Category Crossing at Shows

I was a booth helper for my fiber artist friend last week in
Baltimore. Of course, I was checking out all the wonderful jewelry
and noticed 3 artists who were not in the jewelry section selling
jewelry and displaying hollow ware and vessels. After checking the
catalog, these artists had juried into the metals category and not
any of the jewelry categories. I noticed that a number of artists
had juried into several categories so I know that if they had gotten
into several categories, they would be listed in each one.

My friend knew some of the other artists in the vicinity of these
metals artists and asked if this was a common practice. All said
that it was a common practice for these 3 artists to jury into one
category and to sell mostly jewelry at a show. A furniture artist
said he was across from one of them at the Washington Craft Show in
December and saw the artist sell maybe a handful of non-jewelry
items but high numbers of jewelry items (which are $20-30 range and
are low quality).

My friend reported the 3 artists to the show office on Friday and
said the show official didn’t seem very interested in this

Is this commonly done by others at high-end shows? I’ve never
applied to one of these big shows but have done plenty of "little"
ones where it’s common to see jewelers and other artists selling
manufactured goods along with a few token hand-made pieces. When I
have asked show officials about it, they usually say they sometimes
have a difficult time telling the difference, confronting the artist
during the show, etc. (although their rules clearly state that any
merchandise that does not fit the rules must be removed from their
booth immediately).

How big of a problem is this at better shows? Does the management do
anything besides look the other way? It’s really unfair to the other
jewelry artists there and the ones who are wait-listed.

Elizabeth
P.S. You jewelry people in Baltimore totally ROCK!!

I have been frustrated by this too, as both an exhibitor and a show
manager. As a show manager, I have problems at every single show
with artists who jury with one type of jewelry/product and bring
something completely different. Unfortunately there is no way to
really tell what a person is going to bring to a show once you’ve
juried them in…for some strange reason jurying in for one thing
and bringing another seems to be a common practice. I have started
asking for a list of past shows with the application, so if I see a
new artist’s slides and I have questions often I will go through my
list of returning artists and contact someone who has done a show
with this person before to get their feedback.

This past year I had an artist jury in with beautiful clothing,
however when she showed up she had brought 50% clothing (which was
very different from the slides however still handmade) and 50%
obviously imported jewelry. When I asked her to remove the jewelry
because it wasnt handmade she insisted that she made it herself. I
told her that even if she had in fact made it she wasnt juried in for
it and she had to remove it. She began removing it as I walked away,
I came back once she show had opened and she had not only put it all
back out but she had added an additional table of this jewelry! To
make a very long story short, I told her 6-8 more times to remove it
and each time she said she would…the jewelry was never removed. I
didn’t really know what I could do, I felt horrible but I couldnt
physically remove the jewelry myself. I have something like this
happen every single show, and I am a small show, I cant imagine what
the largeshows have to go through.

Unfortunately there isnt a whole lot you can do f someone refuses to
comply once they are setup and the show is open (other than not
invite them back next year). Lots of managers are also afraid of
potential legal issues, I am only just starting my third year as a
show owner/manager and I have already been threatened twice with
lawsuits simply for not inviting people back when they have either
broken the rules or grossly misrepresented their work.

The whole point of this was that there is show management out there
who doesn’t look the other way and tries to enforce rules…I try to
do everything in my power to enforce the rules.

How big of a problem is this at better shows? Does the management
do anything besides look the other way? 

One would like to think that the management will care (and be able
to tell). I had the pleasure, at a show last summer, to witness an
offending “artist” being escorted, booth and all, off the show
grounds. Boy, that was great!

–Noel

Hello Elizabeth Lyne, this promises to be an interesting thread.

You have described a common situation - an artist showing a mix of
handmade pieces and goods manufactured/purchased for resale. It’s
only a problem if the show rules prohibit such sales. The rules in
the show literature sound formidable, but rules are useless without
evaluation and enforcement. I was a health inspector in a former life
and that bit about evaluation and enforcement applies to restaurants,
septic systems, housing codes, etc. Someone has to wear the black hat
and the marshall’s star, or don’t even bother writing rules.

