Is it just me or are Art Fairs having a full-on renaissance right now?

Haley Meyer made $5,000 selling paintings last year. She invested every single dollar of it into one art fair booth.

Meyer is a first-time exhibitor at Artist Project Toronto, which runs this week with over 250 artists and 17,000 expected visitors. She paid $3,800 just for the booth space before insurance and other costs. No gallery backing. No safety net beyond her husband's support. Just her paintings, her story, and a bet on herself.

Here's what makes Artist Project different from fairs like Art Toronto: there's no gallery middleman. Artists exhibit their own work. If a collector buys something, 100% of the profit stays with the artist. At a traditional fair, galleries take a 50% commission. That math changes everything.

And Meyer isn't alone. Photographer Finn O'Hara started prepping his booth six months out — framing, marketing, transport, delivery. All on his own. He calls it the price of creative freedom. "You can make this whatever opportunity you want," he says.

Is it just me or does it feel like art fairs and shows are having a genuine renaissance? Booth fees are up because demand is up. Applications are oversubscribed. First-time artists are treating fairs like their gallery debut — and skipping the gallery entirely.

The old model was: get a gallery, let them handle everything, give up half your sales. The new model is: invest in yourself, show up, keep what you earn. It's riskier. It's more work. But it's yours.

Have you ever done an art fair? Would you put your entire year's earnings into a single booth if it meant selling directly to collectors with no middleman?

https://www.cbc.ca/arts/artist-project-2026-toronto-art-fair-preview-9.7141760