Meet Jim DeLutes of Littleton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim DeLutes.

Jim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
There were many jobs/careers throughout my life. Just a handful of examples would be auto-mechanic, jewelry rep, stockbroker, professional photographer, and Arts festival promoter. My philosophy has always been that if I wasn’t being challenged or was no longer learning anything new, it was time to move on. For the last 20 years, I have run the Denver Arts Festival in Central Park. I did step aside from the show this past summer and transferred it to a new owner. I also have the Affordable Arts Festival which I have promoted for the past 14 years. The festival is really one of a kind since we have 160 artists selling their artwork for $150 or less. We’re talking about art that was originally priced as high as $4,000, selling for $150. For the past 3 years, we have been one of the top 4 shows in the country out of 200 shows. But there’s more. We have partnered with the Arapahoe Community College Foundation to hold the show on their campus every August. Proceeds from the $12 admission fee that patrons pay are given to the Foundation to support scholarships. To date, we have raised over $360,000. This is a one-day show that is only 6 hours long. The excitement of the crowds is unlike any other arts festival in the country. I know this because I did over 300 shows over 16 years as a photographer. I know the art show business from both sides.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Certainly, the main struggle in running outdoor events is the weather. Too hot, too cold, too rainy, too windy, too muddy. And sometimes you can have all of them in the course of the weekend! Beyond that, the struggles lie in promoting the show. Getting media coverage, and having great sales for the artists, so that the artists are able to make money from their art. When a show is new, it can be challenging to get corporate sponsors. Sponsors are important in helping with the financial aspects of the show to help pay for the production costs. Currently, the festival runs quite smoothly, so our only concern is weather.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For the past 20 years, I have run Arts Festivals. For the previous 16 years, before moving on to being the promoter of shows, I did shows as an exhibiting artist. In those 16 years, I did over 300 shows coast to coast. Mostly the top- ranked shows, and in doing so, I learned a lot about the logistics of shows and what worked and what didn’t work. I’m proud that, since doing shows myself, I know what the artists have to do in order to particapte, and I try to take their needs into consideration. There are not many promoters of shows who have also done the shows as an artist. I’m proud to be able to help artists who might not have chosen by the jury by giving them feedback and input so they can create better jury images.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I think no matter what business you are interested in, find businesses in that field and do online research. Once you have found businesses that meet your ideas of how you would like to run your company, contact them to see if they’ll answer a few questions. They may be able to direct you to networking groups in that field.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.AffordableArtsFestival.com

Image Credits
Affordable Arts Festival