I Built A Wall In My Rocket Ship For My First Art Fair.
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. Unfortunately, after plenty attempts of building my own Rome, that seems to be true.
So what if I just start with a wall?
I begin this post from my living room floor. Hours after uninstalling my display for my first art fair. I feel a bit anxious because I am eager to do it all over again, but one step at a time, right?
If you are not already familiar, an art fair is a large-scale event where artist, gallerist, and curators alike, come together under a single roof to display and/or sell artworks.
This year I was accepted to display at the Hunnid Dollar Art Fair (HDAF). Hosted by BLKMRKTCLT, an artist collective, gallery, and studio space based in Charlotte, NC. HDAF is a fair that takes place the last weekend of Camp North End’s Mistletoe Market, welcoming over 80 local artist to display and sell their artwork starting at $100. This fair is great for emerging artist & first time collectors to enter the art market together.
I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the fair. As this was my first time participating in an event like this. In the past (while in college) I showed some of my work in art shows here & there, but I never sold any of those works & quite frankly, I never thought to do so. More like showcases, those spaces offered a place to share and network with my artistic peers, but with this event it was clear from the beginning that we were to not only display our works for exposure, but more importantly for sales.
Since my elementary school art classes I always wondered if I could actually be a professional visual artist. Because the industry is so fluid, I didn’t study art in college, and I don’t create hyper-realistic portraits that make it easy for people to determine my talent and skill level, it was hard for me actualize that I can create whatever visual works I want and be collected. 2024 has been a year of trying new things, and taking as many opportunities as possible, that satisfy my diverse palette of creation. So when an email popped in my inbox announcing that applications for the HDAF had opened, I applied with no expectations to be accepted, but a small hope that I would be.
I recieved my acceptance late September and from there I had no choice but to stop denying myself the reality of my dream and get in the field!
The Ideating Phase
In the initial ideating phase, BLKMRKTCLT hosted 3 workshops. (Keep mind that most art fairs don’t do this, which not only makes them special, but also speaks to why this fair is great for beginner professional artists)
1) Orientation
Beginning with orientation, we discussed the basics that we would need to begin planning our execution.
These points included:
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You set up your wall & at the fair you are expected to be at your display to speak with collectors and make sales.
There is a $100 fee to participate. This fee included: rehab for the exhibition space, marketing, staffing, food & beverage for collectors and approx. 8ft x 8ft vendor space in the exhibition.
When it’s all said & done you get to keep 100% of the money that you make from your sold works.
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For the display, we were given approximately 8ft x 8ft of wall space to “activate.” Activation simply means decorating. You could painting a large scale work if you are a muralist, or simply cover the wall in decor that speaks to your style & story. No matter what, we had no choice to activate & we were required to submit our proposals to the host in advance, so they could get an loose idea of what to expect and/or give us guidance.
Before Installation you should ask your host if you can do the following:
Are you allowed to paint the wall(s)?
Are you allowed to drill holes into the wall(s)?
How much space in front of your display do you have for your activation? (You may want to consider a tall or chair in front)
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In regards to the works themselves we were encouraged to display smaller works & reserve larger pieces for the VIP section.
I interpreted “smaller works” as any work smaller than about 18” × 24”.
For those selling prints, the recommendation was to print on high quality paper with a resolution of 300 DPI or higher.
Framing was also recommended, but if not they encouraged us to make sure it was at least packaged nicely & numbered in limited edition for the collector.
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DO SELL:
Portraits of people that are not celebrities, abstracts, things that are uniquely your style.
I came to notice the weirder and more intentional the better. People want to know that they are buying into a piece that is special. They are interest in art they could get on a Micheal’s clearance rack.
DON’T SELL:
Anything that looks like family portraits, is overly political, celebrity portraits, anything that is over the top sexual (remember this is a family event).
I will say that there were some celebrity portraits, but because they were done in an artists unique style they were more likely to be sold. Art is fluid and though they give recommendations YOU get the final say so. (No matter what stand on what you believe in & that energy will convert into collectors)
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Many art fairs hire teams to prep the space for exhibitors. For this art fair WE are the production team.
The weekend before installation a group of artists “rehabbed” and cleaned the space from the previous event so we would each have a blank canvas to activate on.
