Levels of Art

Earlier this week I wrote about craft fairs. I’m having a great time getting ready for the debut of my handmade soaps, cards and jewelry. The local fair is not until June but there’s no sense putting off preparations until the last minute.

If you’ve had the chance to visit EventLister.com, then you’ve learned something about how craft fairs are rated. I don’t mean reviews of the fairs, but actual rating of the crafts presented there. It turns out there are levels of art, at least in the world of festivals.

The levels range from L1 to L10. From EventLister.com’s guidelines:

L1 Art/craft Items NOT EVEN recommended.
L2 Retail items allowed.
L3 All items must AT LEAST APPEAR hand made.
L4 All items must be hand made or embellished.
L5 Table cloths required.
L6 Limited number of artists per category.
L6 All items must be mostly hand made.
L6 A single-person or more panel lightly screens slides or photos.
L7 Floor-length table cloths required.
L7 A single-person or more panel jury thoroughly reviews slides or photos and display.
L7 All product types to be sold must be listed on application.
L7 Pre-show inspection of items and booths will be performed.
L7 Vendors with items violating terms WILL BE asked to remove them -or-
L7 Vendors with items violating terms WILL BE asked to leave.
L8 All items must be entirely hand-made by the artist alone.
L8 A multiple-person panel jury thoroughly reviews slides or photos and display.
L8 Artist must be present day of show.
L9 No plain, flat table displays. Tiers, levels, or shelves required.
L9 All items must be fine craft or art -or-
L9 All items must be fine art.
L10 Photos of workshop, supplies, or works in progress required -and/or-
L10 Copies of supply invoices required.

Level 1 might be a swap meet or flea market, while Level 10 is gallery-style high art. I’d say that my work is good solid Level 4, and if I bring a tablecloth I can make the jump to Level 5! At first blush I found the rating system a bit strict, but on reflection it seems fair: it helps crafters (and fine artists) decide where to put their resources -- which fairs and festivals are a good fit.

I’m reminded of the time I visited a local art school’s campus store for supplies. I inquired about where I could find sculpting tools and an ultra-hip young woman asked me, “Oh, you’re a sculptor?”

“No,” I said, momentarily enthusiastic, “I make soap!”

“So you’re a crafter.” She nodded toward the sculpting tools and was on her way to help a real artist.

I’ve been thinking about it, and talking with an artist friend of mine (he paints, and his work is in galleries), and I really believe that whether we are gluing buttons onto picture frames or creating a painting that will be compared to a Gauguin, what matters is the creating.

Whether you work in oils or just mix them up to create glycerin soap, have fun with it.

Until next time,

Conna