What are you doing this weekend, March 18-20, 2016?

A great weekend for some excellent shows, including:

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival (one of the artists favorites for all the right reasons: weather, location, committee, enthusiastic buyers). Not going to be there? Here is a great story from the Orlando Sentinel:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/winter-park-sidewalk-art-festival/os-winter-park-sidewalk-art-fest-20160316-story.html

Up in the Boston area, everyone who has cabin fever has the chance to go to Marlborough's Royal Trade Center to Paradise City's fine art show:

http://brookline.wickedlocal.com/article/20160317/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/160316215

It is high season in the desert near Palm Springs with the Paribas tennis tournament which draws the hoity-toity to the area for a long stay. Accordingly Spectrum has its brand new Indian Wells Art Show taking place there this weekend:

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/local/indian-wells/2016/03/14/spectrum-indian-wells-art-show-renaissance/81777370/

How about you? Anything happening? Has it stopped raining in Louisiana, Greg Little?

I am doing a show that is about 2 minutes from my house. This is the one that I have said if it were any closer it literally would be in my backyard! LOL

The weather is proving to be very disappointing and discouraging. It rained a little last night for a while. However our weather station at our house said the rate of the rain was something like 8" per hour. But it rained at that rate for only a few minutes. It continued to rain a slower rate for a while. Rain is expected the rest of the day (100%), overnight and a 50% chance for tomorrow. Oh, and YES, this is an outdoor show. What is concerning me are several variables converging at one time.

1) Last show, in the fall of 2015, it rained enough on the day of the show that attendance was down by about 75%. I am not exaggerating.

2) There is a new director of this plantation/museum since the last show.

3) There is a new assistant director of the plantation/museum since the last show.

At the last show a person who had a booth there for the first time asked us if the attendance was typical. We said absolutely not, that it was an anomaly, and it was down about 75%. I asked her not to write off the show due to one show. She seemed satisfied with that.

Now we are dealing with thunderstorms with lightning that are supposed to go through tomorrow. I know because I was at the venue earlier this AM when it started. There are people I know personally who do not do outdoor shows in rainy weather due to their product. They will forfeit before doing so. The venue at this writing is refusing to transfer booth fees to the show in November. There are accusations of greed, lack of caring about the artists/crafters, etc. I know there is some frustration on the part of at least a few artists who feel like they are not being heard and that their suggestions are being dismissed. There never are any easy answers, are there?

Here is the bottom line of what I am concerned about.... poor attendance last fall, poor attendance this time, artists/crafters not returning due to lack of attendance. Then when artists/crafters just finding this show see that return rate is dropping, they decide no to chance it. I think there should have been more of a transition from the former leadership to the new leadership, where they co-manage at least one show together. I don't know what happened so that the top 2 leaders both left sine the last show. Just very concerning for the continuity of things.

Replies

Cindy Welch March 19, 2016 at 9:56pm

I did a blog entry for the show we had scheduled this weekend. Too much to talk about for an entry here. :(
Richard L. Sherer March 18, 2016 at 2:51pm

After a week of spring-like weather it snowed about 5" last night with more forecast for this afternoon and evening. I have 32 plain and 67 carved belt ready for final finishing, but I still have 28 of a new design to stamp. I sold an in stock saddle made back in 1998 for $4400 but have to do some alterations on it and that is in the works now. I'm working on 4 new trick saddles ( 3 white quilted and one plain leather) and got the last piece of ground work in the plain one today. I'm also working on restoration of a fellow's grandfather's saddle off the Navajo Nation Rez. in New Mexico. It is a major rebuild as a lot of the leather had deteriorated from iron oxide rot wherever there was a metal part. I built 6 bluebird houses out of scrap lumber and already have birds checking them out the first day.
Cindy Welch March 18, 2016 at 2:15pm

I am doing a show that is about 2 minutes from my house. This is the one that I have said if it were any closer it literally would be in my backyard! LOL

The weather is proving to be very disappointing and discouraging. It rained a little last night for a while. However our weather station at our house said the rate of the rain was something like 8" per hour. But it rained at that rate for only a few minutes. It continued to rain a slower rate for a while. Rain is expected the rest of the day (100%), overnight and a 50% chance for tomorrow. Oh, and YES, this is an outdoor show. What is concerning me are several variables converging at one time.

1) Last show, in the fall of 2015, it rained enough on the day of the show that attendance was down by about 75%. I am not exaggerating.

2) There is a new director of this plantation/museum since the last show.

3) There is a new assistant director of the plantation/museum since the last show.

At the last show a person who had a booth there for the first time asked us if the attendance was typical. We said absolutely not, that it was an anomaly, and it was down about 75%. I asked her not to write off the show due to one show. She seemed satisfied with that.

Now we are dealing with thunderstorms with lightning that are supposed to go through tomorrow. I know because I was at the venue earlier this AM when it started. There are people I know personally who do not do outdoor shows in rainy weather due to their product. They will forfeit before doing so. The venue at this writing is refusing to transfer booth fees to the show in November. There are accusations of greed, lack of caring about the artists/crafters, etc. I know there is some frustration on the part of at least a few artists who feel like they are not being heard and that their suggestions are being dismissed. There never are any easy answers, are there?

Here is the bottom line of what I am concerned about.... poor attendance last fall, poor attendance this time, artists/crafters not returning due to lack of attendance. Then when artists/crafters just finding this show see that return rate is dropping, they decide no to chance it. I think there should have been more of a transition from the former leadership to the new leadership, where they co-manage at least one show together. I don't know what happened so that the top 2 leaders both left sine the last show. Just very concerning for the continuity of things.

This reply was deleted.