Art Fairs | Art Festivals | Artist Display Lighting

All copyrights are retained by the artist,
Mona Majorowicz of Wild Faces Gallery.

The artwork or content in this lens may not be used or reproduced, either
in part or in whole, without the express written consent from the artist.

The S Rule (Shiny - Stuff - Sells)

So picture it in your head. Your in a large auditorium packed to brimming with hundreds of vending artists all selling their wares. The building certainly has adequate lighting and yet the shear density of artists and people seem to darken the over all effect of the building's natural lighting. As people shuffle along by the hundreds they seem to by-pass the unlit booths and head straight for the well lit ones. Why is this? It's The S Rule in action.

Crowds of people will bypass an unlit artists booth for those that are well lit, much like moths to the flame. The heavier the crowd the more this happens. Most folks will trample right past an unlit booth and head straight for those that glow like a beacon. It's human nature.

Of course having your work well lit also means that it's being shown to it's best advantage.

Lite Source LS-105PS Swing Arm Desk Lamp

Your Artwork Needs To Be Well Lit For It To Sell Well.

Note: Swing Arm style lights and lamps usually come with some sort of clamp or table top base. But the lamps are removable from their bases and they simply have a rod sticking out of the bottom.

Note: LED track lighting are especially nice as they are generally smaller in size and so less intrusive to the overall booth display look.

The Type Of Display You Have
Most artwork display panels companies have open topped rods where swing arm lamps fit perfectly into. However some of the cheaper company's do not and in those cases you may want to use track lighting or clamp on lighting.

The Color Of Your Artwork Display Panels
It's always a good idea to match or coordinate your lighting with your artwork display panels. I have a brushed nickel panels so my swing arm lamps are also brushed nickel. Matching the lighting to the display ties it all in as a professional looking display. Trust me, mis-matched lights really do attract attention.

How Many Lights Do You Need
This of course is going to vary depending on what items you are selling. A jeweler for instance may need only 1 or 2 - 4 lamp track lighting strips to be hung directly over their display cases. While a 2D painter such as myself uses anywhere from 10-18 individual swing arm lamps depending on whether I have a single booth space, a double booth or corner location.

Get More Than You Think You'll Need This is mainly because you will probably need more than you think at times, but also in case one (or more) breaks. You many not be able to find a matching light. I have had this happen to me.

Benefits Of Using Clip On Lighting
* Allows for maximum location placement of lighting as they clip on virtually anywhere.
* Can be used to supplement wall lighting by attaching to display panel brace bars.
* Enable homemade artist display units to be lit