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Feria Maestros del Arte


lakeside7

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We made our first ever visit to this years show.

Very impressive range of art etc..but I am some what disappointed that you are expected to pay the asking price, and not haggle  as is "normal" in Mexico. If you read the various articles written by the promoters Maestros del Arte ,...... in order to preserve the folk art..... pay what the artisan is asking. For me I thought many of the pieces are way over priced. So I left with just the rubber stamp on my wrist and 80 pesos less in my pocket as a memory to this years exhibition. 

Lastly  there should be more room between exhibits and space for customers to comfortably walk around.

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Now Lakeside, you have lived here long enough to know you only haggle over prices at tourist places. The rest of the time the price is what it is, same as any art gallery NOB. The Feria is designed to help folk artist make a living so they can continue to create. It is not to provide a bunch of cheap trinkets.

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But why do they charge an entrance fee?  That is why I don't take the family.  It is ridiculous to pay an entrance fee for every member to look and shop for art.  A previous poster mentioned it is now 80 pesos just to enter and to see the merchandise.  That is a lot of money here in México, not everybody wants to spend that amount to just enter into an arena that is basically just a store selling you merchandise.  So basically the Fería Maestro de Arte is catering only to the rich gringos and rich tapatíos and they don´t welcome the normal people that just want to look around and possibly buy some things.  This is exactly the kind of places you do haggling, if haggling is not even permitted, then you know they only want the rich and adinerados to shop there.  It sure as heck ain't a place for me nor for most of the people living or visiting this area.

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Yeah, maybe I am bitching a tad, but could they get higher traffic if the grounds were free to enter?  And what is up with the entrance fee?  Is it to cover for them not being able to sell enough merchandise?  If they dropped the 80 peso cover fee, maybe more traffic will flow and more buyers would come.  Come on, make it free to all, and maybe all will buy..............if you only want the elite, the elite is small in number in these here parts.

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I bitch because my family is 5 people, that will cost us 400 pesos just to enter to have the privilege to walk around and look at local Mexican artesanías.  And if we think about buying something, that will set us back another chunk of money.  It has already been said that the vendors do not negotiate nor do they permit haggling.  Maybe, if we just go all the way to Guadalajara and go to Tlaquepaque we will save money and have a more enjoyable time being around nice normal people.

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2 hours ago, dichosalocura said:

I bitch because my family is 5 people, that will cost us 400 pesos just to enter to have the privilege to walk around and look at local Mexican artesanías.  And if we think about buying something, that will set us back another chunk of money.  It has already been said that the vendors do not negotiate nor do they permit haggling.  Maybe, if we just go all the way to Guadalajara and go to Tlaquepaque we will save money and have a more enjoyable time being around nice normal people.

Dichos - the entrance fee does not cover the cost of setting  up and running the show.  There is a charge for the location, rental of tents, tables and chairs, advertising and so on.  The artists do not pay for their booth space, but they do donate two items to the Feria, one of which goes to the raffle, and one of which is sold in the Artists Supporting the Feria booth, the proceeds from that booth go to the operating funds of the show.  The artists are housed and fed by local residents.  You cannot put on a show of this size without money - how much fund raising would you be prepared to head up in order to have free admission??

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4 hours ago, dichosalocura said:

I bitch because my family is 5 people, that will cost us 400 pesos just to enter to have the privilege to walk around and look at local Mexican artesanías.  And if we think about buying something, that will set us back another chunk of money.  It has already been said that the vendors do not negotiate nor do they permit haggling.  Maybe, if we just go all the way to Guadalajara and go to Tlaquepaque we will save money and have a more enjoyable time being around nice normal people.

Just like when you don't like the rules of this board: Go start your own board. Next year have your own "Feria" that is free and encourage haggling and see how many vendors you attract. Nobody will stop you from trying.

Please post a picture here showing the attendance.

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My jaw just dropped when I read these comments. The Feria is not a Texas flee market. It is one a marvelous outlet for these artists from all over Mexico that supports their world class art, and two a chance for us to see it and maybe even buy a piece.

An 80 pesos entrance fee doesn't come close to covering what it takes to bring these artists and their art right to our doorstep. As for haggling for art.... well I won't go there.

 

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I have a bit of experience in antiques and art and have attended many venues of same in both the US and Canada and of course our local Feria. 100% of these have an entrance fee and some of the majors even charge more for early birds. I call codo for anyone that finds this unacceptable. Yes go ahead and haggle for the tourist schlock elsewhere if this turns your crank. Oh,and if your bill at the Soriana checkout is $2000p do you try to haggle ? Disgusting!!!

