GUIDELINES FOR FESTIVALS

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The crafts people are your frontline - real ambassadors for your festival. People typically spend much time talking to the artisans at their booths. Artists have more direct interaction with the public than nearly anyone else who is part of of your festival- hours of direct interaction. They'll often be highly instructive and entertaining. If you have selected your artisans well and if the quality of their work is good, many satisfied patrons will bring home tangible memories from your event in the form of a special work of art with tales of the great time they had. The musicians are usually on stage for an hour or so, perhaps two or three hours a day tops. Your craft artists are on stage all day, every day. Celtic Art and Celtic Artists

When selecting artists for a Celtic festival, it's a great idea to have a running familiarity with some of the many forms Celtic art can take. There is more to Celtic art than just knotwork... the familiar swirling interlaced lines of the Book of Kells. If you have the chance, try to get a range of periods and styles represented. If you are not familiar with the range of Celtic art, try these easily available overviews: "The Art of the Celts" by Iain Zaczek, or "Celtic Art" by Ruth and Vincent Megaw. A singular resource on Irish craft is "Ireland's Traditional Crafts" by David Shaw-Smith, out of print but available in libraries. Having a variety of materials represented is a great way to provide an interesting crafts area. You'll probably need to choose between a large number of jewelers, for example. You should be able to find painters, sculptors, potters, and fiber artists. There are printmakers, rug makers, furniture makers out there, all working in Celtic traditions or design. And don't forget lace making, blacksmithing, knitting, weaving, straw weaving, stone carving, wall building and masonry, thatching and instrument making- all typically Celtic art forms, though of course practiced in many other cultures as well. It doesn't have to have spirals on it to be Celtic!

Ask for slides or good quality images of the artists' actual work- and take note if they show up with something other than what they used to represent themselves. Ask for these well in advance of the time when a decision is required. Make the decisions as soon as you can. Four to six months ahead of your event is not too much time- most artists who work festivals plan their schedules far in advance, especially in the busy summer months. If you are pursuing grant funding for any of your demonstrators, you might need an even longer time frame. All application materials should have easily found deadlines and instructions. Clarity in advance will cut down on the number of times your phone will ring later, when you are up to your eyeballs in organizing details. If you never generated this type of material before, ask another festival organization which seems to have its act together for a blank copy of their application, and then adapt it for your needs.

What To Look For
When talking to the artists or viewing their material, take note of the following information- is the artist producing all the work themselves- or is it mass produced? If the artist is dealing in multiples, are these part of a limited series in editions? Where else has the artist exhibited- which other festivals, or which shops carry their work? Have the artist indicate a price range for the work, and don't be dissuaded by a relatively high number or two. One of a kind pieces, which is what you are looking for if you want high quality artists, are always more valuable than mass produced items. Since you've done a bit of homework...are the designs they use clearly copied from, say, a popular Celtic coloring book, or from other artists, or is there evidence of a creative design approach? Look for work that would stand on its own outside of a Celtic festival. It might be interesting to inquire about where an artist developed a skill- sometimes it is part of a true family folk tradition. Academic credentials are interesting to note (certainly not necessary!) as are prizes, recognition and awards, but you should go by what you see.

Special Note: In an effort to preserve the multiple traditions brought to North America by the many different peoples that have emigrated to these shores, much documentation of traditional arts has been done in recent years, fueled by funding from the (U.S.) National Endowment for the Arts.
It may be worth checking with a state or local arts council, folk arts or folklore studies organization or program, or a folklorist in your area. Contiguous (ie, taught in family or community setting, by apprenticeship in a traditional fashion) Celtic arts/crafts traditions in North America have been found in lace making, blacksmithing, knitting, weaving, straw weaving, stone carving and masonry, thatching and instrument making. Don't expect most of these people to apply to you- you may need to go find them.

In the U.S., there are specialized grants designed to enable non-profit organzations to present these artists and folk traditions to audiences. The artists in this category may have particular requirements, and should be treated as 'talent' for your festival. Some of them may be older folks with other needs. If you are applying for funding from a state or regional arts council, ask if they maintain a folk arts roster, and get some good advice on how to proceed. Including one of these documented traditional artists should be considered a special addition to your festival and
somewhat outside the jurying process, but don't be afraid to ask other festivals how it went with a specific artist they hosted, or get recommendations. You'll still want to make sure you have plenty of other artisans there with their wares for the bulk of your crafts area.

Getting Help
When you've got a pile of materials from more than enough artists gathered, get some help! Put together your 'jury'. Get one or two knowledgeable people to give you some fresh opinions. These people need not be familiar with Celtic art, but the more familiar they are with good design and good quality workmanship, the better. Someone with some craft art or fine art experience might be especially helpful, ideally a trusted artist who is already part of your festival. In choosing the artists, quality counts over quantity. The best quality artists will have returning customers, year after year; many of them send out or distribute to their own mailing lists about their upcoming appearances, just as the musicians do.

So now you get to choose- and it won't be easy!

