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Hello fellow artists, I got into the Pecan street art festival in Austin tx.  I can not find much info about it. The booth fee is kinda high at $690ish for single booth. So iam hesitant to accept till I find out a bit more info. I can mot find any reviews. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'll be at cherry Creek (denver) for the first time. Need help set up and take down. I can pay 25/hr. Not really heavy, but help is nice. July 1 9am, and July 4 about 6pm. total maybe 4-6 hours. email kr@kathyross3d.com.

Does anyone have feedback, pro or con, on Howard Alan Shows? I'm trying to figure out what to expect and if I should look for alternatives. I create original copper overlay and etched art glass, and most of my work is in the $150 to $1000 range.

I'm looking to escape Michigan's winter for a month or so in Florida and have applied and been accepted into the 10th Annual Coconut Point (Bonita Springs) Feb 20,21; Stuart 26th Annual Downtown Festival of the Arts, Feb 27,28; and West Palm Beach 6th Annual CityPlace March 5,6. What are your thoughts on these or other Howard Alan shows? What FL shows do you recommend? Thanks!

Ok, so I took the plunge. I got a space at the Artegon, formerly Festival Bay Mall, 5250 International Drive, Orlando. While I had my reservations, I budgeted it out to try this for six months. (only six month and 12 month leases available at the time I signed.)

Nuts and bolts -

County and City License - about $100, takes a few hours to do, but relatively painless procedure.

Insurance - About $325, for one year. easy to do.

Signage - About $375, mandatory fee from Artegon.

Security Deposit - $500 (I have heard of varying amounts from other booths, your experience may vary.)

First months' electricity fee - $187.50

I think that covers it. So for about $1500, you get a 10ftx20ft cage to fill. I signed in December, but due to prior commitments, I opened doors February 1st. After 1 month of being opened, I grossed $1075. Not a lot when you consider you need to have your doors opened 60 hours a week. But from talking to the other artists, I did very well. Granted Jan, Feb, and Mar are slow months for Orlando.

But there has been a lot of rollover in vendor/artists. My row has 10 booths, and since I have been there, 6 have left for various reasons, but mostly because of low sales. I did a walkthrough on my first week, and counted 35 empty booths, and 10 buy/sell booths. My walkthrough on march 1st had 37 empty booths, and about 25 buy/sell booths, including one psychic. All this in a potential of 165 booths (some booths have expanded into adjoining booths.)

A lot of this is due to, I believe, telling potential vendors that this would be a forum for basically, a high end Art Fair, every weekend, naturally with great sales to go along with it. While it may become that in a couple years, it is slow to start. Some vendors go for days or a week between sales. Some of the vendors haven't helped, by either opening late or closing early, or not showing up at all. When enough people walk thru and the shops aren't open, they won't return, and tell their friends the same. Today, on my row, at 11:15am, out of 10 potential shops, (1 shop is a double); 3 aren't open, and one is empty. Not a very inviting view for potential customers to walk down.

Marketing is bad, but they just hired new staff for it, so I hope it improves. I hear every other day, "I didn't even know this was here, I just walked out of Bass Pro Shops and here it is! when did this happen?" or I get "This place was so hard to find! why didn't they just say it was at the old Festival Bay Mall?". Which make me twinge inside, because I see the billboards on my way into work. No Address, No exit off I-4 mentioned, etc.....Not everyone has a smart phone to try to decipher what Artegon is! Some new billboards at least it mentions being at the old festival bay mall, so keeping fingers crossed that this aspect improves.

Another aspect, those artists that leave early are breaking a contract, and management is talking about suing them for the electricity fees that they are leaving unpaid by not being here. Which is going to make future artists more leery about signing up.

So my take on Artegon? It is ok for me. Gets me out of the house, I do the same work here that I would do at home, plus I can sell. I am hoping that traffic picks up, but not counting on it at the moment. My biggest fear is that the first six month contracts expire in May, and that this place will be a ghost town then.

Would I recommend getting a space to anyone? No. I would wait until June to see what kind of vendor retention there is, and what kind of shops they are. If you are seriously thinking about it, check back on a monthly basis to see what the place is like, and make sure that you can survive without a sale, and can do your work when you are here.

