Frugal Fridays: Support Your Local Artists

Welcome to Frugal Fridays where we share money saving tips, discuss living frugally and generally talk about personal finance issues.  In the spring, a frugal person's fancy turns to ... art?  OK, that may have not been the ending to that sentence you were first expecting, but there's a logic to it, trust me.  With the warmer weather, comes a plethora of street fairs and other opportunities to appreciate the talents of local artists and craftsmen.  You can enjoy these events for free (the most favorite word of all in the cheapskate's lexicon) but you can also pick up beautiful items for your home at a bargain.  Best of all, you can be assured that all the proceeds go directly to the artist, not to any middle man.  

My thanks go out to all the guest hosts in the past month.  I'd really like to have more of this in the future.  I've been told that people like to get other perspectives than mine each week and to be honest, I like goofing off Fridays.  Please email me if you'd like to volunteer.

Street Fairs
At the height of the season, you can find a street fair almost every weekend in one of the communities that is a short driving distance from our house.  These are events where they block off several streets in a downtown area and allow vendors to set up booths.  You can find everything from hand thrown pottery to jewelry to leather goods and furniture.  Look for the schedule for local events in your local newspaper.  If you live in the San Francisco Bay area, here's a list.  You can also try searching on the web.  For example, here's a search for events in the Portland area.  

There are also events that are held in other venues such as a school campus or even a convention center.  Do some searching and you might be amazed at what you find.  Just last weekend was the annual Maker Faire in the bay area which is a cross between an artist event and a science fair.  If you live in the Austin area, you can check it out there October 18-19.

Open Studios
As opposed to a fair, where all the vendors gather in one location, there are also Open Studio events where artists each host a small showing in their home studio on the same day.  Customers can follow a map from location to location.  It's a really nice way to meet artists, chat with them about their work and see it displayed in an attractive setting, without the hustle and bustle of a street fair.  If you live in the Bay area, we are right in the middle of the three weekend event Silicon Valley Open Studios.
 
County Fairs
If you live in a more rural area, you are probably already familiar with County Fairs which are usually held in the late summer or early fall.  These are not only held in the midst of farm country, however.  Even fairly urban environments still have them.  While there is usually a heavy emphasis on agricultural products, there are lots of arts and crafts on display as well.  You can usually find some amazing quality quilts and other fabric based arts at these events.

Flea Markets or Open Air Markets
In some locations these are seasonal and some places they are held year round.  Often you can find anything from fresh produce to antiques to cheap gadgets from China.  You can also sometimes find local arts and crafts.  You probably aren't going to find high end items, but some very interesting crafts are sometimes for sale.  It's a bargain hunter's paradise sometimes, but be cautious if you have the tendency to say, "I can't believe they are selling this so cheap, I must buy two!"  You may come home with a carload of stuff you will never use.

If you are in the market for, or just like looking at antiques of all kinds, such as furniture, toys or jewelry, check out your local antique fairs or displays.  Sometimes these are held in shopping malls or other temporary locations on a regular schedule (such as once a month).  If you are in the San Francisco area, check out this list.

Art and Music Festivals
In addition to street fairs, which are primarily opportunities for vendors to sell their goods, there are also artist events where you can actually see artists and musicians at work.  Music festivals are often free (there's that great word again) or very cheap to attend.  

For artists, the prime example of this type of event is a sidewalk chalk festival.  These can be very entertaining to observe and they often have an opportunity where kids (and adults who don't mind getting messy) can participate.  If you have a chance, you should go see one of these at least once.

Artist Towns and Galleries
In tourist areas, you will sometimes stumble across little towns where artists have tended to congregate and set up shops.  Here you won't find the typical "My Grandma went to __ and all I got was this T-shirt" type of souvenir but rather really nice pieces you will treasure for years.  These little spots are sometimes hard to find, but check guidebooks and ask locals for advice.  

Do approach these shops with a bit of caution, however.  When you are on vacation you can sometimes get into a more spendy mindset than you have at home and you may end up buying more than you would otherwise.  That said, why wouldn't you want to buy a piece of pottery that is not only lovely, but will remind you of that special trip you took whenever you see it?  Also note that the shops in galleries in these locations are often not owned directly by the artists, so a portion of the proceeds will get siphoned off before they reach the creator.

That said, I have two spots I can recommend.  If you are ever in Wales, be sure to check out the little town of Hay on Wye.  Not only is it the used book capitol of the world, they have quite a few artist shops and galleries.  After our one visit there we had stocked up on enough Christmas presents to last us for years of giving.  On the coast of California, roughly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco is the itty-bitty (population < 20) town of Harmony.  They have a pottery shop and glassworks that's phenomenal.  It's not worth driving a long distance out of your way for, but if you are making the trip up (or down) Highway 1, do stop and check it out.

You can find similar galleries in many large cities as well.  Particularly those that are tourist destinations such as New Orleans or Sedona, Arizona.

Museums
Finally, if you are looking to just appreciate, and not necessarily own some great artwork, check out your local museums.  If you are fortunate enough to live near or visit Washington D.C, you'll be pleased to note that all the national museums (Smithsonian, National Art Gallery, etc.) are free to the public every day.  Even if your local museum isn't free, they often have a reduced admission rate for students or seniors, so be sure to bring your ID.  Also, check if they have a "free" day.  Many museums charge no admission one day a week or month.

Frugal Tip of the Week: Gold Star Events is a source to get discounted tickets to everything from the performing arts to sporting events and even spa treatments.  They currently serve only a limited number of cities.  It's free to enroll, but there is a service fee for every ticket you purchase.  Even with that fee, you can get some very steep discounts.