ur feature story this month examines a subject which already gets much debate among artisans and retailers in the crafts industry: the sometimes-uneasy partnership necessary to make craft shows a success for buyers, sellers and organizers. In “Caveat Vendor?” Kara Laughlin talks to exhibitors and promoters about the spoken and unspoken contracts that form the underpinning for all wholesale and retail craft shows.

The ramifications of a poorly attended, poorly managed or poorly advertised show are all too well known to exhibitors. And their anger in the face of any of these developments is understandable. After all, their personal and financial costs are high no matter what the sales, starting with an application fee for the opportunity to present their work for scrutiny before even getting into to the show.

On the other hand, show promoters have significant up-front investment costs in the form of rental fees for the venues, staff to arrange and run the show, advertising, catering — a “whole set of fixed expenses that go up every year,” according to one promoter’s representative. If exhibitors turn out to have misrepresented themselves, or buyers inexplicably fail to turn up, both profits and reputation are diminished for promoters.

Can any show contract hope to fairly cover all the ground between these parties? We encourage all craft professionals to read our feature and write to us with comments about whether or how contracts for shows might be made consistent throughout the industry. Could clauses be added that would make the bargaining power more equitable on both sides? Should show promoters be required to carry cancellation insurance? Should artists offer guarantees for their work? How about an industry-wide standard for jury slides — and jurors? And should there be one, formal definition of what constitutes “handmade” when applying that word to work in a retail or wholesale craft show?

This is a subject with many avenues of discussion and one unlikely to be exhausted by this month’s feature. We look forward to returning to it again in the future.

This month we also present the first of our Emerging Artist profiles, featuring Pennsylvania artist Lynn Peer and his birdhouses. The crafts field is full of craftspeople who came into the industry by the “road less taken,” artisans who always knew they wanted to be here whether it was in a large or small way. Others thought about it, but chose to put aside their dreams for a time before succumbing to the making or selling of craft works.

And then there are craftspeople like Peer, who never in their lives gave a thought to becoming an artist until the day of their epiphany. We’re sure you will find the career of this craft artist worth noting and watching. We hope to present more stories in the coming months of artists new to the craft industry and important to it’s continued growth and success