About The Event:
Here in Utah, artists are tired of having to fight for visibility at markets with MLMs, Insurance Salesmen, Car Dealerships, and Mass-Production businesses. If you go to any major vending event in Salt Lake County, you will see firsthand how artists and crafters have to fight for space. Prices are also exorbitant for people who create their own products. $300+ for a 10×10 booth at a 1-3 day event is inaccessible for many people starting out.
That’s where the Holly Hall is different.
We have several goals with this event:
The first goal is that registering for the event is as close to cost as possible. We’ve taken the cost of the hall and divided it by the number of booths, then added a small fee for advertising and printing. We want this event to be accessible to beginners as well as seasoned art vendors.
The second goal is to fundraise and get sponsors for this event outside of booth fees. The end goal of this is to be able to refund the artists most of their booth fees. We want this event to be known for taking care of artists. Sponsorships will make it possible to keep this event free to enter and low-cost to the vendors.
The third goal is to be able to do this year after year. We want to run this as a non-profit event that benefits the local art community and puts artists and artisans front-and-center. Summers are full of accessible and affordable outdoor events in Utah, but due to the harsh climate, indoor events tend to be expensive and overbooked year-round. We want to provide a quality event that is accessible to beginners and those with disabilities.
About the Director
Hi, I’m Kat, a lifelong artist with experience in running events. I ran all the events for a local tabletop game store for about 4 years, and chaired our convention involvement and presence for 3 of those. I am currently working as a full-time artist and have been vending at in-person events since 2021, so I am currently aware of the local landscape for this kind of event.
I decided to start this event because I was tired of being waitlisted for affordable tables at the small number of local conventions that accommodate artists. I want to provide an inclusive indoor event that focuses solely on what fandom conventions call “Artist Alley”.