedar Key, FL – April 8 & 9, 2017 “It is authentic old Florida, and has some of the best art I have seen.”
- Park Forest Art Fair, Park Forest, IL – Sept. 16 & 17, 2017
- Sunriver Art Fair, Sunriver, OR – Aug. 11-13, 2017
- Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College, PA – July 13-16, 2017
- Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA – June 23-25, 2017
- American Craft Show, Baltimore, MD – Feb. 24-26, 2017
- Coconut Grove Art Festival, Miami, FL – Feb. 18-20, 2017
- Main Street Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX – April 20-23, 2017
- Artisphere, Greenville, SC – May 12-14, 2017
- Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City, MO – Sept. 22-24, 2017
- Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI – June 16-18, 2017
See the entire list of the top 50 art fairs at ArtFairCalendar, with information on each event, breaking down the results by region,
Listen to this podcast with Lynn Smith, the vice chair of the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago. You’ll learn why her show is a “must attend” event in a city full of art fairs. Click here: BestArtFairWinner
Get the official 60 page report on the survey. Learn why the buyers say these are the best art show; why they attend art fairs; why they won’t attend a fair and how to improve an event to keep them coming.
Here is the report: America’s Best Fine Art and Craft Shows
Hello, I’m from Thailand. I want to go Chicago Art fair for sold my Arts, Can I?
And what should I do step by step please?
Thank you so much. 🙂
Check this link for more information on art fairs in Chicago http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/chicago-art-fairs.html
If you require any help and or database information regarding fairs and festivals this could help you.
http://www.FairsandFestivals.net
Hello, I am new to art shows and was wondering how much do I need to participate in the art shows? Do I need to register 1 year in advance? Any basic info would be great.
Bindu, Most art shows will jury a few months ahead of time. If you want to do fall shows, for instance, it would be a good idea to start looking at ones that are appropriate for your work in the spring, since they will generally be working that far ahead. Each show will have their own application requirements and deadlines, which can be found easily on their application forms and online.