Excellent criteria for sellers

Lush! · January 25, 2012, 10:35:11 AM

As part of the application process for a local Arts Market, applicants are required to sign the following declaration.

"Arts Market declaration

The Arts Markets that we run are intended to be for artists and designer-makers only.

We want the work you sell to be unique, original and made by you. Examples of what we mean are:

Paintings composed and painted by you.
Ceramics formed and fired by you.
Jewellery cast and finished by you.
We expect there to be a skilled transformation of raw materials at the heart of what you are offering.

We accept that there may be other components that you buy in to complete your work – but these must be subsidiary to the central offering of something uniquely made by you. Examples of subsidiary components that are acceptable:

Findings for earrings
Patterned material used in a clothing design
A photograph frame
We don't want to have work at the Arts Market that has not been transformed by your skills and where the primary content is not made by you. Examples of work that would not be acceptable:

Bought in components that are arranged by you.
Items made by others and then decorated by you.
We are happy to discuss individual cases and will endeavour to apply the description outlined here to decisions about the suitability of work."

I feel very confident that I won't be competing with Chinese imports or even low skilled crafts and I particularly like their concept of "transformation".

Maybe when applying to craft fairs etc, we should ask the organiser to sign something similar!

MadelineBunyan · January 25, 2012, 10:44:31 AM

some real thought has gone into that! good for them (and you! have a good market!)

justjules · January 25, 2012, 10:52:58 AM

Excellent, if only more were like that!

Josephine · January 25, 2012, 11:03:07 AM

That sounds good. Should see off a lot of the jewellery.

lesley · January 25, 2012, 11:35:40 AM

Impressive! Do you think they've had a few bad experiences in the past?

chipperpottery · January 25, 2012, 12:33:45 PM

That is so good that I have shared it, with a few organizers that I know.
thanks Julie.

Frenchie · January 25, 2012, 12:38:33 PM

Ooh this is great and very useful....hurrah.

Helen G · January 25, 2012, 01:32:29 PM

Brilliant Julie, if only they were all as conscientious as that hey and top lady Rita for passing it onto other organisers

chipperpottery · January 25, 2012, 01:43:53 PM

Quote from: Helen G on January 25, 2012, 01:32:29 PM
Brilliant Julie, if only they were all as conscientious as that hey and top lady Rita for passing it onto other organisers

Just looking after me and my talented mates

ScarletLeonard · January 25, 2012, 02:29:30 PM

Now I'm back home and on my computer I just blogged it. Linked your site as the source Julie (since I don't have the markets details and you are the source to me.)

jammie · January 25, 2012, 02:34:11 PM

That's really good.
Our local craft assoc that we're members off vett everyhitng and you catn join or sell as a guest unless its okayed by the committee! The jewellery people who are members are all really different, beadweaving, sort of eclectic mix and me with mostly lampwork. I haven't looked that closely at the visitors tables but everything is such a high standard it's a delight to be a part of it.

LilLizaJane · January 25, 2012, 03:27:15 PM

I would have thought that this would exclude beadwoven jewellery as the seed bead components are not 'transformed' raw materials.

Nor would it include the majority of my jewellery, which although unique, original and constructed by me, does not involve 'casting' as it is made from combinations of semi-precious stone beads, seed beads and lampwork beads (made both by me and by others) and bought findings. Yet I consider my jewellery to be worthy of inclusion in any arts and crafts fair - as, in fact, it is every month, and I consider myself to be a 'designer-maker'.

Lush! · January 25, 2012, 03:33:09 PM

I was thinking about that kind of work Beth, and they do say that they are happy to discuss individual cases so they do have flexibility, so I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem. But their wording does keep out people that buy a bead and string it on a cord, and that's fair enough.

jammie · January 25, 2012, 04:20:41 PM

Yes, it seems to me that putting your own together in a certain way , thinking about Lynn for instance with her beadwork, fits in with this line...

'We expect there to be a skilled transformation of raw materials at the heart of what you are offering.'

This is the difference between just stringing some materials together and making something special. It sounds to me it is trying to get rid of people just stringing a bead on cord.

GaysieMay · January 25, 2012, 04:57:45 PM

Haven't had to read all the comments but want to later. This seems a great set of criteria at first glance, thanks for posting Julie. x