Aren’t show organizers (both non and for-profit) in it for the $$?
Are they wanting confrontations which would lead to unfilled booths.
Think about how difficult it would be to first determine that the
item(s) wasn’t made by the artist, then to force the artist to remove
it from sale, and THEN to assure that the discredited item(s) is not
put back on the table. How does the organizer deal with the "artist"
who claims that the item(s) are handmade “in the style of” whatever
was mass produced? Organizers prefer to accept everyone as honorable
and obeying the rules.

Ohhh what a headache I’m getting.

Buyers don’t care; they’re no help here. I think the usual buyer
wants a cool piece at a cool price and couldn’t care less whether the
person in the booth actually made it or is reselling. The resellers’
low prices make competition impossible for the artist who truely
makes everything.

As to the practice of jurying into a different but related category -
it seems an underhanded but obviously effective way of improving
one’s chances of being accepted. One stays within the rules, but
takes advantage of a loophole. That is unless the show organizer has
the inner fortutide to limit artists to what was juried, and
actually confiscates the unjuried stuff - to be returned at the
show’s end.

I don’t know the solution here. It is a viscious spiral that in the
end damages the show’s reputation to the point of it becoming a flea
market. Wait! Maybe that IS the solution - just call it a flea
market and scrap the hassle of jurying! Leave juries to the
galleries.

Judy in Kansas, who is shaking her head…

cieloatl -

Unfortunately there is no way to really tell what a person is
going to bring to a show once you've juried them in...for some
strange reason jurying in for one thing and bringing another seems
to be a common practice 

why are you wasting your time having a jury process at all for your
shows? all of the better shows have rules, below is a composite of
the best sections of show rules issued by more than one show
promoter:

  "one of your jury slides will be retained until the show, at
  which time that slide will be compared with the items you
  display to ensure they are of the same category and caliber as
  the work represented in your slides. any item(s) deviating from
  that slide, or buy-sell, in the staff's opinion, will be
  removed by exhibitor. any exhibitor who refuses to remove
  nonjuried or wrong category items will be asked to immediately
  pack up and leave the show. those who refuse could be removed
  by staff; in certain cases an exhibitor who refuses to obey the
  staff's orders can be deemed a trespasser by staff and local
  law officials called. [in extreme situations, should it be
  necessary to eject an exhibitor who refuses to pack up, packing
  could be done by staff under supervision and the exhibitor will
  be billed for the time spent.]" 

it sounds like you are running the shows by yourself, without the
manpower to back up your decisions and the exhibitors know that. to
save your shows you have to do start taking some steps and here are
some suggestions:

  1. print out a set of ‘show rules’ that lays down, in detail, all
    the requirements every exhibitor must follow at your shows.

  2. put together a small staff (even friends with time and guts you
    can pay by installments) who can be counted on to patrol all of the
    show and enforce your rules without exception - let them know you
    will back them up.

  3. cruise the whole show regularly. be seen around. be seen checking
    the items in every booth. be seen by rule-abiding exhibitors that you
    are enforcing the rules - money spent at the buy-sell booths is money
    not spent with them. remember: be seen. an absentee promoter promotes
    show failure.

lastly, do. not. deviate. from. your. show. rules! nothing will keep
the good attendance-building artists away from your shows quicker
than word getting around “weak promoter. buy-sell, imports, junk, and
those stupid little foam alligators on wires all over show. bad
reputation.” if you continue to back down with cheating exhibitors
you might as well start looking now for a field to lease for you
future flea mart.

