Doing Disney is not always good for the pocketbook but it is always good for the soul. There are, of course, issues but Disney is one show where I feel respected as an artist and treated like a person, not just a cash cow.
I don’t have to tell them on Friday what time I think I’m going to want to run to the restroom on Sunday. My section had a block captain who called me by name. If I needed a break I just went over to the info tent and asked for a booth sitter. And if I wanted a bottle of water I just asked for one. I could have as many as I wanted, no coupons, no limit. Lunch was delivered to my booth daily for me and a helper if I so desired. No standing in long lines at the concession stand to pay outrageous prices for food. The rules are stated clearly and enforced across the board. No bending of the rules for “special” people. And the awards ceremony is an uplifting experience, as usual, even though I didn’t win anything this time around. Contrast this with Gasparilla who last year gave out $75,000 in awards, outside in the rain, with not even enough chairs for everyone. No person standing at the door taking tickets for the awards breakfast. Just some of the top people in charge of the show shaking your hand and welcoming you. Just a small example – on Sunday my rug started to “pouf” a little in the front, making it a possible trip hazard. A booth sitter noticed it and came back 10 minutes later with duct tape to tape it down. I can’t imagine any other show doing this. Most shows wouldn’t even have noticed and the few who did would probably be checking my liability insurance not providing duct tape.
Okay happy rant over. All booth spaces in this show are not created equal. There are some spots that don’t get as much traffic. There are spaces that have a little extra storage area and spaces that have none. The area in the center doesn’t get much sun and can be a wind tunnel. Sales can be slow and poor. This year was helped by Friday being a holiday so the attendance on Friday was much higher than normal. I did quite well this year. More than my two previous years combined. It was a happy surprise. But it is possible to zero at this show. The people are coming to “see” art not necessarily to “buy” art. Most of them are spending a whole lot of money on Disney stuff but not art. A lot of them are from out of town so be prepared to ship. I did sell one piece to a couple from Switzerland but thankfully they took it with them. My sales were pretty much across the board, some matted prints, some smaller framed pieces, and some larger framed pieces.
Load in and load out are difficult. No matter where your space, you will be dollying. For some spaces you will be dollying a long way. The show makes it as easy as possible but it still is difficult.
The weather was almost perfect on Friday; just cool enough to keep people off the boat. I got quite warm on Saturday and Sunday but no rain, still great.
All in all, a great experience. It is nice once in a while to feel like a respected artist instead of a cash cow.
Comments
Not sure why it cut off where it did. Thanks Peggy, for noticing that! Congrats to all!
Thanks for that list! What a lot of winners. Anyone have any idea what the total of the prize money
was?
Love it that Steve Olszewski took best of show. Can't imagine anyone else who is less "Mickey Mouse."
Congrats to Barbara Umbel who makes the most exquisite shell jewelry and Suzanne DiMarco who makes the most fun earrings, I have lots of them.
Article in the Orlando Sentinel:
Steven Olszewski of Pinckney, Mich., won best in show at Walt Disney World's Festival of the Masters last weekend. His work, from the Clay category, was titled "Meditation."
Here's the full list of winners:
CLAY
1st Place: Tindall, Vicki; Orlando, FL
2nd Place: Peters, Tim; Winter Haven, FL
3rd Place: Blackmore, Marvin; Durango, CO
DIGITAL ART
1st Place: Tudzarov, Beau; Plantation, FL
2nd Place: Brown, Michael; Antioch, IL
3rd Place: Margerum, John; Oveido, FL
DRAWING, PRINTMAKING & GRAPHICS
1st Place: Hunt, Jason; Orlando, FL
2nd Place: Bond, Michael; River Falls, WI
3rd Place: Bruner, Dave; Sarasota, FL
Awards of Merit for Drawing, Printmaking, & Graphics:
Eckert, Jeff; Tampa, FL
Barnes, Greg; Charlotte, NC
GLASS
1st Place: Slade, Bill; Jacksonville, FL
2nd Place: Haddad, Jamille; Cape Canaveral, FL
3rd Place: Palmer, Steve; Minnetonka, MN
Awards of Merit for Glass:
Lent, Sandra; Lake Mary, FL
JEWELRY
1st Place: Umbel, Barbara; Pawleys Island, SC
2nd Place: Forney, Jack & Marian; Bloomington, IN
3rd Place: Miller, Peggy; Melbourne Beach, FL
Awards of Merit for Jewelry:
DiMarco, Suzanna; Naples, FL
LEATHER, FIBER & PAPER
1st Place: Amit, Amos; Los Angeles, CA
2nd Place: Zhang, Xiao Xia; Cleveland, OH
3rd Place: Perry, Diane; Wanatah, IN
Awards of Merit for Leather, Fiber, & Paper:
Merriman, Teresa; Westcliffe, CO
MIXED MEDIA & COLLAGE
1st Place: Pierson, Patrick; Palm Springs, FL
2nd Place: Robinson, Mikel; Durham, NC
3rd Place: Mullan, Jim; Pompano Beach, FL
PAINTING
1st Place: Carter, James; Southbury, CT
2nd Place: Beirne, Bert; Flowery Branch, GA
3rd Place: Napoli, Carol; New Smyrna Beach, FL
Awards of Merit for Painting:
Crawford, Marta;
You have to have won an award at a recognized show within the past three years. Best in show, First, Second, Third in show, Best in Category... They ask you to send a copy of the award along with the entry application and jury fee. In practice, almost any show listed as an art show in AFSB or Sunshine Artist qualifies, but since it's a juried show, you still may get turned down.
Sounds like a nice show to do. Thanks for the review.
Does anyone have a list of the award winners for Disney this year?
Glad you both had decent shows. Disney is always fun - it's like the end of year artist celebration party. And an award from Mickey is always nice. Disney people always treated me well, even if the tourists weren't buying. I haven't gone in a couple of years, and I do miss it.
Spoke with some other friends who did the show -- they also had good sales, which came at just the right time. So many Florida shows have been down, other shows have been rained out, blown out or heated out. So it's great you all did well. Yay!
It would be nice if they were able to find a way to let us stay open later. I always feel bad closing down at 5 when all those people are streaming in for dinner and Cirque de Solei.
Thanks for the review Alison - glad you had a good show!
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