By the time it was my turn to help, the space was already done. But I will say appreciate this requirement because it makes you appreciate the physical process of bringing this fair to life, from start to finish.
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Last but certainly not least we touch on how to get people in the building. Further down the timeline we get into more specifics, but essential it was our responsibility to market the fair.
The recommendation was through Social Marketing (ofc) and to start as early as possible.
We were encouraged to make pre-sales if possible, so that they night of wasn’t the first time that people were seeing our work.
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Know what your work is about, what it is made of, how it affects you and your community, your ideologies, your upbringing etc.
Where is the work coming from? (the work is an extension of yourself)
You don’t have to over intellectualize it or make it a speech
3 major points that are the most relevant to you & your work (not specific to the art fair)
“30% about your art, 70% about yourself”
2) Crit Night
After orientation, came crit night. Short for “critique” this session consisted of each artist presenting a few pieces to a diverse panel of judges for feedback. I brought 3 photo prints from 3 potential collections to share. My hope was that the feedback would help me to determine what direction I should go in.
For artist that specialize in one particular medium or already actively participating in the market, it is fairly easier to decide what works they intend to sell. Some artists knew that they would sell their overstock & there critique was more about getting the opinions of industry professionals on their artistic perspective. While others showed early works from collections they were in the process of working on. But for me, a first time participant with a wide array of work to show, I needed a bit of help making the choice of which works from my portfolio made the most audience & had the highest possibility of selling.
These are three works I showed:
Like any artist who is sensitive about her shit, I was extremely nervous to get my feedback, but open to whatever they had to say. Not as harsh as I imagined, the biggest takeaway from my written feedback was to improve my presentation and print quality. (I brought in 3 average quality unframed prints. I definitely won’t do that again) They also shared that portraiture and prints can be hard to sell, but paired with good storytelling I could connect with the right collector, giving me about a 7/10 chance of selling. (and in my opinion that is pretty good, especially just starting out)
Along with receiving written feedback, we participated in an exercise where we placed our art along the perimeter of the gallery we occupied & the panel acted as collectors selecting pieces that they would potentially buy at the fair. The first 2 of the 3 pieces I showed were selected, giving me a boost of confidence and more guidance for what direction to go in. (Sorry photo number 3, not this time. But don’t be surprised if you see it show up in another collection, sometime in the near future)
3) Content Creation & Marketing
For the third and final workshop we gathered around to talk social marketing. Briefly mentioned in orientation, this workshop presented with a panel of about 5 people who could give us advice about Social Marketing for this event in particular. The panel consisted of gallerist, current & previous participants, as well as the hosts of the fair.
An open conversation, we fired off questions and the rattled back answers. The biggest takeaways from the conversation were:
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First define what consistency means for you & show up when you are supposed to.
For some that means everyday, for others that means only a few times a week. No matter what that means, ensure that you have set aside time and a place to keep your community aware and updated.
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Documenting the & sharing the process can be one of the most difficult tasks when you are focused on working, but it is so important for beginner artists.
People are learning you and coming to understand how they feel about your work, providing context can help them put the pieces together as you do, giving them a higher chance of wanting to see the finished work in person.
My best recommendation is to keep tripod close, and make it habit to record as much as you can. Focus on the edits and where it will go to after. (Allow yourself to be present in the work)
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Description text goes here
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As an artist, I tend to avoid the analytics as much as possible because they don’t define me. But I wouldn’t recommend doing this 100% of the time.
The panel suggested we take a brief look at the analytics to get an idea of when it’s best time to post & interact, for maximum exposure and reach.
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The most challenging task of them all (for me) we were encouraged to write an Artist Statement.
An Artist Statement is a brief description of the work an artist creates and why.
This statement is great to have on the wall if you have trouble articulating yourself and want to provide collectors with context of who you are in a way that covers all the bases.
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Last but certainly not least we were encouraged to think beyond social media. The goal of this art fair is to serve as entry point, in hope that our artistic practices and connections will withstand beyond the fair.
The panel suggested we gather our audience and connect with them through our websites and newsletters. I personally would also recommend exploring Out-Of-Home & Guerilla Marketing, as well as word of mouth through our existing physical communities.
