Geez, I almost forgot to ask and I know some of you are already setting up in places like Des Moines ...
Anything happening with you?
Here is some of what I've found:
The really big one in Salt Lake City: Utah Arts Festival - http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-19342-utah-arts-festival-2.html
In Atlanta - the Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival - http://www.carenwestpr.com/2014/06/25/old-fourth-ward-arts-festival-celebrates-year-two-with-a-weekend-of-art-food-music-and-fun-at-the-historic-fourth-ward-park/
Here's a guide to getting around the Des Moines Arts Festival, which is "the" place to be since the DMAF won some big awards from the IFEA and the big wigs from the Kentucky Derby Festival and the Rose Bowl Festival, etc., are coming to town: http://dmjuice.com/how-to-get-around-the-des-moines-arts-festival/
And there is "The Other Show" in Des Moines hosting many of you.
Nice small town show in Quincy, IL; and a bunch of my friends will be at Grand Haven, MI, for the annual art fair there. Are you one of them?
Replies
I don't bring a camera to shows and I am currently Iphone free so I can't take pictures. My favorite dog that has been there the past few years was MIA. He is more like a small horse. Biggest dog I have ever seen. I did get to see my first Shiba Inu, a Japanese dog that is similar to a fox.
Comfest is held in Columbus Ohio at Goodale Park. It is a mix of art booths, craft vendors, political cause booths and more. There are many different stages for a variety of different types of music. It is fun and quite an experience. We also made a stop by the Easton Art Affair at Easton Mall. Aside from a huge rain storm burst, and the heat, it was a very nice festival!
This looked like a good hardwood, which seemed to me unusual that you would be gilding and painting something like that. My error.
So we are just finishing up 2 shows with Amy Amdur...and tonight went to the awards ceremony for Highland Park. I have to say how impressed I am with her professionalism and connection with the artists....to me she is the ultimate professional! During the awards she was able to intimately desribe the work of each of the winners, and was truly gracious and accesible for the artists. She also runs a really good show. I would not hesitate to do more shows with them should we return to the Chicagoland area in the future.
She is very professional and on top of everything. A very smart lady -- I think knows everyone in the business.
I believe this is the second year she has run this show, trying to do a turn around from what once was a fabulous event, then almost disappeared. Hope she can make it work.
Sorry Connie but this show was fabulous until Amy took over. Every other booth seemed as if it was jewelry, terribly unfair to jewelers. Then, at one end of the show we had the wonderful candle people, a guy who has a booth that looks like a knick knack shop with art classics decoupaged on them and a questionable wood guy.
Supposedly Amy's contract is not being renewed but there are some circumstances that may cause her contract to be extended.
I can see why Pauline would say what she did (and she has wonderful glass, I bought a piece yesterday) but I remember the old show and this is no comparison. And the dogs were wonderful as usual.
Why don't you ever show us a picture of the dogs?
I hear you, Geri, and I get it. But I don't believe the current management is the reason the show isn't "what it used to be" (fabulous). My sources tell me that the people who originally started the show and made it so fine lost interest, retired, found something else to do and it was languishing. Rather than having it go away they hired Amdur to produce it and it has not recovered its former luster.
Milling, shaping, and carving a frame, preparing it for gilding. WOOHOO!