MAC FAIR ARTISAN SELECTION PROCESS
MAC FAIR is a contemporary craft fair that consciously celebrates modern handmade goods.
Each MAC FAIR event is juried because of limited space and high demand. We invite approximately 160 artisans to showcase their quality handmade goods at each of our events. We typically receive over 350 applications. MAC FAIR is proud to present a variety of high quality handmade items at each of our events. Although this event is a fundraiser for our school, our goal is to become one of the top shows in our area and a favourite among both artisans and customers. We feel that our selection process is one of the main reasons our shows have gained a good reputation for variety and quality. Many have commented on how the show has improved over the years. We are receptive to new and innovative work and are constantly on the lookout for something new and exciting
We accept all applications and then sit down and examine them, by category to determine which vendors and products best represent our idea of what MAC FAIR is meant to be.
No item will be approved if it is not handmade by the person selling it. We will not accept items handmade by someone in another country, even if they are your cousin, your bestie, or your dog’s sister’s groomer! If there is any doubt as to whether or not your craft not handmade, we will either ask for a better photo or a sample. This is why the photographs that you send are so important. The public is coming to these shows to see handmade goods, not imports with the tags taken off.
We suggest that artists complete the show application carefully, especially in terms of describing the work in detail. We are looking for a description of the work we’re looking at. To us, it's an immediate clue that someone is not a professional when they provide little or no description of their work. Tell us about your craft and your process and materials. It only adds to the value. Furthermore, your description assists us in your placement at our shows. It's proven more successful for the artist not to be placed too close to a similar craft.
Jurors and organizers unanimously agree that the best thing applicants can do to improve their chances of getting into a show is to provide high quality photographs. The care and consideration you give your work must carry over to your photographs. To some artists, this can seem unfair. For any event, you are likely competing with artists who appreciate the importance and will put forth the time and effort to get great pictures. Our definition of good photographs: simple, good lighting, no busy background, close-up as possible of details, and clear/focused. The jury does its best to be fair to all the applicants, but while your dog is probably a sweetheart and your couch is lovely, please don’t send us photos with them in the background! We do try very hard to look through bad pictures to see the quality of work they present, however, we cannot display low quality pictures for marketing purposes, so you would miss out at that end too. Be sure to include variety in the images of your work. We need to see different pieces. Five images of the same product from different angles, or of the same product in five different colours, doesn't give us much to go on. We need to see different products in your line, but one cohesive body of work.
Artist's creations are juried for their work. We accept only high quality items that we feel will be received well by the public. It is important to us that your items sell. If you do well at our shows, it is obvious that we are accomplishing our goals. Although we do not retain a percentage, your good sales mean a successful show for both the artist and the show. We want the public to return to future shows, and by providing the best items possible we will accomplish this.
Artist's creations are juried for the work submitted in the photographs provided. If you misrepresent your craft with misleading photographs, you will not be allowed in future shows. The photographs that you submit must be your primary craft and make up the majority of your display. You will not sublet any part of the area or display items that have not previously been juried. If the items in your display do not fulfill the requirements you will be asked to remove them.
Some items are chosen (or not) based on how they will balance out the show. It's very important to us that the artist be able to sell when they get here. We don't want to have too many booths with the same look, or the same type of thing. For example, we will accept only one artisan who makes bird houses. We want to provide the best possible variety to our customers. For example, while we typically receive 60-80 applications from jewelry makers, we will only be accepting about 20 of them for our next event, we also typically get over 40 applications from those who make body products, and will only be taking 5 or 6.
Attitude
Over the years, we have developed a pretty good sense of what our customers want to see and what will be a good fit at our events. We visit many, many other local shows throughout the year, and we check out the artisans in advance, in terms of product line and personality. When we see folks sitting behind their tables sulking, it doesn't bode well when we receive their application. We have a team who are watching on the day of our event to see what types of items sell well, and which ones do not, which vendors are smiling and interacting with customers & contributing positively to the "vibe" of the show, and which ones are sitting behind their tables looking unapproachable, or playing on their phones, ignoring potential customers. We survey our customers, and we listen. We have a pretty good feel for our customer base. In the end, we want vendors who will be successful at our events.
What are some of the typical reasons why an artisan would not be accepted?