We were juried in, and are getting ready for the festival, but wonder who else will be there?  If you have done the show before are there any great tips to share?  Value your feedback!  And if you have done the show, any recommendations for places to lodge for the weekend?  

http://www.palletfest.com/ - October 11 & 12 - Sculpture Park - Denver

Working on Snaggle Tooth - sculpture made from recycling of pallets

This was an incredible event. Weather was good on Saturday, with cooler temps , frequent showers with some rain, and wind on Sunday.

This was the first year for Pallet Fest, a family friendly festival featuring upcycled - repurposed art, sustainability, Parkour (!) , networking and some awesome music, food and beverages. (Ask me about the Ginger Beer!)

Held at the Sculpture Park in the heart of the Denver Theater District and featuring an expansive lawn with the 50 foot  Dancers sculpture towering over the venue.  Across from the Auraria Campus and framed by Speer and Champa streets.
 
While the attendance could have been higher, the engagement was through the roof.  I spoke with nearly every vender and they all reported satisfaction and sales.

One artist from NM that I spoke with (there were two or three) was very happy, having sold a $500 piece.  During the rain, I circulated among the venders, and on one round made a point of mentioning AFI to several.  This was a first time event for some of the artists, and while their use of pop ups might have given a clue, their art was of good quality in my opinion.  NO buy sell was evident. Creativity abounded.  Electricity was available, load in and out was quite easy, parking was a bit tight, unless you used the nearby parking garage. Mostly on the lawn, with some pavement  There is room for more venders without crowding.  Plenty of space for storage, etc.

Demographics skewed to young professionals, but all ages were evident, with strollers, and older kids as well as well dressed retires evident.

Working on Snaggle Tooth - sculpture made from recycling of pallets

Artist Sean Doherty ( http://www.dohertyart.com/  120 + public art projects in the Denver area, including the art down the center of Broadway in Englewood, and Colfax in Lakewood) was there.  In   spite of what I originally though of as an "out in the boondocks" location, he had steady traffic and steady sales at $5 to $20+.  He had brought a couple of large sculptures, and was pretty sure one was sold when I last spoke with him.

When I say engaged, I mean folks were INTERESTED.  Even at the worst of the rain on Sunday, I had a steady stream of folks hiking the near length of the park to try out the classic wood stilts that I had brought. And of course, my Rainbow ZEEbra Bubble Tower was a hit with the adults and especially the kids and young at heart.  After the event, Kenny (the producer) assured me that yes, he "got it" and he would be soliciting sponsors for the BT for next year's festival.

Denver Mayor Hancock was there with an entourage including the Denver sustainability director (not sure of the exact title) and they toured the park, and spent quite a bit of time with several of the venders. As well as mounting the stage and making awards.  I was at some distance away at the time and can't report further, except that it was a two way conversation with the audience and an award was given.  People seemed to actually paying attention.

I was able to find sources for materials that I was looking for, including old fashioned cotton flour bags, that haven't been available here since the '60s.  Also was able to source vintage Japanese textiles, malted barley bags (for an agricultural themed Bubble Tower for the county fair circuit)  and had a conversation with a business owner who seems to have an interest in the Bubble Tower for an event at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum.  

SS Guppy and crew hook Snaggle Tooth

Habitat for Humanity had a large tent with samples of some fine furniture for sale at very reasonable prices.  

The furniture is part of a rehabilitation program partnership with one of our prisons. Along with bookcases, Adirondack chairs and tables, headboards and the like, they also manufacture all of the cabinets and roof trusses for the Habitat for Humanity homes.

http://www.denverpost.com/homegarden/ci_24142984/habitat-humanitys-cabinets-teach-carpentry-colorado-inmates

The lumber was all sourced from pallets keeping in line with the re-use, re-purpose, up-cycle ethos of the festival.

I have a stack of business cards from folks that wanted to engage, question, and most of all help.  In spite of the rain and the Bronco's game or maybe because of that, the folks were actively looking and not passive.  I couldn't be happier with my experience.

I'm not a fan of rap, but other than the one band, I was very happy with the music.  Other than the initial test of the equipment, the volume was spot on, and not too loud, a major bugaboo of mine, and venders and artists in general.

