I went to the La Quinta Art Fair this weekend to see what all the hubbub was about (I did not get accepted in the jewelry category), it having such great ratings every year. It was really a beautifully laid out show and was packed with attendees and there were very few empty booths during my walk-through. The parking fee of $7 and the entrance fee of $12 would certainly weed out the riff-raff. There was one dramatic pause on my tour, though, that made me gasp! Just at the exit, maybe the last booth before you leave the fair, was a gal selling $25 & $45 hats which were so "hecho en Mexico" that I had to stop and talk to the girl selling. She said, when asked, that they weren't handmade (obvious). They were the kind of "cowboy" style you find at any Mexican stand along the beach or elsewhere, then spray painted in girly colors with a bauble glued onto the front. I was so shocked and stunned that I left there reeling. How did this person get chosen by the jury. I spend 50-80 hours on EACH of my necklaces and not chosen while this abomination was accepted in to this high class show? Does anyone else out there have anything to say about this?
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Don, how do you know this about the hats?
A bit to share. Several years back we did the La Qunita show. Saturday opened up with a great morning sun. All of a sudden the winds start blowing a bit....then a bit more....then wommie, major gusts. The young man across from us, a potter was holding on his tent, as did everyone. All of a sudden a major gusts happend and his tent, his shelves and most of his pottery went up into the air and crashed down onto the tent behind him. It stopped moments after and everyone ran to help himn out. About a half hour later the show began on stage.....Connie Stevens went onto the stage and started greeting the audience and bang, again the winds started, her dress went up into the air and she was blown across the stage and grabbed onto a pole. The show stopped and she went off stage. Needless to say, that was my last trip to Palm Springs. We sold quite a bit a work on Sunday and it was certainly worth our time. The moral of the story..........BRING VERY HEAVY WEIGHTS TO THE DESERT IN THE SPRING !!!
Folks, Granted the hats weren't a good idea, next year they will have larger hats with the show logo available as show souvenir merchandise. This will prevent the problem from recurring.
correction-last word should have been "sells."
If they're so concerned about the comfort, then why don't they jury in someone who makes hats? I find it inexcusable to allow a buy/sell artist into any fine show for any reason. It cheapens everyone by association. And as we all know, there's only so many spending dollars available. We should all resent having our profit weakened by someone who doesn't make what he/she makes.
They were not juried in . They were there solely for comfort as it was a constant request by patrons who wanted more than the small visors that they sell with the La Quinta logo on it. Regards the Sun, Most of the customers there are visitors or part time residents from Northern ares and to them the Sun is very hot. It was 86 and very hot on one of the days.
Good hypothesis, but at the exit? Also, though it is the desert, in March the sun is not unbearable; quite pleasant actually.
Maybe it would be like selling umbrellas at a NW show, just considered to be for customer comfort & was not juried in to be part of the show?