The Planning Phase
Following the workshops it was time to get my thoughts on paper. These are the steps I took in the planning phase:
1) Theme of the collection
My first task was to decide on my collection theme, because this would inform how I would activate my wall display. A few things I considered were:
Will this be a new collection of work or a previous showing of work that only previously existed online?
Will the collection be cohesive or more of a “market sale” where its a culmination of pieces from various creative directions?
What do I think will sell the best? What am I willing to part ways with at the moment?
By combining the feedback I received from the critique, with feedback from close friends, along with many brainstorming sessions, I landed on the theme ‘First in Flight.’
From there I worked backwards, writing the description of the collection:
“Like the Wright brothers I too have found fascination in the idea of crafting a vehicle to get me off the ground. I dream of going to places that no one I know has been to. But I’m not interested in flying a plane. I am actively building a hypothetical rocket ship to blast off into a new dimension, in hopes of syncing with my desired reality. One where my art and the perspective it seeks to offer to this universe, is valued, admired, and collected.”
First in Flight is the first fine arts photography print collection presented by Multidisciplinary Artist Arial Robinson. A first generation college graduate, this collection features a mix of digital collages and transparent photographs repurposed from photos captured by Robinson prior to graduating from North Carolina A&T State University. An exploration of firsts, this collection utilizes cutouts to illustrate movement and encourages the viewer to think beyond the canvas, free of fear and expectations of “the box.” Embracing all that comes with being First in Flight.
For my collection I wanted to hit a few different points that speak to my creative process and my personal artistic positioning.
The name ‘First in Flight’ was taken directly from the phrase that commemorates the first powered airplane flight, that took place December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina by Wilbur and Orville Wright (The Wright Brothers). An NC Native, I’ve seen that phrase more times than I count, decorated on the license plates of North Carolina vehicles. Cars, planes, and even rocket ships are all modes of transportation, and though I am not a driver in the typical sense, I am behind my own wheel seeking my own unique destination.
Inspired by my favorite artists abilities to pull references that speak to their geographical upbringing I knew that this collection would nod at the past & peek into the future. Hence my choice to anchor the rocket ship. Except this rocket ship wouldn’t translate literally. (yet)
The second part of the description changed a few times because I hadn’t finalized the actual collection just yet. I just knew whatever I decided on would need fulfill points of 1) celebrating firsts 2) getting off the ground 3) repurposing what I know/have to present something new.
2) Conceptualize My Wall Design
Once I had my collection description I pulled inspiration to build the visual aesthetic. View the board HERE
Even after deciding on my concept & writing my description I still had doubts of the direction. Because I hadn’t decided on the offerings & according to our internal timeline they wanted to see our wall mockups before submitting, I went ahead and drew up my first iteration of the wall mockup based on the visual inspiration I pulled.
Initially I wanted my wall to include a somewhat 3D rocket, a control panel, and bench for people to sit down and take a selfie in the mirror. (I got the mirror inspiration from Dionna Bright, check out here previous display HERE)
With no wall through or real idea of the space & no previous experience activating a wall or space I drew up what I could loosely based on Sean Brown’s approach to his Complex Con booth. (View HERE)
I sat down one night and let my imagination run free, to create the first mockup. As you can see the wall ended up nothing like the first draft. (lol) After I translated it into the computer for scale, budget and time considerations the display design changed considerably.
I landed on creating a display that mirrored what I imagined would be a wall in my rocket ship, as opposed to doing an outer space themed display.
I am glad that it changed because the first iteration was honestly too on the nose. As it changed, my interpretation grew farther from “elementary school outer space day” to “emerging artist inspired but with a grounded unique perspective.” It also grew to accommodate the space that I was working with. Once I entered the space for installation I used the fourth interation as more of a guide, rather than a requirement.
3) Finalize My Offerings
After submitting my wall mockup, it was time to finalize the collection.
With the feedback I received from my critique & the opinions of my close friends,I decided that I wanted the collection to utilize the work I had crafted while in college. I created so much during my time at North Carolina A&T State University that had never existed outside of the digital realm. Being a first-generation graduate participating in her first art fair made for the perfect angle to lead with.
