Why participate in international art shows?

Me with Alessandra Masha Mascitti

in front of my painting in the Carrousel du Louvre Exhibition

Dream Selfie -- Wonder Water Image #7, Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2016

SOLD ♥
(I look a bit tired (and happy)in this photo

 because I showed in New York City 

two weeks before, flew back to
Toronto, then flew to Paris.)

The obvious reasons for taking part in international art shows
are expanding your audience, and the excitement of traveling 
somewhere new.  For me those reasons were wonderful, but the
most enduring benefit of taking part was meeting people from
all over the world, and making new friends.

This isn't a light result.  A friend in Brazil just sent me quite
complete instructions on how to make an NFT. I talk to a very
close friend in the Netherlands, who I met at the Florence
Biennale, once a week if all is well, and she has helped me
display my work in the Netherlands (in fact yesterday's painting
was shipped off the stretcher and rolled to her, and she and her
husband, stretched it and transported it to the exhibition.).

These new friendships are deep and meaningful -- with the
background of shared events, a knowledge no one else
has of the great times, and hardships of participating.
Plus with a shared passion for creating art, you already
share so much even before your first conversation.

International shows are not cheap unless you're sponsored.
Aside from show fees, and shipping, there are travel and
hotel fees to manage.  But if this pandemic slows down 
quite a bit more, the world is safe enough, I have the cash,
and the location is somewhere I'd like to visit (Paris, Florence),
I would jump at the chance to do it again.

Have a dreaming big day.