With the exception of one tent that was badly placed, everything else was excellent, with traffic circulating the park to the activities and the venders.  Other than the above mentioned tent, there were no dead zones.  The entrance and exit to the event was maned at all times, forcing engagement and set the tone in a very positive way.  The food!  The food and beverages were well above average for a festival.  Waste, compost and recycling bins were much evident, and people actually used them.

When I arrived, Kenny had just completed some interviews, including one with someone in Chili who was interested in the festival.  This festival in my opinion has legs and will be back next year, as will the Bubble Tower.

The surprise of the festival, was the pallet sculpture that was built on site.

Delayed by rain, it was finished up as everyone was packing up.  I was happy that I took my time packing so I could see the finished sculpture.

Snaggle Tooth chomps the Dancers!

While working today I stumbled upon this job opening.  The Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival is looking for a new director.  They have 2 festivals a year.  This is a 12 month job and is part time.  They are taking applications until 10/31/2014. 

This festival is located in Crozet, Virginia.  This might be a great job for someone that still wants to participate as an artist themselves during a few weekends a year or needs some money but still is needed at home. 

To check out the job offer:

http://crozetfestival.com/now-hiring-festival-director/

Hi Friends...I am fresh out of the van and home from Tupelo.  Here is my review of the show...

I arrived Friday afternoon and checked in at the information tent with nice staff.  I had been assigned a booth on the very end of a row (bonus corner booth), so I was able to pull up right next to my space, unload and set up. 

After set up, I went to my hotel and freshened up for the GumBall.  The Gumball is a preview party for artists and patrons.  If you donated a piece to the silent auction, admission was free.  I donated a piece as did Robert Wallis, so we went together.  Gumball is a classy event with free food, very good food btw, and a cash bar.  The silent auction was impressive.  There were many good pieces there and people were bidding.  I was glad to see my piece sell for a good amount and Robert's did too.  Robert and I had a great time chatting and having dinner and cocktails.  He told some great stories. 

Saturday the show started at 9am and the weather was fair.  It had rained the night before, and was still a bit drizzly, but cleared to a nice day.  The crowd came as did the buyers.  I would say they had a good crowd and good buying energy for reasonably-moderately priced art.  On Saturday, I covered all expenses and moved into profit.  There were some artists though, that had sold little to nothing on Saturday.  I heard a lot of people say that last year was better for them. 

Saturday evening was the artists award dinner with a nice meal and free wine/beer.  The show gave out 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards in all categories with cash prizes for each and one best of show with a $1500 purchase award.  I have to say I thought this was generous to do all three awards per category and have money for each and have a nice artist made trophy for each.  I get the feeling that whatever this show makes on jury fees and booth fees goes right back into it for artist amenities and awards.  I would like to congratulate fellow AFI member Suzanne Ens for winning First Place in fiber!!!  It was well deserved, her work is amazing!!!!!

Sunday the show began at 10:30 am and the crowds were not there until about 2pm and even then they were very light.  I do not know if Mother's Day had anything to do with that or not, but this is a very church going community and nothing seems to happen until afternoon there anyway.  I had only one sale on Sunday and there was a significant shift in clientele from Saturday.  This crowd was much older, many more families and 99% lookers.  Typical Sunday for many shows.     

Load out was just as easy as load in and I had the whole thing packed up and was pulling out in about an hour.  I ended the show with a very modest paycheck profit.  I was very impressed with the hospitality this show offers.  Free dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, The Salvation Army served free hot breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings for artists and water was passed around several times.  I think the awards were very generous and I found the staff to be very friendy.  I liked this show.  This was not a very big money maker and I will keep it in the maybe category for the future, but I still thought it was a nice show and I liked it.  There was a lot of good work there and some very nice artists.  One caution for those that have higher end work (over $500.00), I heard many artists with these price points were doing little to no sales.  There were a few artists that zeroed at this show, sadly that happens sometimes, I have been there too and it sucks.  Overall, I give this show a B+, they did everything right and the only thing keeping it from an A in my mind is low sales, but I am grateful for the little profit I did make. 

I will be doing The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Fair in Reston, VA this coming weekend.  Due to the very long drive for me I will probably be posting that review next Tuesday.  Stay tuned........   

