How far should I be willing to travel for art shows and fairs?

Start with an eight-hour driving radius from your home base and prove success there before expanding further. Longer travel dramatically increases costs - a new transit van might only get 14 miles per gallon, resulting in around $900 just in gas for distant shows, not counting hotel costs of $300-$400. Before you commit to traveling to more distant, potentially higher-end shows on the coasts, you need to ensure your ROI is solid within your closer geographic area. Only expand your radius once you’ve validated that the increased expenses will be justified by higher sales or better collector relationships.

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Asked by artists planning their show circuit · Answered by Mays Mayhew (artist interviewee sharing her experience) · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-03-12