Just printing the photographs wasn’t enough for me, so I decided to lead with the digital collage technique of removal as a form of storytelling, inspired by Caleb Coles “Odd One Out”, the work of Rosanna Jones, and one of the Retro-Futuristic Photo Collages by Philipp Igumnov.
I had tested this technique through the piece ‘Fish Out Of Water’ back in April & after it was selected at crit night as one of the pieces the judges could see selling, I knew that repurposing the photos from time at my HBCU that illustrate movement would make perfect for this collection.
After about 5 rounds and lots of cuts I decided crafted the digital files and did some research on labeling via The Practical Art World before submitting to the host. I made sure each file was labeled and presented properly so that they could easily input the specifications into their Point-Of-Sale system. The hosts had us submit our offerings beforehand because there was one central place were sales were made in the fair. As opposed to us having to complete each sale on our own.
Once the collection was completed and submitted I my purchased my prints though MPix.com and gathered my frames. Some were purchased though Amazon & others were donated to my from my community.
4) Materialize It!
Lastly before it was time to put it all together I needed to gather my materials. Thankfully I had made a list alongside my wall mockup sketch so it made it pretty easy to translate those notes into a spreadsheet. I broke my spreadsheet up by the categories of: Photos, Frames, Installation, Extras, Marketing, Wardrobe & Multi-use. From there I kept noted: Item Name, Use/Quantity, Source (Place Purchased), Order Number, How Much I Paid & Total. This helped me to keep track of how much I spent and how much I would need to make to make a profit. Instead of buying a bunch of supplies in the beginning I took it one step at a time, purchasing what I could, when I needed it & adding it to the spreadsheet.
My materials mostly included spray paint, glue (bottle and hot glue), duct & mounting tape, and lighting. With a pretty limited budget & high aspirations, I am very proud of what felt like a little go a long way.
Materials en route, as soon as I wrapped the exhibition with 38a Gallery on December 6th I immediately began working on the execution for this art fair.
The Execution Phase
I’ve organized the components of the execution phase into the following categories:
Installation
I initially wanted to paint my wall like everyone else, but I in true new adult fashion I didn’t realize how expensive paint could be & I had already put my budget towards other items so I went all in on the “control panels.”
Slabs of cardboard that I customized with old tech sourced from around the house, I worked around the clock from Saturday to Wednesday of Install Week.
Lots of late nights and early mornings, I took a part the tower unit of a desktop computer and spray painted the pieces silver alongside other items like a walkie talkie, calculator, keyboard and speakers. Unfortunately it rained so much that week so what imagined would be a nice backyard project, took over my full downstairs. With fans running 24 hours a day to keep out fumes, you would have thought it was an industrial warehouse, if you entered with your eyes close.
Crafting the control panels was the most tedious part of the process. Once I got into the space it was pretty streamlined from there. This honestly was my favorite part of this entire experience. With other artist trickling in and out, playing music occasionally, it was mostly silent. I nailed each panel into the wall. The rhythm of the mallet striking the wall felt therapeutic as it engaged my body and my full attention. As high as 11ft in the air at some points, I felt pretty powerful on the ladder. It has now inspired me to look more into opportunities surrounding fabrication and art installation.
Along with the peace and quiet, came a lot of conversation from those in the space passing by. Some to return to their own walls for installation and others who had simply wandered into the space. I met so many people who wandered in what direction I was taking my wall. Through these conversations I was able to learn more about them & practice my elevator pitch for the collectors.
Before entering the space I was concerned that I wouldn’t have enough to fill the wall, but as I added more it began to feel like I had too much. To combat this I took a breaks in between to step back and evaluate what I was doing and where it was going. Don’t get me wrong my wall was absolutely the product of a maximalist approach, but through the use of symmetry and lighting I was able to convey the concept of a wall in a rocket ship. (If you look at any photos of astronauts in a ship, there is always a lot going on there is a method to the madness that supports functionality)
The completed wall came in at 8ft wide by 11ft tall, making it the tallest and largest art activation that I have crafted.
Marketing
BLKMRKTCLT provided us with a folder of still assets to use as we wished & only required us to post at least one 15-second reel & 2 story posts promoting the event.
