Hello All,
I'm just investigating the art scene in Southwest florida and came across a call for artists for the Art on the Lake at Miromar Lakes community in march. I was curious if anyone had any first hand experience at this "mini-show" and if so, what their impression of it is. I'm a new artist and looking to get my feet wet. I thought this might be a great opportunity with low cost of entry and only a 3 hour time frame. Any thoughts?
Replies
Hi Jason,
Yep, I've done this show twice. It is a unique opportunity for a couple of reasons:
1) It's a VERY small show. There are some professional artists in the group, but many seem to be amateurs (not necessarily UN-TALENTED amateurs, but amateurs nonetheless) who live within Miromar. The folks who run the show have suggested that they are trying to get more pros to display, but they seem not to have been persuaded to expand the hours to at least a full day, if not a full weekend, in order to attract more of them. That suggests to me that. . .
2) The event is designed to be a lure for people to come visit Miromar Lakes, and marketing folks are hoping to generate interest and sales of homes, as much as art. It's an uber-exclusive gated community, except when they have events like this, so for many of the visitors, it's their first look at the grounds (you can't see anything but shrubbery and fencing from outside). I've often wondered if everybody who comes in to the event comes to the show, or just walks around and looks at the homes.
It is a LOT of work to set up and tear down for only three hours of exposure. But the show can be browsed in less than an hour, easily. These two factors, combined, mean: no be-backs, no "thinking about it," no "I just got here, I'll get back with you." Oh, and the folks running the show are very laid back. They'll just show you where your space is and get out of your way.
Is it worth it? Well, I did as well there in three hours as I did in a full day at nearby Coconut Point mall a couple of weeks later. If your work is good it will stand out, and you've got a shot at making a very nice hourly rate.
PS: The homes here are HUGE. Large scale work would sell best, IMHO.
Hi Geoff,
Thanks for your very well informed reply to my posting. It is puzzling why they don't expand the hours for the show. I definitely agree with you that the show was probably designed as a lure to show homes in the community. However, if they had a standard 10-5 time frame, there would be time for even more folks to wander through the gate and get hooked. Hmmm, puzzling. I will investigate this further as the season progresses. Hoping to be in the Naples National festival in Feb so this may be a nice follow up for that. Thanks for the input!
Jason