This was the first for the Leesburg Fine Arts Festival in Leesburg, VA (Sept 15-16).  It was also my first Paragon art festival.  It was ALSO my first festival out of state, so needless to say, I was a bit nervous about choosing a first year festival as my first overnighter.  My husband had to work last weekend, so my mom very graciously offered to come and help me.

We got there a couple hours early and decided to stroll around the historic town of Leesburg.  What a cute area!  I loved the brick sidewalks and old fashioned buildings.  Yep, the roads were very tiny too, so we had a staggered setup with every third booth getting 45 minutes to drive in, unload, and move to the parking area.  Bill Kinney, the promoter, sent out an email afterwards apologizing for the difficulties with the setup, but I thought it went as smoothly as could be!  Everyone in my section at least followed the rules and I didnt see anyone have a hard time.

The only bad thing about the setup was that you either set up at 6pm, 7pm, or 8pm.  I was in the 7pm group, and by the time we unloaded it was already getting dark.  And it got really dark!  There were street lights, but not many, and the one by our area was flickering ominously like something out of of horror movie.  We were also on a hill and I had never set up my propanels before (I had mesh walls before), and learning to set them up on a hill in the dark was not the way I hoped to learn!  Fortunately my friend Russ Shaffer ran over and helped us idiots out.  After 4 hours of fumbling in the flickering darkness, we headed to the DoubleTree Hotel in Sterling.  If anyone ever needs a hotel in the area, STAY THERE!  It was awesome!  Hot cookies at check out, robes, a real hairdryer... ladies, need I say more?

The next morning, we headed back over and started hanging paintings.  I had got the impression from the show essentials paperwork that maybe the businesses were not really happy with us being there, but that didnt seem to be the case at all.  At least where we were on King Street, the owners kept coming out and offering us drinks and access to their bathrooms (were were supposed to use designated bathrooms that I never saw).  I was amazing how much time they spent getting to know us and making sure we were taken care of.  Once we even got coffee served on a platter!  Talk about royal treatment!

The show started at 10am, and by 11am I was getting worried.  There didnt seem to be much happening.  But then from noon till 3 the floodgates opened and a rush of people came through!  At one point I had a line of people holding paintings with their credit cards in hand while I processed the cards and my mom was wrapping paintings!  I had read about this happening but had never seen it myself!  And I was seeing many people walking by with large paintings or furniture as well.  It really was a sight to behold.  Being a newbie (this is my second year), I had not participated in a festival where so much fine art was moving and I thought "this must be what art festivals used to be like!  This is what they should be like!"  During that 3 hour period I made about $2300!  More than enough to cover all my expenses and still have extra!  I was a happy girl!

After 3pm, it really slowed down, but I still saw plenty of art go by.  There was an artist reception party at 6:30 after the festival closed that evening, but I was still pooped from the long drive and late setup the day before, so we went back to the hotel and vegged out.  Would have loved to have been able to meet and greet with the other artists though.

Sunday was definitely down in traffic from Saturday, but I had a couple be backs and at the end of the day I had a $800 sale and some smaller ones during the day too, which brought my sales to just under $4000 for the weekend! 

I don't have one single complaint about this venue or Paragon.  It was a very well run and well put together show.  Bill was there all weekend with us and came by a couple times to check in, which I appreciated.  I had plenty of people mention the advertising and I saw fliers up all around.  For a first year show, I was blown away.  It has incredible potential and I'm super glad I got in on the ground floor.  And I'm looking forward to the Silver Springs show with Paragon next month now too!!

This event takes place in Sequim (pronounced Skwim) which supposedly, if you buy into their marketing, is the sunniest place in Western WA. Yeah right!!! July 20-22 and we had rain on both Friday and Sunday with very gray skies on Saturday, but thankfully one day without rain. The best weather day??? Set up day on Thursday. However, that being said, after participating in this event in the rain, I can definitely see the potential this event has to offer if the weather were sunny. Western WA residents are used to the rain, after all, there is a reason we are the “Evergreen State”. However, rain in July and August? You can’t believe the complaints, grumpy attitudes and just general “grousing” we all participate in, artists, patrons, promoters, volunteers, it affects us all. Shouldn’t we be able to have at least 2 months a year without soggy conditions?? Guess not, for the second year in a row this was a soggy festival and chilly. Temps never really got above the low 70’s at best, many hours in the 50’s and low 60’s. Not typical summer weather. I’ve included a picture of the “lake” in our booth on Friday AM when we opened.