I began my personal marketing rollout The Soular Lab way, by posting an “I Statement” with a few of the host provided branded flyers. When working with a collaborator who has gone out of their way to create some kind of marketing, I always make sure to include their work alongside the assets I create specifically for what I hope to achieve. Following what I consider to be the “kick-off social post” establishing my participation in the fair, I began my rollout. I designed:
8, Digital flyers promoting the fair and teasing the display (one example HERE)
3, 30 sec to 1 min videos marking 15 Days, 1 Week, and 1 Day until the fair
2 carousel of photos, videos & motion graphics giving people a closer look at the display and collection (View HERE & HERE)
As you can see I presented a diverse set of content on my Instagram pages to continuous capture the attention of my followers and engage them consistently without it feeling too repetitive.
Along with the standard social post I took advice from the Social & Content Marketing workshop and extended my marketing beyond social media. I did this in 2 ways:
1) Poster Prints
I designed 2 11x14 poster prints to market my participation in the fair, give my community a more affordable way to support me & crowdfund for installation supplies
The first poster is a print of the VIP Piece “Fish Out Of Water on Metal” & the second was crafted from my exhibition branding. I love how the social flyers came out & I figured since I wasn’t going to be selling those designs as a part of the collection, this would be a great opportunity to present the main flyer design in print.
To get the word out about the posters I created a motion graphic carousel + IG Reel and embedded these assets in the rollout.
(Thank you to everyone that purchased a poster!!)
2) Billboard
I dabbled with a few different out of home advertising ideas for this rollout & ultimately decided to go live with a billboard the week of the fair. Located on Statesville Rd in the parking lot of the Citgo Gas Station, 2 miles north from the venue, this billboard featured a 648px x 180px horizontal design of the signature rocket blasting towards the exhibition information.
I passed this billboard so often, so when I discovered it was now available via Blip Billboards; a Self-Service Billboard Advertising Agency it was the perfect time to give it a go. (I highly recommend giving their site a look & try for your billboard needs)
The Billboard went live on Monday and showed 126 times over the course of the week, reaching over 1,850 people! :)
(Not too bad for a small independent local campaign)
Bonus: Press
I also got the opportunity to be interviewed by Maranda Whittington from The City of Charlotte leading up to the fair, alongside one of the co-owners of BLKMRKTCLT & some of the other artist participating this year:
Press is not only another great tip for marketing, but a great way to embed your story into the legacy of a particular publication & in this case my home city Charlotte, NC. I hope that in the future when people look back at my journey, that are forced to recognize Charlotte, NC as a place that has produced quality Black artists that have contributed to the progression of the city. We are here & doing the work, and this video will be proof.
Wardrobe
Shot by Meredith
Storytelling and execution doesn’t stop at the exhibition. For my outfit I knew from the beginning that I wanted to coordinate with my display. When people came into the building I didn’t want there to be any question whether or not I was artist or collector. (I’m both! But when I was in that building, I was there to work) To achieve this goal I kept it simple for VIP Night & shifted my focus to going all out for General Public Night. Meredith of Meredith World to created a 1-of-1 piece formto style. A chrome upcycled cropped bomber crafted from the inside of a traditional bomber constructed and turned inside out, this method of creation directly correlated with my third initial point to utilize repurposing to present something new.
I paired the jacket with a black top & jorts, and hightop lace-up sneakers with silver spray painted toes.
For my beauty I chose natural makeup, red and orange ombre hair to represent the fiery gradient streak presented in the exhibition social branding, along with silver hands to symbolize that the display was hand-crafted by me :)
The silver hands were inspired by a combination of Michelle Lamy’s inked dipped fingers & my own somewhat accidentally hand spray painting, when I was forced to hold each repurposed tech item and spray paint them outside of my backdoor because of the rain. (Yes, I was supposed to wear gloves, but I didn’t because they felt more like a barrier than protection during my creative process)
Day of Show
I presented my display two weekends in a row, the first being VIP Night & the second being General Public Night
VIP Night
Going into VIP Night I was so so nervous. I know that in orientation they said that they expected us to be at our wall selling our work, but I wasn’t sure this also applied to VIP Night, considering there was a more curated crowd present.
Consisting of experienced art collectors, seasoned local artists, gallerist and dealers, VIP Night wasn’t as congested as General Public Night, making it perfect for me to break the ice. They mentioned that a lot of the people who would be present knew their way around, as it relates to shopping for art, so I was a bit unsure how I should approach them when introducing myself and my work.
