Cincinnati's Summerfair Named One of the Best Art Shows in the Country

A Cincinnati arts festival is getting national attention after once again being named one of the best shows for artists in the country.

Sunshine Artist magazine recently released its “200 Best” list, which ranks the most profitable art and craft festivals in the United States based on artists’ reported sales. Cincinnati’s premier art show, Summerfair, which takes place at Coney Island every late May/early June, came in at No. 4 on the list in the Fine Art & Design category.

Summerfair’s managing director Jayne Utter says the show’s volunteers and patrons have helped them land in the top 10 on the list for more than 20 years.

“What an honor to be No. 4 on this prestigious list again this year,” Utter said in a press release. “Of course, my wish is to one day make No. 1!”

Sunshine Artist ’s 200 Best launched in 1993 and is split into two categories: Fine Art & Design, which focuses on events featuring unique, fine-art pieces, and Classic & Contemporary Craft, which is for events that focus on traditional or modern craft and production work. Artists vote for the list from February through April to nominate their highest money-making shows from the year prior.

The ballot asks artists to list the 10 most profitable art and craft shows where they exhibited, share their level of gross sales at each event and note whether they considered themselves fine artists or craftspeople at each event. The results are then tabulated using a weighted scale based on four sales levels.

And while factors like artist treatment, amenities, attendance levels, management and overall quality can impact sales, those are harder to gauge accurately, so the rankings are strictly based on revenue.

The rankings were released in Sunshine Artist ’s August/September issue and are available online here .

For more information on Summerfair, visit summerfair.org .