Art Fair Preparation: Secure Your Tent Outdoors

by Susan Watt Grade

Unpredictable weather and outdoor art fairs go hand-in-hand. Prepare for safe, successful art fairs literally from the ground up.

Choose your tent wisely.

Bargain frame tents are easy to find and inexpensive, but might not provide the best protection for you, customers or artwork. Look at a tent’s design carefully, and choose a frame that connects to the canopy system. The tension poles should incorporate the fabric as part of the structure. For extra protection against high wind, one artist recommends a spherical roof instead of a flat-faced canopy.

Purchase a white, waterproof, flame retardant canopy with UV-light inhibitors. White tents reflect the sun’s rays to help keep the inside cool and do not interfere with the colors in artwork. There are canopies with vents to allow for greater air circulation or skylights and translucent tops that bring light inside booths. Waterproof canopies will not leak or pocket because they are made of vinyl that is heat-sealed. Extra tent fabric features – mildew resistant and UV-light protection – keep mold and the sun’s fading rays from artwork.

Carry the tent’s fireproof certificate to show fire marshals at events. Many cities have fire codes requiring tents to be flame retardant (especially tents 200 square feet and up). Fire marshals have been known to snip tent fabric for flame tests, so having the certificate on hand will insure that your tent is not clipped. Also, take a fire extinguisher for emergencies.

Before an event, know how the tent works, develop an anchoring system, and practice the set up at home.

Tents require additional anchoring and should be secured at all times – even after hours. Anchoring systems provided with a purchased tent usually are not enough to fasten down booths during foul weather. Invest in nylon line, metal tent stakes, fluted concrete nails, shims to use as levelers, and a solid hammer. Stake and place tie down lines outside your tent. If outside space is limited, pull the tie lines flush with the sidewalls so they do not cross over to a neighboring booth space or protrude and become a tripping hazard. To do this, pull each line towards the opposite, parallel side corner (make a V-form flush to the tent’s sides). Another option is to stake on the inside of the tent.

Attach heavy weights -– one for each tent corner -- especially if staking is not possible. Weights may be purchased or made. Some weights attach to rope and hang from each corner; others are weighted “feet” that wrap around each tent leg.

Protect yourself, your work, and your customers from extreme weather conditions.

Stormy conditions? Use clamps to secure display shelves and panels to the tent frame. Museum wax and gel may be used on glass and ceramic works to hold them in place. If you have a pop-up style tent, then lower all side poles during inclement weather to make the tent more compact to the ground and less prone to blowing away. First, however, securely pack artwork in waterproof containers placed in the middle of the tent.

Many times water will collect in a canopy top and cause it to collapse and blow away. Keep the tent canopy stretched tight to ward off water. For pop-up style canopies, one trick for preventing puddles on top is to strap a hula-hoop to the interior roof frame, which helps keep the fabric taut.

Scorching conditions? Minimize heat buildup inside a tent. If possible, set up the tent in the early evening after sunset. Raise the backs and fronts of the tent sides and extend the canopy to full height to let heat rise up and to make the tent more airy.

Need shade? Attach an umbrella to a canopy (or chair) or a tarp to the booth’s backside. Bring a portable, battery-powered fan, and wear thick-soled shoes to protect feet from hot pavement. And, of course, don’t forget sunscreen and plenty of drinking water.

Help your neighbors.

Finally, carry extra supplies for artists next to you – hammer, extra corkscrew stakes, nylon line or rope, and weights. This ensures the safety of their booth, which minimizes accidents involving your booth. Ultimately, the goal should be for all to have a safe, comfortable and rewarding show.

Susan Watt Grade is the Indianapolis Art Center Exhibitions Associate and with their Broad Ripple Art Fair. She maintains a studio and create sculptural installations and works on paper. She has worked as a teaching artist for VSA arts of Indiana and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Edited by Robyn Kelly, Web Publications Manager: rkelly@iac.in.gov.
The IAC, a public catalyst, partner, and investor in the arts, serves the citizens of Indiana by funding, promoting, and expanding the arts. Funding is provided by the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.