The Lavender festival attracts 500K visitors a year, many who are from out of state. Sequim is located on the Olympic Peninsula along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On clear, sunny days, you can see Vancouver Island across the strait. It’s a beautiful part of the state and attracts summer visitors who are escaping the heat as well visitors from Seattle who are looking for a fun weekend. The festival has gone through a bit of a change with a split a few years ago and now a separate “Art in the Park” event is being held. I’ve not heard many good reports from that event, most artists there did not fare as well as those of us at the Street Fair that is part of the Lavender Festival. That being said, there seems to be a general consensus that the split of the festival and now having 2 art shows on the same weekend has hurt everyone. Soggy weather didn’t help, but the new event has added other attractions such as a balloon festival and other events that are distracting from what used to be a weekend to attend the street fair and visit lavender farms. I think both shows are suffering from too many add on events that are detracting from the original purpose of the festival.

Load in was easy, all day Thursday, they published times by location. We were there early and our area was virtually empty, the show promoter told us we were more than welcome to load in early. I never really saw any traffic snarls during load in, we were able to leave our truck next to the booth for most of load in, our neighbors showed up when we were about 80% complete so we quickly got our truck out of the way. They also allowed us to park our travel trailer within site of our booth. YES, gotta love that convenience. It made for a very easy early afternoon trip to the trailer to brew more coffee for my husband and make some chai tea for me, and yes, it was chilly enough to make us appreciate having the extra warm beverages. Load out, well, that was another story, no oversight, lots of artists who pulled in well before they were packed up. It was raining during tear down which made it more difficult, we parked at the end of the street and dollied everything about ½ a block. However, we had a “lake” forming in the booth so tear down was challenging, trying to keep everything dry, but not being able to put anything on the ground in about 1/3 of our booth. Yuck, sloppy mess, yep, summer in Western WA.

Sales??? Well, I need to crunch the numbers to see if we do this one again, but they were decent. Friday in the rain was awful, didn’t even make booth ($375), Saturday was a good day, the “be backs” really helped end the day on a positive note. Sunday, about twice of Friday, well less than ½ of Saturday, in the rain. Our last 2 customers spent almost $400 near the end of the day which left us feeling a little better. Without those 2 customers it would have been a dismal day. This show replaced a local, very steady 2 day show for us with a $100 lower booth fee and $200 less in expenses and one where we can sleep in our own bed at home. So, we have to crunch the numbers to see if we decide to try this show again. On a sunny weekend I can definitely see more potential at this show than our local show, but 3 long days vs. 2 short days, hmm, will just have to think about this one some more.

BTW, restaurant recommendation?? Alderwood Bistro, within walking distance of where we parked, has a lovely outdoor garden where you can dine, everything is organic and you see the kitchen help coming out to cut fresh herbs, etc. Doesn’t get much fresher than that, the smoked salmon pizza? Yum!

I just completed another 2 shows which wraps up my autumn (fall) season.   I usually go into winter hiatus now working and start shows again in spring.   My first was a private school annual fair.  The area is semi rural to rural, lots of horsey people (as in, into horses), horse studs and coal mines nearby where the workers gets paid extremely well so generally a well to do area.  The women are traditional with a little fashion thrown in.

Looking down the "market" lane during set up ... before the crowds arrived.

The market area of the fair has grown substantially over the years - I've been going there for six years now and every year is different.  Four years ago I was in the street all by my lonesome... while there wasn't any other draw to pull them out, I did quite okay - the lack of competition probably helped!   The last three years they've built the booth numbers up and this year there were 57.   About half of these were buy/sell and half handmade.   There were two other people with jewellery in my price range and both also sold other women's goods - eg. scarves and clothes also buy/sell.   There were three other lower end jewellery booths as well- two handmade and one buy/sell.       A lot of handmade children's accessories, some gourmet food products,  womens accessories (not jewellery) and house products.  No art per-se.  Definitely set up with booths aimed at mother's day which was the next day.    Set up was from 6.30am for a 9.30am start, although most people didn't arrive till closer to noon.    You couldn't leave before 3pm although I didn't start to pack up till 4pm when most people had left.    You could drive in and unload /pack adjacent to your booth but had to move your vehicle asap out of the street.

