In the first article in this series we discussed preparing for the event. Now its time for….

Part 2 – On The Day Of The Event

UCLA Graduate Open Studio 2008

Dress For Success
That might mean a breezy floral outfit if you are showing in Jacksonville, or a pair of ripped diesel jeans and a too-small t-shirt if you are exhibiting in Williamsburg. Wear what feels appropriate to your market and your art.

Engage Your Friends
Enlist your friends to help with the running of the show. That includes greeting visitors, offering drinks and snacks, and taking care of sales transactions and packing. Good friends will have a blast helping you succeed. Buy them dinner or return the favor!

Cater
No need to go overboard, but a simple selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will always smooth the conversation and open up new connections for you. A tasteful selection of snacks (that don’t run out) also helps.

Be the artist
With your friends and family taking care of details, allow yourself to “be the artist”. Chat with visitors, talk about what motivates you, point out features of your work. You need to meet everyone at your open studio so enlist one of your friends to move you on to the next guest if your attention is being monopolized.

Guestbook
Everyone who walks through your door is a potential collector. So, be sure to invite all visitors to sign your guestbook. If possible, have them leave both an email and a regular mail address, and a phone number.

Taking Care of Sales
Have a friend take care of any sales paperwork and packing. Make sure that they have a current pricelist and understand how to calculate and add sales tax. You don’t want to ruin a friendship over a miscalculated price! Be sure that you have plenty of bubble-wrap and packing tape on hand too.

Read the final article in this series: Part 3 – Important follow-up details after the event…