Before I discuss the logistics of the event, I want to say flat out that everyone was happy at this show. The city of Royal Oak was ecstatic because the turnout was huge. In fact, a few times they had to close the gates because it had reached capacity. John, Lisa, and Connie were happy because they pulled this off without any major problems. The artists were happy because the buyers really came to buy. The 3D people did ok from what I heard, and that was my experience. But, the 2D people, especially the photographers, had excellent shows. I think Jan Kaulins stayed open 24 hours a day because he kept selling, and the painter next to me was giddy. So, I assumed she did really well. As I said, I had a good show, not great, but, I did better here than Ann Arbor. The other potters and the glass people I talked to agreed with me--good but not great. Still worth it though.
For some reason, I didn't have a map and we were required to check in before setting up. When I got there, I had to ask a number of security people who were guarding the entrances where to go to check in and they had no clue. I, finally called Connie and she directed me to the church where we checked in. There was bagels, coffee, etc. for the artists, once again. Once we checked in, there was no problem getting to the booth. Setup was easy. There was plenty of room for all the artists and take down was equally painless. Parking for the artists was free and easy to get to. The music and food booths were open at 11 on the first day. The artist part started at 4PM because we couldn't set up the night before. People were actually angry that they couldn't get to the artists booths right away and they moved the time up from 4PM to 3PM. That was a good sign. Next year, artists will be able to set up on Thursday night and the art fair part will open at 11AM. Even though the show was 4 days long, it was easy to do. The crowds were large and the streets were wide enough to accommodate everyone. The people were mixed in that many were knowledgeable, but, many had no idea what they were looking at. I had to explain what Raku is many, many times. That just allowed me to pontificate about he work which I like to do. The weather for the most part was pleasant. There were some sprinkles, but, the high winds that were predicted didn't materialize. The show closed at 9:PM each night but you could stay open as long as you wanted past that time, which many artists did. You need lights for this show. My outlet didn't work but they came and fixed it within minutes. The volunteers were plentiful and excellent. They would run and get us anything we wanted so we could stay in our booths.
I only have 2 complaints: 1) Parking for attendees was $15 which I thought was excessive. I don't know whether these were municipal lots or privately owned. If you were willing to walk a quarter mile, you could park on the surrounding streets.. 2) I thought the food was overpriced and the portions were embarrassingly small. Someone needs to tell them to not be so greedy. The best deal was the Berringer and Mondavi wine booths. You could get a double portion of wine, which equaled a glass, for $2.50. I took advantage of this a few times.
In conclusion, I think John, Lisa, and our own Connie Mettler, did an excellent job. This is a show to consider doing. It's only going to get better as it gets tweaked.
Comments
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=arts%2C+beats%2C+and+eats&s=rec
Also, here is a link from Tom Clark who put together a montage of his photographs. If you look to the right, there are a number of videos that people put up on U-Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDL19x_NRNU
Here's a link to one of her performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGCpKvY2dEQ&feature=related
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