The Amagansett Fine Art Festival, put on by painter David Oleski, took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 5-7, in Amagansett, NY, on Long Island.
The show was staged in a lovely, flat, grassy field behind the American Legion building. Set-up was a breeze, with artists being able to drive right up to their booth spaces and unload. Parking throughout the weekend was equally easy, as was take-down.
This show is unlike any I've ever been in. The show was tiny. Intimate. There were about 50 artists, and quality of the work was phenomenal. I am honored to have been included in the lineup. All but one, I think, were 2D artists. There was one sculptor.
The show is not well attended. There was never a crowd. However, the people who came, came to buy - and had money, too.
I have to say, I found this pretty refreshing. There were no little kids with dirty fingers. No one asked me if I had made everything in my booth. There was no one selling lawn ornaments.
All that being said, the weekend was brutally hot, traffic was thick and congested, and Friday sales were pretty much nonexistent. I ended up pretty well, however, with about $1700 in sales, 3.5 times the $450 booth fee.
Oleski advertised the event on television, radio and in the local paper. He ran the show smoothly, and as an exhibitor, was present throughout the show, selling along with the rest of us.
A couple of warnings about this show:
First off, if you have a tall van, take the commercial route from NYC, even though the signs for the parkway from Staten Island specify 10-foot height. It's a lie. Several of the overpasses were well below 10 feet tall, including one barely over 7 feet tall, which forced me off the road and onto a confusing and clogged-up series of secondary roads. If you can take a ferry from CT, you will be much better off.
Second, be aware that lodging is insanely expensive, and nearly everything is booked solid on this weekend. I was able to use AirBnB, and saved myself hundreds.
Third, everything, and I mean everything, costs more out there. So price your work accordingly, and bring more spending money than you normally would.
I'm attaching a couple photos of the show, and one of my booth. On prices - the sunflowers I bought for my booth usually cost $4. At Amagansett, they cost $9.
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ps, this was the 2013 show.