If you end up with some 'hole'- not enough artists in clay, for example, or no one who works in fiber- ask the artists you've already chosen to help you network. Chances are, they'll have some good ideas about whom you might invite to apply.

By the Way
You may need to charge a booth fee to your artists. While a large retail operation like an Irish gift shop can probably afford to pay a substantial booth fee, the average artist who produces their own work and sells it themselves at festivals, is in a different category altogether and really should be treated as such. If you are hosting retailers (like CD dealers, large gift shops, jewelry reselling operations, T shirt purveyors, booksellers, etc) make sure you have two separate booth fee structures. Price these two areas (retail and craft/art) accordingly, and situate them in different areas of your festival grounds.

If you don't depend on booth fees to pay your musicians or support other major festival costs, you'll be able to choose the best artists based on their work, not based on what kind of fee they are able to pay to participate. The higher the fee, the more mass produced work you'll see. Think of your real artists as part of your talent pool.

Above and Beyond A Sales Area
Any number of the artists you choose will have even more to offer- demonstrations, hands-on workshops for kids or adults, re-enactment experience, or the ability to offer lectures or classes. Very important: When you ask an artist to demonstrate a skill, the artist should be paid for that time, and the artists sales area or booth should be covered for him/her while the demonstration takes place. The artists should not be expected to continuously demonstrate at their booths, although some of them may chose to do some work while making sales and chatting with your audience. Provide a separate demonstration or workshop area unless a specific artist requests otherwise. As always, when in doubt, ask.

Ask for workshop or demonstration proposals from the artists, have them list any equipment or supplies they will need, and have them give references from other festivals, Artists who are brought on primarily as demonstrators should be treated like 'talent' and offered accommodation and other ëextrasí like a musician might be. You can usually pursue grant funding to assist you with costs involved in bringing in artist-demonstrators or lecturers, if you start early and plan ahead, just as you often have the option to pursue funding for some of the musicians you plan to include.

Quality vs. Quantity
If you think of your craft artists as a vital extension of your well-thought-out program, you'll be picking people who can really contribute to your festival in every way possible- by educating and entertaining festival goers, by providing exemplars of the best the culture has to offer, by offering quality goods to your public. You may, however, feel the need to have some booths at the festival offering inexpensive souvenirs- these will be all too easy to find.

One option is to separate these things- items for children in one area, near a children's stage, for example. Even low cost or inexpensive items can still be of high quality and originality. Think of how the artists will look all together. If something just doesn't fit, it just might not belong.

Arrangements Count!
This is the common sense part, applicable to any festival! The way you set up your site impacts much more than the audience. You can pick out the finest craftspeople on three continents, but if they are all off in a dusty field somewhere far away from the main stages, they might prefer not to come back with their wares next year. Meanwhile, the audience will miss appreciating these folks you took such care to select. Pick an area the audience can easily stroll over to during and in between performance sets, or a high traffic area between stages. Encourage your artists to have colorful and attractive set ups- and take note of those whose displays don't seem up to standard. (You can ask for a picture of the booth when you ask for slides) If their work is good, perhaps you can work with them to improve their presentation.

Artists need to be kept informed about their responsibilities, like when they may load and unload, whether or not vehicles are allowed on site and at what times, conveying their power and lighting needs to which festival staff people, and so forth. Artists have specialized needs. Security and storage of goods may be an issue. Access to water may be an issue. When you describe what is available to your artists on site, and what procedures are necessary for set up and breakdown, be as specific as you possibly can. Include whatever limits you may need to enforce on lighting and power...or the guy with the grinder and the 30 cup coffeemaker might blow a fuse for you. If the sales area is to be kept open after dark outdoors, please, please consider lighting and power as crucial issues, and that whatever arrangements you make are adequate to the size of the audience, the number of crafts people, and the need for security at your site.

Most festivals could not run without many, many dedicated volunteers. These people are invaluable to you as an organizer. You'll probably know just who to pick to work with the craft artists. They'll be invaluable for just checking around to make sure things are running as they should. Keep your volunteers informed, give them the info they need to do a good job, but keep the decision making component to one or two key people- and let the artists know who exactly they can bring any questions to.

After the Ball-Evaluate
When the festival is over, consider having the artists fill out an evaluation form, which they can leave with you on site or mail in later...you might get a couple great ideas, and you wíll probably get a few thoughts on how to make things run a bit more smoothly. If you get a good relationship going with a few of your artists, make time to ask them directly about their experience at your festival. Usually, people are happy to offer feedback. And if you think about it, a lot of artists are festival 'experts'- they probably work at more than a few of them, and will have a range of experiences to draw upon when making suggestions.

While you are asking, don't forget to network with your best artists about which other artists they know of who might be a welcome addition to your event.

And most of all- Thanks!
It's hard work running a festival- or a significant component of a festival. There is something special and wonderful about folks who take this kind of job on. From all the artists and craftspeople out there who appreciate you....'Go raibh mile maith agat!' that is, 'A hundred thousand thank you's!'

Last Updated Sept 2008

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