Warm Mineral Springs Resort
North Port, FL
Application Deadline -- Open
100 artist booths
Community Affair, an 18-year-old Florida-based business, sponsors juried fine arts and crafts shows at the remarkable Warm Mineral Springs Resort on Florida's Gulf Coast.
The Springs, the only warm mineral spring in Florida and considered one of the world's premier hot springs, is conveniently located midway between Sarasota and Ft. Myers, less than a mile east of U.S. 41 and six miles west of Interstate 75.
Community Affair's unique juried, two-day midweek shows have, for years, attracted artists who want the chance to exhibit their work between the more crowded weekend shows instead of whiling away the time in a hotel room.
The Wednesday/Thursday shows (both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) are especially attractive to tourists, snowbirds and locals who traditionally search for activities during the week. All shoppers receive free admission to the shows.
For all paid exhibitors in attendance at the Nov. 16-17 fine arts and crafts show there will be a special drawing worth $1,800. The drawing takes place Thursday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m., and will give the winning exhibitor a voucher good for the nine remaining 2011-2012 Community Affair shows.
Community Affair will have a total of 10 shows at the resort site this winter. There is Tuesday afternoon set-up for all shows as well as early Wednesday morning. As part of that, there is free overnight parking for Tuesday-Thursday nights on site. In addition, the resort has an award-winning restaurant in addition to a spa. Wednesday night has been designated "Swim Night" for all exhibitors.
Advertising for these shows began in September and include regional and local newspapers, regional and statewide magazines, a weekly radio show, flyers, signage, Web ads and newsletters.
Applications are available at
or
Please feel free to call for more information. We hope to see you soon!
Layne Morgan and Steve Levin
Community Affair
life. art. culture.
508-737-0998
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Find more art fairs for 2011 & 2012
Comments
Steve Levin of Community Affair contacted me to add: "We have not forsaken Fort Myers, Siesta Key, Coquina, Venice and our other sites. Rather, we're taking a hiatus this year from those spots because it seemed they'd been 'overplayed' and were suffering from shopper fatigue. We think that Mineral Springs, which since its purchase by the City of North Port and Sarasota County and its new status as a state park, has been completely revamped and refurbished, is a real hidden jewel. Our effort this year was to let our former sites lie fallow for a year, nothing more."
[Geoff, again]: I had mentioned to Steve that I would come by and visit the show this week. He responded that I should expect a small artist turnout, because he and Layne "had to turn down a number of potential exhibitors whose material was buy/sell or not in keeping with what we're trying to accomplish."
I've never done a show with them, but I have attended several, and some high-end jeweler friends of mine who did a couple of shows with them last year said they did surprisingly well at the S. Fort Myers show. They did say that Steve and Layne are really nice folks to work with. I wish them good luck.