ART SHOW CANOPIES AND ACESSORIES

This post is a continuation of my post on ART SHOWS, TIPS, TRICKS AND OTHER INFO.

If you are going to be doing outside shows, you definitely need a canopy! They come in many colors and sizes, and price range. I've always used the EZUP pop-up style canopy for its ease of setting up and also for the price factor. I've been doing shows for ten years, and am now on my third EZUP canopy. Below is a list of some of the things you need to consider when buying a canopy"

A CANOPY MUST BE :

WATERPROOF - nothing is worse than sitting at an art show, when it is raining and have your canopy start dripping drops down from the ceiling. I know....it has happened to me!! This is especially true when you have art work which can be ruined from even the slightest drop of rain on it. I've found that the lower priced EZUP canopies are NOT waterproof, even though they say they are. I have a 500 denier top, which still happens to drip, if there is a steady downpour...so beware. They have lower prices, but you need to decide if it is worth the hazzle. I would definitely go for a higher price canopy if you can afford it. I can't as yet!

ALLOW IN LIGHT: If you are exhibiting outdoors and you have a heavier textured canopy without skylights, etc. your work won't be displayed in the best light. Of course, if it is a nice sunny day, you can usually leave your sides up. Definitely can't always count on that!!

MUST STAND UP TO THE WIND: Whether a canopy can stand up to the wind, is one of the toughest tests of how good a canopy is. Wind is one of the biggest things to contend with at a show. Even with weights, I've known of artists who've had their canopies take off on them if a really big wing comes up in a storm. I was at a show where even my heavy gridwall flipped over on me!

There are so many different style canopies, some like the EZUP, where all you have to do is pull it apart and click it into place. The dome type canopies, which are really much better as far as being waterproof, having skylights, awnings, etc. seem to me harder to put together, but I've seen one person setting one up by themselves. All the metal poles and getting them in the right place seems a bit confusing to me, and I have my sister to help me.

Canopies are made either from nylong, polyester, polyethlene, or vinyl. Vinyl being the material that is most waterproof.

CANOPY ACCESSORIES:

4 sidewalls - must haves, a good idea is to get one with a middle zipper for the front of your canopy

weight bags - these are a must when displaying on surfaces other than grass. A lot of artist make their own using piping and cement. I use sand bags that clip onto my canopies legs, plus I usually attach my gridwall to the canopy legs for extra security.

awnings - these are great to keep the sun off the front of your booth or even a side. Also, helps to keep rain off anything you might have displayed in the very front of your booth, if it is only drizzling a little.

extra stakes - extra stakes to hold down the canopy

To get an idea about some of the styles and pricing of various canopies visit the web pages below:

FLOURISH

They handle several styles such as EZUP and Dome style canopies.

EZUP

This is the official EZUP site. It shows their different styles, prices, accessories and more.