I was in a prime position near the front gate of the school (the market is on the street adjacent to the school entrance) on a corner, and masses of people went by entering the school and looking around.     However I had a the two buy/sell jewellery and women's accessories products close by - one as a neighbour and one a walkway and extra booth away.   My neighbour had a brilliant day going by watching her count out her $50 notes half way through the day!  She probably did twice my sales, but most of that was in brightly coloured Chinese made scarves and wraps.

As it was for a school there were lots of children around, and the day before mothers day I had little girls coming into the booth with $25 asking if I had anything they could buy for mum.   (As an aside,  I haven't had time to check my stock, but I hope there were no light fingers around - I know I stopped one little group of girls (about 9 years old) who I overheard say "there's no one here, I guess we can just take one"!   Then they saw me hovering between my booth and the next (I was minding the neighbour's for a few minutes) and they laughed nervously, got embarrassed and ran off!  My neighbour suspected one of her bracelets was taken by a young girl later in the day. )

There were some mums buying gifts for themselves, and others doing last minute shopping for mum.   And a few bought for themselves.    Lots of lookers, but most carrying bags of some description.   All in all I was pleased with the day's sales -it wasn't mind blowing but it was definitely a good show.  Booth fee was $100 and I comfortably made 10x after expenses.

The second show was a one-off art festival in a remote but known to be "arty" country town about 2 hours drive away.    I was asked by the organiser to attend as she had seen my work somewhere else a few years ago and had kept my card.    I had the option of indoor or outdoor and chose indoor with electricity.  Everyone else had chosen outdoor though and it was with many misgivings after I received the site plan a few days prior that it was just me and an art exhibition in the hall.   I hoped someone would come in to see the art!!  

They wanted people set up from 10.00am but when I arrived at 8.30 there wasn't a soul in the streets.   I stood out there a few minutes in the sunshine (it was a very brisk morning!) and someone drove past and screeched to a halt.  It was the organiser and she wasn't expecting anyone till around 9am as everyone else was at church (which got out at 9am).   She drove away and came back a few minutes later with the keys and told me to set up wherever I liked and dashed off.   We looked at the exhibition and picked a nice sunny spot near a window since it was rather chilly to set up in.  One of the ladies arrived shortly after and so did the other stall holders.   There were 30 booths and what a mixture - local products (eg wine, emu oils, wood), books, good coffee, local lamb for lunch, an artist with her work and painting at the same time, some folk music,  etc.

We had positioned ourselves in amongst the art so that if anyone came through, they would see us.  We found out the art on display was all from the local area and most was for sale - from $30-$850.    This fact brought all my ideal clientele in - rural ladies over 40 -  with some husbands too,  and they sold quite a few pieces of art during the day, (I believe the top price paid was $650) - including one to me!

I had steady sales throughout the day - more sales than the day before, but most of them were of a lower value.   Most were buying for themselves (including a number of the organisers who kept dashing past me) but a couple of younger harried looking mums were cross at not getting a mums day pressie and bought their own!

I did hear that the non-art and non-food people didn't do well at all.  The wind had increased and it stayed cold (but sunny) and this probably impacted on people's spending - they kept their hands warm and in their pockets!    The people who were there came to look at and buy art rather than products it seemed.   Booth fee was a mere $25 so not much to cover in expenses.

After such a good weekend I can now rest happily and gaze at my new painting .

