For the second consecutive year, Art in the High Desert has been ranked 10th in the country for sales by the Art Fair SourceBook, a publication sometimes hailed as the bible of the industry.

In its 11th year, the juried show returns Friday for three days of art and craft sales in the Old Mill District. Situated on the west bank of the Deschutes River between the footbridge and Columbia Avenue, Art in the High Desert features 115 artists from across North America and the media spectrum: painting, jewelry, ceramics, digital art, photography, printmaking, glass, sculpture, wood and 2D and 3D mixed-media, wearable and non-wearable fiber art.

From the top down, the show is intensely focused on the works and the artists. Some, like sculptor Kim Chavez, of Redmond, and printmaker Danae Bennett-Miller, of Bend, are from Central Oregon. Others, like 2D mixed-media artist Michel Delgado, are coming from as far away as Key West, Florida.

With art as the only focal point, you won’t find the kids games, jumpy houses, food carts, live music and other distractions you might expect to find at a free event in Bend. (Even dogs aren’t welcome, for safety reasons.)

That attention to detail is one reason Art in the High Desert continues to rank highly for sales. But Dave Fox, who co-founded Art in the High Desert with his wife, Carla Fox, gives most of the credit to the art-buying public.

“It’s always important to publicize; (the ranking is) thanks to the public,” Dave said. “Because they’re the ones who are doing it. They’re coming and saying, ‘Wow, I want to have a piece of this or that.’ I’m so grateful for those people that come out and do that.”

Close to 700 artists applied to get into this year’s show — which makes for a lot of applications for the four jurors to sift through.

“It took a whole weekend,” Carla said. “Jewelry, we had 110 entries, and we take 10 to 12. So that’s about a one in 10 chance of getting in. I know a lot of jewelers get really miffed because they can’t get in, and they’re perfectly fine jewelers.”

“From the start, we were really specific in terms of what we were looking for, the whole notion of finding artists going above and beyond what’s expected,” Dave said. “They gotta be pushing it out there, original ideas.”

“You can’t just be a competent potter. You better be doing something with your skills,” Carla said.

“As we communicate with artists, they say, ‘What can I do?’ or “Why didn’t the jury select me?’” Dave said. “We can be specific and say, ‘They’ve seen your work. It’s excellent. But push it. Push it a little further.’”

For a fee, Art in the High Desert will provide jury feedback to artists hoping to make it into the show in the future. “That’s been significant,” Dave said.

The same logic applies to the artists’ booths. If one’s booth is not on point and browser-friendly, it can detract from sales, as well.

“We ask for an image of their booth, three sides of the booth — and we have people who come back and you can tell, yeah, they heard us,” Dave said.

One artist they’re excited about is kinetic sculptor Jeffrey Zachmann, of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Along with extremely creative kinetic sculptures using marbles, he also has a solid booth game, which includes being friendly toward potential customers.

“They are not inexpensive,” Carla said of his pieces. “But for a place that wants to draw in people, he is fabulous. Lovely man, too. He sits all day at shows watching people watch his art. Some artists would get all jaded about that — ‘Why didn’t they buy? Why is he standing there looking?’ — he knows his art is all about the looking and the awe.”

Because such awe can lead to a sale.

“Oh, I hope someone buys one of his (sculptures),” Carla said. “I hope everyone sells well — but I want Jeff’s work to stay here.”

The two say that having Zachmann-like fortitude may pay dividends later — along with handing out business cards and maintaining websites — as they know of artists who have made sales months after the show. The buyers just waited a while to pull the trigger.

“So yeah, our show has legs in terms of sales,” Carla said. “I think also our patrons, people in Bend, trust us to know that we’re not bringing in bad artists. They can trust that we’ve got quality there.”

What: Art in the High Desert

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

Where: 730 SW Columbia St., Old Mill District, Bend; booths line the west bank of the 
Deschutes River between 
Columbia and footbridge

Cost: Free

Contact: artinthehighdesert.com or 541-322-6272