I read some discouraging comments on this show and am struggling with whether to accept my invitation to participate. Has anyone had a good experience or have additional input? I will be exhibiting the weekend prior in Edina so that makes the decision even more difficult. Thanks for any info you'd be able to share!
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I decided to give it another shot this year with the hope that these changes will translate to better sales and visibility. Now, if they could somehow improve that challenging load-in process… ;-)
Hope to meet you while we are there, David! Let's keep our fingers crossed for sunny, clear skies. I checked out your website and love your photograpy. You and I are actually doing 4 of the same shows this summer (pending acceptance, of course): Excelsior, Park Point, Grand Marais, and Ramsey.
Cool! See you this summer then....
Susan, I live in Excelsior, MN and this show is literally in my backyard. I can say the crowds are enormous and the energy is very good, it is the largest income area in Minnesota (well, Channhassen is which is 2 miles down the road) people talk about this show in this area year round and constantly ask if I'll be in it - which I can't be because I'm in the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago the same weekend. I did this show four years ago and yes, set-up and tear down is not a breeze but if you can get a booth where your back faces the lake, you will have a beautiful spacous spot and when I did it there were teens with golf carts (boy and girl scouts?) helping artists haul up to the street at the end of the show - I used them for a few loads. Weather is a concern for every festival MN or otherwise..it's in a park so it's all grass..I'm not sure what kind of art you have but I would say this show is worth doing esp. if you get the spot on the shoreline! Good luck!
This came from an email that the show organizers sent me this week: "This year we have scaled back on the number of artists admitted (140 total) and the site is on the shore of Lake Minnetonka - hoping to provide a wonderful space regardless of where you are placed. Basically there is a row along the shoreline and a row along the sidewalk that creates a V shape, there are three rows placed in a triangle shape within the V."
Since this will be my first year doing this show, I can't say if and how this arrangement has changed from previous years.
Hello Susan. Excelsior was a very strong show about 10 years ago. It seems to have been struggling a bit of late. It may have something to do with the organizers priorities. As I remember some kind of merchant's assoc is now running it where as I believe it used to be an art organization. My wife used to do the show when she was doing Yard Art in the $40 range and did OK. I've not done it with my work. I don't think it supports many high price points and it conflicts with Old Town. I only see one of your pieces. What's the price point? If in the 30 - 75 area I'd give it a go. There really isn't a big risk of over-exposure to that market, very little overlap between the two shows. Load in is by cart over grass. Any squalls coming through can be pretty hazardous as you are on pretty much a point going out into the lake.
As with any show there is only one way to find out and that's to do it. It's only about a 4 hour drive. Good luck and see you in Edina (Cindy does Edina with her jewelry).
Susan, I did Excelsior once a few years back and it was not a positive experience. The weather was great but the people attending just seemed to be lookers. I had high hopes for this show as there is money in this area of the Twin Cities. As mentioned, you must carry everything into the park from the street, manuevering through a line of food vendors, which was not an easy feat for me. The fellow selling large colorful flags seemed to be busy, but my sales were dismal. Sorry I can't give you much on the positive side.
That's okay Pat, I appreciate your opinion. Thank you.
I'm in the same boat! I have one more show I'm waiting to hear back from for that weekend so I might have to decide. I'm doing Edina, but have never done Excelsior. But i did have a lot of customers asking me if I was going to be there last year so I though I show. But reading the reviews makes me wary. Plus one of my other artist friends says it is a nightmare. But I think that is mostly about loading and he is a potter and I am a jeweler. Ugh.
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