ive
who thinks you need backbone more than luck -

Elizabeth

Wow–you open a big can of worms (again). I don’t think I’ve ever
participated in a show–wholesale or retail, high end or not, where
the question of crossovers and imported and/or assembled jewelry
hasn’t come up for discussion. If you are a jeweler, you know when
someone’s work is not really “handmade” (I exclude assembling
pre-made settings with calibrated stones from this category). It is
suspected that many jewelers send in slides of handmade, beautiful,
original jewelry, but that it’s not what they sell at the show. I
have never known of anyone who was asked to leave a show or who was
refused participation in subsequent shows who clearly was selling
work they didn’t make themselves. It is frustrating and infuriating
to those of us who have less inventory because we do make all the
jewelry ourselves or with help in our own studios. It’s too bad that
many “craft” shows have turned into (you should pardon me) "crap"
shows. True for most media, I would suspect. I have no idea who
should be accountable for this. Wish I did.

Carolyn

Does the management do anything besides look the other way? 

It depends on the management. At one show I did, a jeweler was
allowed in at the last minute because of a no-show. The promoter had
never dealt with this person before.

The jeweler brought in trays and trays of obviously manufactured,
run-of-the-mill rings which he laid out on tables covered with what
looked like colored sheets. It wasn’t long before other artists were
complaining to the promoter.

I was curious myself so I went over to take a look and struck up a
casual conversation with the “jeweler”. I verbally admired the rings
and asked if he had made all of them. He said he had “designed” some
of them and actually made that one there, and he pointed to one
apparently one-of-a-kind piece. I mentioned this conversation to the
promoter who was on the verge of removing the offending exhibitor
anyway, and the next day the guy was gone.

Interestingly, the “jeweler” took the promoter to court for breaking
the contract by kicking him out. I was in court as a witness (though
I was never called since the suit was so patently ridiculous) and the
judge quickly ruled in favor of the promoter. The “jeweler” really
believed he had been wronged. He just could not understand that in
breaking the contract himself (by displaying manufactured goods), he
had invalidated the agreement, thereby giving the promoter every
right to kick him out of the show. Some people just don’t get it.

Anyway… the point is that artists must speak up and promoters
must follow through on their stated policies. Sometimes the best
the promoter can do is blackball the offending exhibitor in the
future but that’s the very least that should be done.

Beth

Hi Carolyn:

If you are a jeweler, you know when someone's work is not really
"handmade" (I exclude assembling pre-made settings with calibrated
stones from this category). It is suspected that many jewelers send
in slides of handmade, beautiful, original jewelry, but that it's
not what they sell at the show. 

I sometimes don’t see the forest for the trees. It’s inherent in my
personality that I always seem to see the good parts of people and
see the other stuff later (sometimes too late). This, I know about
myself and I do my best to navigate around with what many would see
as a handicap. It never occurred to me that pre-made settings would
be in a show. I am thinking by pre-made, you mean someone opens a
catalog and orders the item. Is this really what you mean? I’m sorry,
but this kinda throws me for a big loop. Is this acceptable to other
artists/jewelers? Is it common?

I weave around cabochons. In other words, I take a nice cab, back it
with leather, and then weave beading off the leather and up around
the cab. This makes a very nice bezel and each piece is
one-of-a-kind. I then take the cab and suspend it from Beadalon and
string on various beads. It’s this part of the work that is frowned
upon. though. The beading is said to be “art” and the stringing has
kept me from being in many shows. This I know because I call to see
why I have not been accepted into a show.

I don’t see a difference between the 2 though. If a jeweler can
order a setting and a stone and then put the 2 together, why is that
better than my neckpieces that contain strung elements? Is it that
the jurors can’t tell the difference between a pre-made setting and
one made by hand?

I am so hoping that you will write and tell me how wrong I am.

Best Regards,
Kim Starbard
Cove Beads

Hi Beth

Anyway... the point is that artists *must* speak up and promoters
*must* follow through on their stated policies. Sometimes the best
the promoter can do is blackball the offending exhibitor in the
future but that's the very *least* that should be done. 

