What's valuable about doing art fairs even though many artists seem to struggle at them?

Art fairs provide a forcing function that’s extremely valuable: they force you to be physically present with all your work, talking to new people and having real conversations about your art. While individual shows can be hits or misses, commit to doing 3-4 of them to average out the results — some will be great, some will be duds. The real value isn’t just immediate sales; it’s the practice of engaging with potential collectors, articulating your work, and learning what resonates. This skill translates directly to all your other marketing efforts.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-09-09