Hello All,
This past weekend I did the Wounded Warrior benefit called Betthoven Found. Here is a link to their page http://beethovenfound.org/ and you can click on their events page to find the spring event.
Anyway, this event was held at Great Meadows Park ( a polo facility) near The Plains, VA. This is located in northern VA and very close to Washington.
Although currently this is primarily a wine, beer, and food event in my opinion it has the potential to become a very nice art event. The demographics of patrons is there, the location is fantastic, and who can say anything bad about an event that supports Wounded Warriors.
Here are the details of this past weekend. Friday was constant heavy rain all day long due to tropical storm Andrea. The show was Saturday only, but located in a large open field at the top of a hill. Saturday morning was a bit hectic due to folks trying to drive to their booth sites. (up the aforementioned hill) First time I have ever needed 4 wheel drive to reach my booth. After unloading, artist parking was relatively close and easily accessible. As I was setting up for the day, there was drizzle to add to the wetness of the field. All in all not looking good for attendance. By 11:00, when the gates opened, the folks started coming in. The show organizer had put down straw in the really wet parts of the field and the combination of the breeze and the sun that came out was working to dry up most of the problem spots. Anyway, my expectations for the day were not very high.
Once the crowd began arriving, I started feeling better about the day. They wanted to talk about my items, they asked the right questions, and more importantly, they started to buy. Now, truth be told, the crowds were no where near the 17,000 they had last year. My guess would be somewhere around 2-5000 all day. By the end of the day I had sold a fair amount. Not my best day by a long shot, but a presentable day especially given the weather. ( Much of the eastern part of VA, Washington, and Md was still having heavy downpours through Saturday afternoon)
So my point is that the patrons that came to this event wanted to support the vendors/artists and were a good crowd. I can only imagine what this event would/will be like with good weather and more artists. I have already chatted briefly with the organizer and suggested the he advertise this event on this website as well as SA and move toward making an art show a large part of the event. As for me, I was sold on the event when he told me it was a benefit for Wounded Warrior. This year is a transition year for me as I move toward doing art shows and away from festivals and wine events, but this event will stay on my calendar. This year I was located in one of those huge 40 X 100 tents. Who knows, maybe we can get Brett to have an AFI tent if enough artists apply.
So, not an art show yet, but just wanted folks to know about it so that next year it will be on the radar scope.
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