This sounds pretty harsh though. As I wrote in my other post on
category crossing, I tend to see the best in people, right? If
someone truly doesn’t get it, I don’t think they should be
blacklisted. Mostly, people deserve a second chance in life. Once
the error of the exhibitors ways are pointed out, They can go back
to the drawing board and try to rejury into the show, and show up
with all their own stuff this time.

Best
Kim Starbard

The non-original stuff I’ve seen at shows is actually marked “Hecho
in Mexico”, “China”, etc. When you see a tray of identical silver
pendants that are inexpensive, it’s not hard to verify if these were
mass produced (and not from a wax model of the artist). The same goes
for obviously manufactured chains. I have only seen this at lower-end
shows (as I have had few chances to attend high-end or ACC shows),
however, it’s not pleasant to be across from someone who is obviously
selling work they clearly didn’t make.

I’m not doing a particular show this year and have offered myself up
as a volunteer to help spot this kind of thing. The show is only 1
day and has 400 booths so there’s not much opportunity for a
participating artist to see and report this kind of activity during
the actual show.

Elizabeth

I don't see a difference between the 2 though. If a jeweler can
order a setting and a stone and then put the 2 together, why is
that better than my neckpieces that contain strung elements? Is it
that the jurors can't tell the difference between a pre-made
setting and one made by hand? 

A jeweler can indeed order a setting and a stone and put the two
together, but she/he can neither honestly nor legally call the piece
“handmade.”

The term “handmade” as applied to the goldsmith’s craft means that
the artist began with metal in a relatively unformed state, e.g.,
sheet, wire or casting grain, and manually shaped the metal into its
finished form by such methods as soldering, forging, piercing, etc.

When a metalsmith is selling work as handmade, and finds him/herself
set up next to someone who is just stringing purchased beads, spacers
and findings on a strand of monofilament and calling their wares
handmade, the stage is set for some friction. There is a wide gulf
between the two in terms of labor invested, level of skill, and
control of the appearance of the finished product. I myself have been
at shows where another jewelry artist was selling strung Chinese
turquoise nuggets and Balinese spacers and findings, presenting the
finished pieces as “handmade by a local Arizona artist.” Chinese and
Balinese workers probably had as much or more labor invested in the
finished piece than she had, and arguably more control over the
appearance of the finished product as well.

Lee

Dear Kim,

It never occurred to me that pre-made settings would be in a show.
I am thinking by pre-made, you mean someone opens a catalog and
orders the item. Is this really what you mean? I'm sorry, but this
kinda throws me for a big loop. Is this acceptable to other
artists/jewelers? Is it common? 

No, this is not acceptable at fine craft shows. At unjuried shows, I
suppose anything goes. They are more like a flea market; you pay for
a spot and sell whatever you can sell. It may be common there. The
disturbing thing is that these sellers often swear they made the
stuff, perhaps feeling justified because of the small amount of
setting work they do on it. I try hard to avoid shows that let this
type of work in to them.

I make original silver jewelry, and at one point I started stringing
some of it with beads, as you do. A professional craft photographer
working at an ACC show warned me to be very careful about sending in
jury slides that had my pendant on a bead-strung necklace, saying
that it might put me in a category in the jurors’ minds that I did
not want to be in, namely, with the bead stringers who do not make
any of their components. This is exactly what you are up against, I
think.

I hang a lot of my work on 3 or 4-mm leather cords, and I am in the
process of switching to my own handmade sterling cord ends, instead
of purchased ones, for the same reason. I don’t know if I will be
able to keep up with the demand for all those small parts, so I
guess I will keep some of the commercial ones on hand as well.
Customers like the commercial cord ends just fine, except that they
are a little bit bulkier than necessary, so some of my pendants and
beads will not slide on and off of a necklace. That is the second
reason I like my own ends better. But the other, very important
reason that I want my own ends on the cords is to class up my work in
the eyes of those more knowledgeable about the jewelry business,
especially if they are jurors. That’s how it goes.

