Fine Arts semi-annual Show and Sale is happening next week
Every semester, the Mt.A Fine Arts Society (FAS) hosts a Show and Sale in the Purdy Crawford Centre for the Arts (PCCA) atrium. This is the biggest event the society puts on per semester and is an opportunity for Fine Arts students to show off their work to the greater student body while earning money at the same time.
The Show and Sale is taking place in the PCCA atrium on Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The event allows students to gain experience selling their artwork, but does not require everyone who signs up to sell anything; students are also allowed to display their artwork if they would like. In an interview with The Argosy, social chair for FAS, Frances Rowe, said, “A Show and Sale is a chance for Fine Art students to both show off the work, maybe that they’ve been doing throughout the years or the semester, and then also a chance for them to get to sell their work.”
The Show and Sale presents a good opportunity for students to gain experience with the business side of making art. “It can be really hard to know the value of your work and both not undersell yourself but not oversell yourself,” Rowe said. The Show and Sale lets students become familiar with pricing their work in a lower-stakes environment and with support from their fellow students.
There is no table fee for students to display and sell their work. “It’s an opportunity for them to get to sell their work without having to pay someone else,” Rowe said. In return for no fee, students selling their work must take a shift working the cash box.
Before the event, there are two mandatory meetings students wishing to present their art must attend. These meetings detail the rules for the event and the delegation of tables around the space. During the meeting they gave out forms where the organizers can find out how many tables they need, as some people may require different amounts of space to display their art. Additionally, the meetings focused on figuring out what artwork is being put up on the walls, and who is willing to sell or just display.
The rules for the Show and Sale are limited; “there is not too much censoring,” Rowe said. The general rule for the event is 30 per cent of the artwork displayed must be coursework. This can be paintings, drawings, prints, or photography – anything as long as the required portion of it comes from their courses.
In Rowe’s first experience with the Show and Sale, she chose to only show off her work. “I wanted to show it off, but the first couple pieces you can make can be quite special, and you don’t want to part with them,” Rowe said “It’s a great opportunity to get shown off to a wider community without having to part ways.” The society mainly advertises to students, but the families of the artists, and sometimes members of the wider community also come to see the event.