We regularly receive many more applications than we have booth spaces available. We typically have to turn away more than half of our applicants.
Vendors may not be accepted for this particular event because of any one of the following reasons:
- Artisan rotation... Unfortunately, some of our established artisans, whom we love dearly, may fall victim to this. We love your work, and would likely have you back for future events should you choose to apply again, but to keep the event fresh for patrons, we are going to have to start rotating some of our regular vendors to give newcomers an opportunity. Artisans who have been in the show before and are most likely to be invited back are those who are evolving...improving the quality of their products, coming up with new items in their product line, improving their packaging design and display, etc.
- High number of applicants in any one category...We cannot have an excess of any one type of product at the event. If we have ten vendors selling bath & body products, none are likely to sell particularly well. That puts each of those vendors at a disadvantage and leaves customers dissatisfied with the selection of goods at our events. When we have a plethora of applicants in one category, it comes down to quality and originality of the work, presentation of the product, what we believe will be most attractive to the demographic we cater to, and the range of price points on the items a vendor offers.
- The hands-off approach...Vendors who assemble simple products or make items that are not of their own original design are least likely to be included. That being said, yes, if you use a pattern for sewing your items, that is fine, but there needs to be an obvious element of originality and talent. We have, at times, had folks apply who have wanted to sell items made from craft kits that could be made by my 6 year old daughter. We are looking for artisans who have taken the time to develop their talent, and doing otherwise cheapens the show for everyone.
- Aesthetic of product line... We love our grandmas, and I worked at a retirement home for years, however, cross-stitched kleenex box covers, trinkets made of popsicle sticks, fabrics from decades ago and the like are not going to fit in or sell at our event. You can call it modern or contemporary craft... it's hard to find an accurate term to describe it, but we know what we're looking for.
- Not following directions...The organizers of MAC FAIR are teachers at the school and some of the school marm qualities from that profession carry over into our event planning activities. Not including requested attachments or info on an application without any explanation drives us crazy and makes us quite intolerant. If you are unsure about something, please send an email to ask. We assume that most/all applicants are at least of high school age or older and should be able to remember to put their names on their papers. ;)
MAC FAIR is a contemporary craft fair that consciously celebrates modern handmade goods.
Each MAC FAIR event is juried because of limited space and high demand. We invite approximately 160 artisans to showcase their quality handmade goods at each of our events. We typically receive over 350 applications. MAC FAIR is proud to present a variety of high quality handmade items at each of our events. Although this event is a fundraiser for our school, our goal is to become one of the top shows in our area and a favourite among both artisans and customers. We feel that our selection process is one of the main reasons our shows have gained a good reputation for variety and quality. Many have commented on how the show has improved over the years. We are receptive to new and innovative work and are constantly on the lookout for something new and exciting
We accept all applications and then sit down and examine them, by category to determine which vendors and products best represent our idea of what MAC FAIR is meant to be.
No item will be approved if it is not handmade by the person selling it. We will not accept items handmade by someone in another country, even if they are your cousin, your bestie, or your dog’s sister’s groomer! If there is any doubt as to whether or not your craft not handmade, we will either ask for a better photo or a sample. This is why the photographs that you send are so important. The public is coming to these shows to see handmade goods, not imports with the tags taken off.
We suggest that artists complete the show application carefully, especially in terms of describing the work in detail. We are looking for a description of the work we’re looking at. To us, it's an immediate clue that someone is not a professional when they provide little or no description of their work. Tell us about your craft and your process and materials. It only adds to the value. Furthermore, your description assists us in your placement at our shows. It's proven more successful for the artist not to be placed too close to a similar craft.
Jurors and organizers unanimously agree that the best thing applicants can do to improve their chances of getting into a show is to provide high quality photographs. The care and consideration you give your work must carry over to your photographs. To some artists, this can seem unfair. For any event, you are likely competing with artists who appreciate the importance and will put forth the time and effort to get great pictures. Our definition of good photographs: simple, good lighting, no busy background, close-up as possible of details, and clear/focused. The jury does its best to be fair to all the applicants, but while your dog is probably a sweetheart and your couch is lovely, please don’t send us photos with them in the background! We do try very hard to look through bad pictures to see the quality of work they present, however, we cannot display low quality pictures for marketing purposes, so you would miss out at that end too. Be sure to include variety in the images of your work. We need to see different pieces. Five images of the same product from different angles, or of the same product in five different colours, doesn't give us much to go on. We need to see different products in your line, but one cohesive body of work.
