No Hidden Glen Festival this year - any more? - Forum

From the Kansas City Star:

"After a run of 22 years, there will be no Hidden Glen Arts Festival in Olathe this year.

The volunteer board members are asking for suggestions and help in deciding whether to bring some version of it back in 2012, they said this week.

The festival, held in September on the banks of a lake in Cedar Creek, featured fine art for sale in a scenic backdrop with musical performances, roving entertainers and children’s activities. It also provided college scholarships to high school arts students.

But the event costs about $100,000 to do properly, board members said. Their non-profit group relied on private donations that shrank and state and city arts grants that have ended.

Meg Schimmels of Olathe, the board secretary, said attendance also has been falling as people are buying less art and artists are going elsewhere to sell it."

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/03/2924678/no-hidden-glen-festival-this-year.html#ixzz1OOzPWlg5

I reported earlier that this event had been cancelled for 2011, but this sounds like the end of it. Here is the earlier report: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/longrunning-show-cancelled-in

I attended the Kalamazoo Art Fair this weekend and had a lengthy discussion with an artist about the demise of art fairs. Art fairs are living things that reflect the people who organize them and the changes in the economy where they are held. They are also generational things that change when the first group of organizers pass the event on down to younger people who may/may not have the same mission and zeal.

What do you think? Could we do with fewer fairs that are run better? Is there anything we can do as artists to keep this sector of the economy vibrant?

We had a very vibrant jazz and arts festival held yearly in a nearby national park. Access was difficult but the views were spectacular. It was a huge job to get all the equipment up there each year and eventually the volunteers just ran out of energy. A new group took it on and did one year, decided it was too hard and moved it to a venue close to town, made it a general music festival rather than jazz, and only hold it every second year. The result though is that it has lost its 'flavour' and momentum - it doesn't attract as high profile music or arts and attracts a different crowd - the first lot were patrons, the second lot are just there to have a good time and leave with their wallets as in tact as possible!

Of course we have two extremes down under. We have the shows run by profit driven companies - they cost a fortune and can have trouble filling spots due to their high costs which don't always translate to sales for the artists. On the other end of the spectrum, there are the volunteer run ones that as with Hidden Glen, rely on sponsors, donations, grants and the energy and passion of its organising group. I assume these two extremes happen in the US, although it seems that you have more scope for variation over there.

I exhibited at one very successful arts fair a few years ago - a group of half a dozen artists felt that they didn't have a suitable big event in their area so they organised it themselves. It was fantastic. And it grew, over the course of 6 years or so. I thought it must be the answer - reasonable (but not cheap) fees, excellent jurying and organisation. But then I realised it had its costs - these people were artists themselves organising such an even took a big proportion of their time, affecting their art output. Then they had a bad show - the venue had moved (trying to be bigger and better) but just didn't attract the crowds. After that, it all became too hard and they just gave up.

Replies

Annette Piper June 5, 2011 at 6:18pm

We had a very vibrant jazz and arts festival held yearly in a nearby national park. Access was difficult but the views were spectacular. It was a huge job to get all the equipment up there each year and eventually the volunteers just ran out of energy. A new group took it on and did one year, decided it was too hard and moved it to a venue close to town, made it a general music festival rather than jazz, and only hold it every second year.   The result though is that it has lost its 'flavour' and momentum - it doesn't attract as high profile music or arts and attracts a different crowd - the first lot were patrons, the second lot are just there to have a good time and leave with their wallets as in tact as possible!

Of course we have two extremes down under. We have the shows run by profit driven companies - they cost a fortune and can have trouble filling spots due to their high costs which don't always translate to sales for the artists. On the other end of the spectrum, there are the volunteer run ones that as with Hidden Glen, rely on sponsors, donations, grants and the energy and passion of its organising group.   I assume these two extremes happen in the US, although it seems that you have more scope for variation over there.

I exhibited at one very successful arts fair a few years ago - a group of half a dozen artists felt that they didn't have a suitable big event in their area so they organised it themselves. It was fantastic. And it grew, over the course of 6 years or so. I thought it must be the answer - reasonable (but not cheap) fees, excellent jurying and organisation. But then I realised it had its costs - these people were artists themselves organising such an even took a big proportion of their time, affecting their art output. Then they had a bad show - the venue had moved (trying to be bigger and better) but just didn't attract the crowds. After that, it all became too hard and they just gave up.

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