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If you follow this blog, you probably figured out that Boston Mills ArtFest has happened. ArtFest is a two weekend event that happens on the last weekend in June (a party night and 2 show days) and the 1st weekend in July (a party night and 3 show days). Two years ago I did the show on the first weekend and this year I tried second weekend. In the past artists could only do one or the other, but applications were down this year and a handful of artists got to try their luck on both weekends. To my surprise, I did just about identical gross sales numbers this year as I did two years ago.... this is a solid show (but had still hoped to do a little better with the extra day).

Setup: The rendering above shows the layout. There are four large artist tents, facing in each direction and about 32 individual tents down the middle. The large tent, on the left, is considered the North tent, but the sun sets behind it; go figure. Setup and breakdown are not bad, but you have to dolly everything to and from the parking lot, that is unless you get one of the few areas where you can park behind your booth (North tent).

Both times that I've done the show, I pitched my own tent in the middle section. I recommend paying a little more for a spot in the bigger tents... weather is a factor this time of year... this year it was hot! The larger tents stay cooler and people linger longer. That said, sales were still strong for me.

Location: Where is Boston Mills? Seems like it should be near Boston, MA but not even close, Boston Mills Artfest takes place at the base of a bunny slope (err, ski resort) just south of Cleveland, OH in the township of Peninsula, Ohio. The show draws from affluent suburbs around Cleveland and Akron and they come in good numbers.

Sales: Very good art displayed at this show and patrons bought big, though with caution. Several painters did outstanding at this show. A friend of mine from OH was well above 5 figures with several commissions pending. I spoke with potters, stained glass artists, photographers and jewelers who had a solid show in the 5-7K range. Not all fared well; a painter I met had a very disappointing show as did a multi-media artist. Like all shows this year, some hit it out of the park and some don't.

The Organization: This is a well publicized and coordinated event. Show volunteers frequently checked in with me to see if I had any needs. This is a well oiled machine that has been coordinated for years by Ron Beahn.

Amenities: An opening dinner for the artists, which meant hands off on the food and refreshments provided to paying patrons during the opening drunken bash... I mean hors d'oeuvres, wine and beer tasting. With an artist badge, artists could enjoy the tasting during the last 15 minutes of the event and without a badge, could blend in for earlier tastings.

My booth was near the music performance stage, which is usually the kiss of death for any artist who draws that lot. It certainly was on Friday opening night, but for the rest of the weekend, this was a fabulous spot. The music was incredibly good!!... concert quality. Each performance drew folks from all around the grounds and many listening to the performances spent time in my booth - which resulted in sales.

Here's a group call Mo' Mojo. They are a mix of Zydeco, Blues and Cajun. They can draw a crowd. I'll go to any art show that they're performing at. Hear an mp3 from their web site.

Bottom line: Would I return to ArtFest? You betcha.

Cheers!