I quickly learned that even though the audience observed with an elevated eye, they still needed the full spiel. Not because they were new to collecting & needed us to explain why art is worthy of investing but actually the opposite. The knew the value of collecting art, it just about which piece they would go home with.
I spent most of the night at my wall speak with collectors and bonding and supporting my neighbors Rosie Molinary & Kenya K. Templeton, two extremely talented artist that check out! And when viewers eased up, I was able to take a briefly break and walk around to check out the other displays and artist. I would recommend if you are interested in participating in the future, to make explore having someone scheduled to assist at your wall during your breaks. (So you don’t miss out on a potential sale)
I made my first sale with the VIP piece, “Wave Check in Negative.” Making this sale gave me the boost of confidence I needed going into General Public Night, but there was still much room for improvement.
General Public Night
Following VIP Night I sat down and made a list of action items I could take to better ensure a successful General Public Night. VIP Night went great and I wanted that momentum to continue. That list included, tightening up my elevator pitch & using verbiage that sold the work as opposed to just explaining how I felt about it. It also included making minor updates to the installation like adding more lighting and a table in front of the display for the ‘Fish Out Of Water’ piece.
Going into the second weekend I planned to have printed line sheets and stickers but chips just didn’t fall that way so it was just me, my iPad & the QR codes placed within the installation to get people to connect with me beyond the event. This proved to be perfect, because I definitely believe I would have been very overstimulated handling paper.
I have no idea how many people came up to my display but let me tell it was a lot! So many people admired it from a far and felt propelled to give it a closer look. A few folks even declared my wall their favorite in the whole fair & that made heart melt, because I really am proud that it was able to connect with them on a deeper level.
In conclusion General Public Night was a success! Not only did I sell 70% off the collection, turning a profit, but I also was able to connect with local artists, gallerists, and turned a few buyers into first time collectors.
The remaining pieces of the collection will be available for purchase at a later separate time.
Kept my sold tags as souvenirs. :)
Uninstallation
When it was all said & done I had to go back to the venue to take my display down. I originally wanted this post to go up two days after the fair wrapped but I pushed it back because I knew that I needed to include uninstallation in the recap.
So many times when people talk about their experiences they don’t include the aftermath. They don’t talk about what happens after the last sale has been made and all the IG post of smiling faces grateful for the support have been posted. So I am to give you the inside scoop!
1 week after the fair I went back to the venue to take my display down. Because the wall was pretty soft (and I was on a time crunch) I was quickly pulled the panels off the wall & stored the nails back in my tool box. I discarded the foil fringe curtain & took the wall panels, lighting & signage back home to be repurposed for future projects.
Some of the black paint came up from the mounting tape, but that was okay because it will be repainted for the next event.
The Sustain Phase
Just because the fair is over and my display has been taken down doesn’t mean the work is over. If anything this is just beginning. Participating in this fair felt almost like I was coming out to the world and declaring myself a visual artist in the city of Charlotte, NC. Now that I have made that statement & I have collectors in my community, my first step to nurturing those relationships is adding them to an email list so that we can keep in contact.
Along with keeping touch I am taking the initiative to send out thank you & “welcome to the family” packs. I’ll share more about these in detail later as I continue to develop my collectors perks, but I will leave you with this: As you close one fair, project, partnership etc. where there are collectors or clients involved, be sure to leave them with a parting gift. Get creative and be thoughtful, as you are not entitled to their support, but let them know that you are immensely appreciative.
The sustain phase is one that I can’t fully show because it is a process that I am currently in. This phase is about continuing to nurture the connections you have made, because you never know how they can benefit you in the future. Think making memories, growing together, and making more sales with people who will truly treasure your work.
A huge thank you to BLKMRKTCLT for the opportunity to participate, as well as everyone who showed me support along the journey.
From family, friends, artistic peers, and even complete strangers who uplifted this project on & offline, to my now community of collectors who purchased a piece.
Without you none of this possible!
Thank you!
If you are a collector please fill out the form at the bottom of the First in Flight exhibition page to receive your Collector’s Pack
For the greater community, stay tuned because another exhibition is coming your way sooner than you think! :)