One other thing that I feel compelled to mention: I do use some bezel
cups sometimes instead of fabricating small bezels. They help keep
the cost down for some designs where I add a small round accent stone
to one of my castings. I feel okay about it, as long as I do a good
job with them. But the bezel cup is not the jewelry design, there’s a
lot more to the piece than that.

I think that if I were you, I would show only one piece that had the
bead necklace on it in my jury shots. Make other pieces that don’t
have bead-stringing on them, such as brooches, earrings, or one of
your pendants on a cord or chain, and feature those in the majority
of your slides. And be sure to have some of those pieces at the
show! It is necessary to play the game, and play it as well as you
can. That is, if you want to make a living at this.

HTH, M’lou

To qualify as handmade in the US the FTC has a definition 23.3 Misuse
of the terms “hand-made,” “hand-polished,” etc.

(a) It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by
implication, that any industry product is hand-made or hand-wrought
unless the entire shaping and forming of such product from raw
materials and its finishing and decoration were accomplished by hand
labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to
control and vary the construction, shape, design, and finish of each
part of each individual product.

Note to paragraph (a): As used herein, “raw materials” include bulk
sheet, strip, wire, and similar items that have not been cut, shaped,
or formed into jewelry parts, semi-finished parts, or blanks.

(b) It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by
implication, that any industry product is hand-forged,
hand-engraved,

hand-finished, or hand-polished, or has been otherwise hand-
processed, unless the operation described was accomplished by hand
labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to
control and vary the type, amount, and effect of such operation on
each part of each individual product.

James Binnion
@James_Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

360-756-6550

Hi M’lou

A professional craft photographer working at an ACC show warned me
to be very careful about sending in jury slides that had my pendant
on a bead-strung necklace, saying that it might put me in a
category in the jurors' minds that I did not want to be in, namely,
with the bead stringers who do not make any of their components.
This is exactly what you are up against, I think. 

Thanks, your email did give me a lot of good advice. I have often
wondered, do people who make jewelry have access to any kind of
services for business feedback? Someone who would be able to look at
your work and say “you have a good thing going here, but this item is
not going to be a good seller” that kind of thing. Is it truly all
trial and error? Do you guys just rely on your gut, experience, and
the opinions of your friends who also work in your field? or is there
more?

Just something I have always wondered about.

Thanks Again
Kim Starbard
Cove Beads

Hi Lee

When a metalsmith is selling work as handmade, and finds
him/herself set up next to someone who is just stringing purchased
beads, spacers and findings on a strand of monofilament and calling
their wares handmade, the stage is set for some friction. 

I completely understand what your saying. My frustration doesn’t
stem from the fact that I have not been able to get into certain
shows, I am not happy with the fact that some of my work is strung
either. I just could not find another way to put the pendant
together with a neckpiece and have it be attractive and wearable and
not have to retail for 500 dollars. Just as an aside, for one
particular show, the rules clearly state “no assembled items, such
as beadery”. I assumed this applied to me, but when I visted the
actual show, I saw an exhibitor (more than one) with nothing but
strung beads. I figured what the heck and applied for the show. I am
#5 on the wait list. Probably, if some of my things did not contain
strung elements, I would get right in, but I don’t think anyone
should be mad at me if I get the call and do the show. It’s up to
the organizers who gets in. I’m just trying to sell work, wherever
and whenever I can. You know, some of the ladies, when they buy my
jewelry, say “wow, you are such an artist”. I just smile and say
thanks, but I know I’m not there yet. I appreciate your honesty. I
know if I keep learning and working hard, I’ll be able to call
myself an artist soon.

Best Regards,
Kim Starbard
Cove Beads

Hi Kim–

I wish I knew the answers. I don’t think it’s precisely the idea of
using a pre-made bezel in and of itself–I was thinking more of
jewelry that is just made of assembled parts–with little actual hand
fabrication by the artist–short of possibly just soldering parts
together. I’m really not trying to insult those who may use some
parts ordered from catalogs–just those who assemble manufactured
pieces (or have others do it) and then pass it off as original,
hand-made art. I don’t know why your work should be discriminated
against–unless it doesn’t technically fall into the category of
"metal" work. Some shows don’t seem to have categories for jewelry
other than metal–I don’t think.