Artist's creations are juried for their work. We accept only high quality items that we feel will be received well by the public. It is important to us that your items sell. If you do well at our shows, it is obvious that we are accomplishing our goals. Although we do not retain a percentage, your good sales mean a successful show for both the artist and the show. We want the public to return to future shows, and by providing the best items possible we will accomplish this.
Artist's creations are juried for the work submitted in the photographs provided. If you misrepresent your craft with misleading photographs, you will not be allowed in future shows. The photographs that you submit must be your primary craft and make up the majority of your display. You will not sublet any part of the area or display items that have not previously been juried. If the items in your display do not fulfill the requirements you will be asked to remove them.
Some items are chosen (or not) based on how they will balance out the show. It's very important to us that the artist be able to sell when they get here. We don't want to have too many booths with the same look, or the same type of thing. For example, we will accept only one artisan who makes bird houses. We want to provide the best possible variety to our customers. For example, while we typically receive 60-80 applications from jewelry makers, we will only be accepting about 20 of them for our next event, we also typically get over 40 applications from those who make body products, and will only be taking 5 or 6.
Attitude
Over the years, we have developed a pretty good sense of what our customers want to see and what will be a good fit at our events. We visit many, many other local shows throughout the year, and we check out the artisans in advance, in terms of product line and personality. When we see folks sitting behind their tables sulking, it doesn't bode well when we receive their application. We have a team who are watching on the day of our event to see what types of items sell well, and which ones do not, which vendors are smiling and interacting with customers & contributing positively to the "vibe" of the show, and which ones are sitting behind their tables looking unapproachable, or playing on their phones, ignoring potential customers. We survey our customers, and we listen. We have a pretty good feel for our customer base. In the end, we want vendors who will be successful at our events.
What are some of the typical reasons why an artisan would not be accepted?
We regularly receive many more applications than we have booth spaces available. We typically have to turn away more than half of our applicants.
Vendors may not be accepted for this particular event because of any one of the following reasons:
- Artisan rotation... Unfortunately, some of our established artisans, whom we love dearly, may fall victim to this. We love your work, and would likely have you back for future events should you choose to apply again, but to keep the event fresh for patrons, we are going to have to start rotating some of our regular vendors to give newcomers an opportunity. Artisans who have been in the show before and are most likely to be invited back are those who are evolving...improving the quality of their products, coming up with new items in their product line, improving their packaging design and display, etc.
- High number of applicants in any one category...We cannot have an excess of any one type of product at the event. If we have ten vendors selling bath & body products, none are likely to sell particularly well. That puts each of those vendors at a disadvantage and leaves customers dissatisfied with the selection of goods at our events. When we have a plethora of applicants in one category, it comes down to quality and originality of the work, presentation of the product, what we believe will be most attractive to the demographic we cater to, and the range of price points on the items a vendor offers.
- The hands-off approach...Vendors who assemble simple products or make items that are not of their own original design are least likely to be included. That being said, yes, if you use a pattern for sewing your items, that is fine, but there needs to be an obvious element of originality and talent. We have, at times, had folks apply who have wanted to sell items made from craft kits that could be made by my 6 year old daughter. We are looking for artisans who have taken the time to develop their talent, and doing otherwise cheapens the show for everyone.
- Aesthetic of product line... We love our grandmas, and I worked at a retirement home for years, however, cross-stitched kleenex box covers, trinkets made of popsicle sticks, fabrics from decades ago and the like are not going to fit in or sell at our event. You can call it modern or contemporary craft... it's hard to find an accurate term to describe it, but we know what we're looking for.
- Not following directions...The organizers of MAC FAIR are teachers at the school and some of the school marm qualities from that profession carry over into our event planning activities. Not including requested attachments or info on an application without any explanation drives us crazy and makes us quite intolerant. If you are unsure about something, please send an email to ask. We assume that most/all applicants are at least of high school age or older and should be able to remember to put their names on their papers. ;)