And let the scamming begin...

Credit Jantoo.com

It is that time of the year again... the prelude to Art Basel Miami. Even though the actual shows start in December... the scouting, booking and - in some cases - scamming the artists has begun again. Last year was the wonderful scam of 100 bags with 100 cards to be handed out to a select group of collectors and galleries... for a mere $ 275.00 per artist.

This years' try and - believe me - looks legit, until you take a closer look. And that people is really what it is all about... take a good look!!!

I have removed the name of the show but not the contents of their email(s) and made my observations in blue between their lines.
Our Marketing Plan for the Art XXXX Basel, 2015 Event

An invitation to participate in an art show during Art Basel Week in Miami, Florida· Thirty Day Event – Art XXXX Basel, 2015· December 1st – December 31st , 2015
(that is nice.. a whole month... not a soul in sight after Art Basel has ended because the people are tired after 5 days of BASELTON) 

· Location – Wynwood Arts District – Best arts district in Miami
· 565 NW 27th Street, Miami, Florida
(Location, location, location...and this location is not prime Wynwood... you will not get the full blast of Wynwood, unless you are that avant-garde gallery worth roaming the streets for) 
· To be held during Art Basel Week – 200,000 art lovers, collectors and art resources descend on Miami for the art shows and fairs· Opening Vernissage – December 5th, 2015 – coinciding with the openings of the other art fairs – 3000 people expected
(Now... did they say that 200,000 art lovers are crowding the streets of Wynwood... NO, it is the whole of Miami... and they expect 3000 people to come to the vernissage... 3000 expected, doesn't mean at all that they will attend)  
· Thirty day Events – Performance art, music, lectures will be held throughout the show· Promotion – Email Marketing, Social Media, Banners, Flyers, Handouts at the larger events
(First ones are email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter... and they will ask you to do the same. Banner is for the front of the building, and handouts at the larger events means that they haven't done their marketing.. but oh well do not worry, we will hand out a flyer at a larger event during Art Basel and who knows... ) 
· Miami Networking Professional – Hired to invite and attract collectors and art enthusiasts
(Get a popular girl to get friends over for free drinks... and the artists paid for it) 
· Event Space Next Door - Show will coincide with a number of fashion and media events held next door
(If anything, we might be able to lure in a lost soul from next door)

Our goal is the exposure of your work and with a little bit of help from you, your friends and collectors we can make Art XXXX Basel, 2015 a wonderful beginning to the art season in Miami.
(We have no real connections, so pay for the wall and bring your friends, in case our popular girl aka Networking professional cannot persuade her friends to come and have a drink... this way we make the 3000 people attending reality.)

The cost to show is $375 for a wall space 10' High X 3' Wide or 5' High X 6' Wide. Larger spaces are available!
(Oh this is good! Either you get a wall space for 1 painting of maximum 30" wide, but of course you could hang multiple paintings above each other... because you are curating your own wall. Or you can entertain either the little people (under 5') of the giants (over 5'), so you need two spaces above each other to hang on eye sight of your average person. And that is not including your 25% commission if you are lucky to sell something. 
Of course they want you to get larger spaces more money for them without doing anything) 


Now... we all want to show at Art Basel.. we might sell.. we might connect with that gallery we are dying to show in, we might even be invited to show in a different city... but these vanity places are not the places where the real buyers, scouters and galleries will go to.
There is no curating... anyone who pays, hangs aka your masterpiece could hang next to someones 8 y/o absolutely talentless nephew.
Avoid these vanity places because they don't want to show you, nor promote you... they are there to fill their own pockets with your money.

The Art Walk

Every first Friday of the month we have something called the Downtown Miami Art Walk, where almost all the artists in the downtown area have their studios open for everybody and all. For me personally that means that I need to "nice up" up my studio and turn it partially into a gallery so I can present my work in a professional way. 

Once every so many months I even fill the holes and repaint the walls, so everything looks fresh and nice again. Of course I only do this in a month when I do not have many obligations and deadlines. Then we (me and the 2 other artists) prepare the rest of the floor: besides 3 studio spaces, there are 2 gallery spaces, the bar, the hallway and the bathrooms.... and you probably guess it, no more time to work on a painting. 

We made it a rule on our floor that if we do not have an opening, we do not serve alcohol. The Art Walk for us artists means that we work. We present our art, we talk art with the visitors, and of course we hope that we will be able to sell work or at least have a potential buyer come back on another day.

Last Friday was a very nice Art Walk for me as I talked to a lot of new people who showed real interest in my work and I sold 3 pieces of art. 

And when a buyer is so happy to have bought your work that he wants to show that to the world, that makes it even better!!