I think what this thread is trying to get at is the jewelry that
would not be generally regarded as original hand-crafted/fabricated
work. There is certainly a place for manufactured and assembled
work–and it need not be disrespected–just properly categorized and
assessed. I’m sure It’s very difficult to accurately judge work by
looking at 5 slides displayed for a few seconds. But I seriously
question whether the people in charge of shows actually visit every
booth and compare actual work in the showcase to slides. Often the
jurors are not the show promoters and may never see the work in
person. Also, for one-of-a-kind work, the piece on a slide may be
unavailable–and the pieces at the show look a bit different.

There are so many angles to this issue.

Here’s another question–how is it that some artists in juried shows
get into the same show(s) every year and advertise that fact? If
every show is juried annually and “independently”–well–what’s the
story there? There seems to be a general awareness that some artists
are automatically included in a show–juried or not. I’d really
rather understand the truth of that process, rather than continuing
to believe that everyone is juried in or out by the same standards.

Thanks for listening to my rant.
Carolyn

Here's another question--how is it that some artists in juried
shows get into the same show(s) every year and advertise that fact?
If every show is juried annually and "independently"--well--what's
the story there? 

I mentioned this very fact to an artist who regularly gets into ACC
and higher level shows in a non-jewelry category…

  1. Her response: these shows are also aware of which artists have
    followings and will bring in more paying customers by being included
    in their show.

  2. While some shows have new juries every year, it’s clear that the
    jury must not be picking all of the artists since some continue to
    get in with work that hasn’t changed in years and/or is somewhat
    dated. Her conclusion: some show organizers have their favorites and
    they will get in no matter what.

Elizabeth

Hello, Kim

How about taking silver wire or wire in general, and
hammering/forging it into a neckwire? Loop the ends so they latch
together, and you have your handmade necklace without a lot of
expense or time.

Hope this helps,
Susannah Page-Garcia
Moonshine Metal Creations
@Susannah_Garcia

Just as an aside, for one particular show, the rules clearly state
"no assembled items, such as beadery". 

Hold on a minute…If you have fabricated a setting for a pendant
with an unusual stone and suspended it from matching beads as an
integral part of the design, how can they possibly reject your
effort? Are you going to have to declare that you polished and
drilled the beads yourself? Before you enter a show, if you have any
question about the rules it’s a good idea to find out exactly where
they draw the line.

Dee

Here's another question--how is it that some artists in juried
shows get into the same show(s) every year and advertise that fact?
If every show is juried annually and "independently"--well--what's
the story there? 
  1. They get in because they are really good.

  2. They get in because the jurors like them, and are able to
    recognize their distinctive work each year from their slides.

  3. Each year, they make up a list of shows that they have been
    accepted to, and hand it out at all the shows. In early summer
    shows, when all results are not yet announced, I will put (applied)
    after the name of a show that I do not yet have notification for.
    This can make for interesting dialogue with customers, who usually
    have no idea of what we go through to get into shows.

  4. Sometimes they do not get in to a valued show that they are
    accustomed to being in, and it is very hard for them to make up the
    income elsewhere. This is one of the hardships of doing retail or
    wholesale shows.

  5. Maybe some juries are corrupt ( but I choose to think not).

  6. Some shows give points for having been in their show for the last
    X years, or whatever system they choose. These points are added to
    the jury points to come up with the final ranking of the applicants.
    New people can get into these shows, but it is more difficult, and
    may depend on other people in your category dropping out. If you
    inquire, a show will probably tell you just how their system works.
    I have applied to one of these this spring, and am very curious to
    see if I can get in. The show’s loyalty to their artists is something
    that I respect, since it takes a lot of the stress and uncertainty
    out of the game. It also creates artist loyalty to the show.

M’lou