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THE NUMBERS SPEAK!
You've heard our tag lines over the years..."The Market is Up";
"BMAC Gets Bigger"; "Summer BMAC Grows". If we told you today
that the summer Buyers Market was already shaping up to be one of the largest
summer gatherings of wholesale, handcrafted work anywhere-would you believe
us? Or would you think it's another tag line?
Well, numbers speak louder than words and just look at how our numbers stack up this year!
One repeat comment from those already registered for the August Buyers Market? There are no other dedicated alternatives.
Our point exactly. Click here to view and print the summer 2004 exhibitor application.
NEW TO 2004
In December's Market Insider we brought you a list of newly registered craft retailers to the February Buyers Market. One strong sign that craft buying is not only going strong--it's building steam! Back by popular demand as a reoccurring feature is this month's list of newly registered BMAC retailers:
ARTISTS IN THE NEWS
Congratulations to the following BMAC exhibitors:
- HGTV loves American craftspeople, and the latest beneficiaries of this are Margaret Neher and Tony Serviente. Both artists recently had their work filmed for a future airing of the Carol Duvall Show.
- Luann "Queen of PR" Udell has done it again! Check the Winter04 issue of Ornament magazine for a nice feature. Or visit her web site to see the New Hampshire Chronicle's televised take on her art form and her business, Durable Goods.
- Alex Austin of Austin Creations has made it to the big time. Her work was recently on display at the Museum of Art and Design in Kentucky.
SPOTLIGHT:
Catskill Moutain Fountain
Their mission statement says it best: "to promote the work of outstanding craftspeople and artists who live within the Catskill region and beyond". What this doesn't indicate though is the grand scale of their community efforts!
Located in Village of Hunter, NY, the Catskill Mountain Foundation (CMF) takes career development, sustainability and craft sales SERIOUSLY. CMF facilities include a performing arts area, business support center, 2-screen movie theater, bookstore/art gallery, and organic farm. They also produce a monthly arts magazine, a regional summer craft fair, the Mountain Culture Festival, and in 2003 they printed their first color catalog of fine craft. If all that wasn't enough to indicate the wide scope of CMF community projects, consider this: Planning is currently underway to transform a parcel of 30 acres and 22 existing buildings into the Sugar Maple Center for Art and Education. The center will feature residency programs and year-round campus activities.
Learn more about CMF and their full schedule of events at www.catskillmtn.org or by calling coordinator Megan Daly at 518.263.4908 ext.211.
Are YOU the member of an organization that works to benefit craftspeople?
Contact us at news@rosengrp.com and tell us how your group educates and supports small business.
SEE YOU THERE
Rosen Group staff will be on hand at the upcoming NCECA, GAS and SNAG craft conferences. Be sure to stop by our booth for special AmericanStyle & NICHE magazine subscription rates, discounts on Crafting as a Business and Crafting an AmericanStyle, or even a portfolio review. We look forward to meeting you!
OPPORTUNITIES KNOCKING
Our mailbox is overflowing with arts opportunities. Here’s
a few we thought you might take special interest in:
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WTVJ: (Florida NBC affiliate station) is looking for local designers in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Boca who create clothing, jewelry, handbags, or unusual fashion items. Selected designs will air on "The Rick Sanchez Show". For more on this query, contact Barbara Martin at barbara.martin@nbc.com or 954.622.6036
- WTVJ is also seeking home design and/or redecorating experts in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Boca area or visiting South Florida. If this sounds like you, contact Barbara Martin as soon as possible at the above numbers or visit www.ricksanchez.tv.
- San Diego artists can join in on June 20 for the Hubbell Open House. Destroyed by fire last year, the collective of Hubbell structures will be open and available to the public. Artists are needed as volunteers for this fundraiser. Call 619.819.0250 or visit the web site at www.hubbellandhubbell.com.
CONNECT WITH PEERS
Time in between shows can be nerve wracking: No exhibitor neighbors to run ideas by; sometimes spotty revenue; too many show applications in the mailbox with no real idea of which to choose.
Fill the gaps and connect with your colleagues. Log onto American Craft Forum to hear what shows to go to, announce a great achievement or just ask a basic business question. Registration is easy and free. We look forward to seeing you online!
CRAFT INDUSTRY SURVEY
The Craft Emergency Relief Fund is conducting a field inquiry of professional craft artists. As part of this, they are conducting interviews, focus groups and distributing a national survey via their web site. Lend your hand of support by completing the survey between NOW and March 15. CERF has served professional craft artists with emergency relief support since 1985. Over that time, they have assisted over 400 professional craft artists with more than $500,000 in loans and grants, and with close to $100,000 in other services (booth fee waivers, supplier discounts). Please support CERF now by visiting their web site at www.craftemergency.org.
SUCCESS IN ADVERTISING
A man boards a plane in San Francisco, en route to his home in Tampa Bay, and finds AmericanStyle#35 on his seat. He flips through the magazine, but the WatchCraft ad on page 3 strikes a chord. He notices that Inside Out Gallery of St. Pete Beach, FL carried the watches and drove immediately to the gallery upon his arrival. The man buys his new watch with AmericanStyle in hand! Since then, Inside Out has reordered 10 watches and can be seen, for the second time, listed in WatchCraft’s co-op ad in the current issue of AmericanStyle!
Learn what AmericanStyle cooperative advertising can do for YOU and YOUR business by clicking here.
SHARE, AND SHARE ALIKE
Do you associate with craftspeople who are out of our ‘loop’? Please forward this newsletter link to any artists you feel might benefit from it. Or ask them to contact us at mail@rosengrp.com to be added to the Market Insider mailing list.
Market Insider
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