#propanels

Every artist has a different approach and since my art is 3D and all different sizes, its taken multiple attempts to get setting up for an art fair down to a science. My ideal setup needed to address 3 main things: professional and sturdy display, setup and teardown in as few trips to the vehicle as possible, and everything (booth + art) needed to fit in our 5x8 ft trailer. Professional and Sturdy Display The first year I did shows, I used an EZMax Pop Up Tent. It worked great but there were a couple of shows that experienced heavy storms and I did not like the way the water pooled on the roof. So, I upgraded this year to a ShowOff domed canopy tent. First show of the year, a storm came through and I saw several tents collapse from the weight of the rain. My tent was perfect!! For the earlier shows, I did a combination of Propanels and mesh walls. The mesh walls did not work for me. Too much wind came through and was lifting my pieces up. For my next show, I am going all Propanels.

Art booth setup for first 2 shows of the season Since I combine wood and felt and some of my pieces can get quite large and heavy, I never hang my art from the panels directly. Instead, I purchased stainless steel wire rope and adjustable hooks from Amazon and large S hooks that fit onto the tent pipes. Where necessary, I add tapestry hooks into the panels for additional stability. Minimal Trips for Setup and Teardown I purchased two large, gently used, 72x21in bakery racks. I use one for my art work and the other for all of the booth setup equipment. With that in mind, I removed 2 of the shelves from the booth setup rack and added it to the art rack. This week, my husband built a custom base for the booth rack with beefed up wheels and added space to hang my Propanels on the sides.

Custom extension for panels

Fits 4 panels on each side

Rack all loaded up with tent, panels and pedestals This setup gets everything I need for my tent on one rack. What is especially nice with this plan is I can do setup and teardown by myself relatively easily but when I have a helper - I can breakdown in under an hour. This is fantastic! I keep most of my art on one rack. There are a few pieces that are standalone sculptures that have their own totes. The art rack fits perfectly behind the backwall of my booth so I can grab additional inventory or can easily find the wrapper for a piece that has sold.

Art wrapped up and stacked for easy transport and loading Compact Fit The 2 bakers racks fit nicely side by side in the trailer with just enough room for a semi-small and somewhat agile person to squeeze through if necessary. This leaves room for a large rolling bin that I use to haul an assortment of taller items like a wire bin for my watercolors, plastic wrap, my drill, shopping bags, any project materials I want to bring along to work on in the booth...