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13 hours ago, lakeside7 said:

We made our first ever visit to this years show.

Very impressive range of art etc..but I am some what disappointed that you are expected to pay the asking price, and not haggle  as is "normal" in Mexico. If you read the various articles written by the promoters Maestros del Arte ,...... in order to preserve the folk art..... pay what the artisan is asking. For me I thought many of the pieces are way over priced. So I left with just the rubber stamp on my wrist and 80 pesos less in my pocket as a memory to this years exhibition. 

Lastly  there should be more room between exhibits and space for customers to comfortably walk around.

Over priced? Are you an experience art expert? What are your qualifications?

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41 minutes ago, happyjillin said:

I have a bit of experience in antiques and art and have attended many venues of same in both the US and Canada and of course our local Feria. 100% of these have an entrance fee and some of the majors even charge more for early birds. I call codo for anyone that finds this unacceptable. Yes go ahead and haggle for the tourist schlock elsewhere if this turns your crank. Oh,and if your bill at the Soriana checkout is $2000p do you try to haggle ? Disgusting!!!

Happy, please do not insult my intelligence or your ignorance by comparing shopping at Soriana and and buy "art" in Mexico. Regardless , the value of the item is what someone wishes to pay for it

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1 hour ago, lakeside7 said:

Happy, please do not insult my intelligence or your ignorance by comparing shopping at Soriana and and buy "art" in Mexico. Regardless , the value of the item is what someone wishes to pay for it

People stream into the Féria and come out weighed down with purchases. The car and truck loading zone is used all day for three days. I would say the items there have plenty of people willing to pay for them. They sure don’t need someone like you. Also, putting “art” in quotes reveals you for who and what you are. 

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If you are an artist you have to know your audience. For someone the piece can be worthless (junk)
 and for somebody else it is a cherished piece of a treasure.
 There is so much of artist involvement, love and dedication to every piece.
 You cannot compare it to a machine junk made in China (or anywhere else).

 Some artist work months on their projects and people are not ashamed to offer couple of  bucks for it???.

 Most artist are not doing these displays for  money but for an appreciation of their talents.
 I haggle in Mexico .There is a place for it. All Mexicans haggle,  it is their culture. It is not just for tourist
 but living here.... you have to learn when it is just not appropriate.

 One has to pay entrance fee for every such exhibition everywhere in the world.
 It costs money to organize it and it should be a previlige to see and appreciate these pieces.
 Ajijic exhibition of Mexican Art is wonderful (1st class) venue . It is one of the highlites of our winter stay.

 My thanks to all organizers to make it possible for people here to see  (and hopefully buy a piece or two).

All the best.

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It is at least one of the most extraordinary artesania exhibitions in Mexico, if not the most extraordinary.  I feel incredibly privileged to see it each year.  Bravos and kudos to the volunteers and non-profit organizers who work their arses off all year to make this happen.  It is in existence solely to allow the traditional artisans to keep working in their hundreds-of-years-old crafts.  Without the feria, many of them would simply not be able to do their art any longer.  This would represent a huge cultural loss to all of Mexico.  The only people making money in this venture is the artisans.  See the 80-peso entrance fee as the entrance fee to one of the most incredible museums in Mexico and just come look.  Support the artisans with your pesos if you are able then feel your spirit lift each time you see the best work in Mexico in your home.

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I was one of the first people admitted to the Féria on Friday morning. It seemed well organized and the artwork was just amazing. I purchased 4 pieces and I am very pleased with each one and the prices i paid were definitely not exorbitant. 80 pesos was a paltry sum to have the opportunity just to see all the wonderful artwork presented let alone the chance to purchase some of it! Personally I could not imagine trying to “haggle” with anyone there for their art😳 I believe the purpose of the event was to give the artists an opportunity to make a reasonable price for their talented works and not a charity event for attendees 😕 It did not appear that the event was under attended so hopefully such opinions were few and far between. Kudos to the organizers and volunteers that make this wonderful event happen and especially to the artists that offer the results of their talents to us💖

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6 hours ago, Islander said:

The physical location is in Chapala but lots of organizers, artist supporters and volunteers are from Ajijic.

Lets not confuse the location because in your opinion lots of volunteers are from Ajijic . So what,there are lots from every location here,not just Ajijic, including the founder Maryanne Carlson, who lives in Chapala. The location is the Chapala Yacht Club grounds which is located in Chapala.

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