So who's coming to live downunder!?  Buy/sell is rampant but the customers still buy art :)

I've been applying to the CPFA show for the past 5 years to no avail, but I have just recently been accepted.  I've heard wonderful things about this show, however I have heard being on the side street is not so advantageous.  I've been placed on Fraser street.  My work is very edgy and usually attracts a younger crowd and I seem to benefit from late hour shows that go into the evening.  I do VERY WELL at the Deep Ellum Arts Fest, 4th Avenue Street Fair, Utah Arts Fest and shows in Denver & Chicago.  I have average sales at Florida shows, mostly towards Miami area and I do average in Tampa area.  I don't do so well in older/conservative/fine art crowds.  I have lower priced originals for not-so rich young art buyers and I seem to do better in Fair-type party atmosphere shows than I do at Fine Art shows.  Though my work doesn't seem to be classified as fine art, I have won Best of Show awards at the 2011 Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, the 2011 South Miami Arts Festival, and 2011 Highland Fest.  Anyway, I've also been accepted the Wyandotte Street Fair, which I've heard good/bad things.  I'm torn between which show to do.  My worry with the Penn State show is that I'll be on the side street and that my work won't be as appreciated as it will be in the center of the action at the Wyandotte Street Fair.  I can only choose one as they fall on the same date.  Can anyone please provide any insight on Fraser street of the Central Penn show?  Other factors include, I live in Utah and the Michigan drive is obviously much closer than the Penn drive.  The Wyandotte show goes until 11pm and the Penn goes til 8pm.  Can anyone please provide any pros/cons of either show?  Thank you so much for your help. 

- Tai

www.weirdchief.com

My work for reference to your help:

This past weekend (April 27-29) we participated in the Astoria Crab, Wine and Art festival for the 3^rd time.   This is a show put on by the local chamber of commerce and is very well organized with good communication prior to the show.  Astoria is a small town in far Northwest Oregon that attracts a lot of tourists who are passing through town on the way to the Oregon beaches.  It’s located  very close to where the Columbia River dumps into the Pacific Ocean, so seafood and fresh fish are wonderful treats when visiting the area.  This festival has been operating for 30 years and attracts local residents primarily on Friday and Sunday with out of town visitors on Saturday.  The show includes local Oregon wineries, a couple of breweries, artists and gourmet food vendors.  Art is NOT the primary focus of this show, this is not a show that works for everyone, but jewelry is small and easy to carry so we’ve had good results from this show in the past.  The 2D artists who do this show and offer shipping seem to do better than those who do not offer that service.  It is a show I hesitate to recommend to other artists because results can vary greatly.

Friday the show doesn’t start until 4 PM so you have all day to load in, or you can also opt to load in on Thursday.  The Friday night crowd is not there for shopping, they are there to sample the wine and party.  That being said, we did have our best Friday night thus far at this show, but just by a mere $50.  The show runs until 9 PM by which time there are numerous patrons who need to be poured on the shuttle buses to go home.  For the attendees there are some challenges for the show, shuttle buses run from the local high school and is provided for free.  Parking at the fairgrounds costs $10 for the patrons and is somewhat limited.  The lines waiting to get out of the parking lot on Friday night were quite lengthy making us grateful that our RV was parked on the outside of the parking lot and we didn’t have to deal with driving anywhere that night.  The shuttle / parking situation does discourage some patrons from buying large artwork unless they can have it shipped or delivered after the show. 

Saturday the show runs from 10-8 and is the day for sales for most of the artists who participate.  Our sales were good this year on Saturday, but not nearly as good as last year.  I feel I need to add a qualification here in that last year on the Saturday of this show we achieved our highest 1 day sales total EVER, so we weren’t going in with the expectation that we would top that.  In fact our sales for just Saturday alone last year were higher than our overall total show average, so I was trying not to be over optimistic this year.  So, while our sales were good, we were surprised at what seemed like a lot lower attendance than usual.  I could actually see some of the other booths across from us for most of the day which has not been our experience the last 2 years.   The last 2 years have been wall to wall people from about 11 – 3 on Saturday, not the case this year.  Also, the sales we made were more evenly split between locals and out of town visitors, in past years the majority of our sales on Saturday have been from visitors from Portland and Seattle.  Made us wonder if the high price of gas was taking its toll.  Another measurement of the smaller crowd, lines at the women’s restroom was generally shorter this year.  Sorry, I know some of you could care less about that,  but with all the wine tasting, usually the lines on Saturday afternoon are way too long.

Sunday the show only runs from 11-4 and is a very quiet crowd, mostly local.  In the past Sunday has always been our lowest sales day and by about 3:30 on Sunday we were beginning to think we were going to hit a new show low with 0 sales for Sunday.  Our first and last customer of the day came in at 3:45 and bought 3 pieces causing us to breathe a sigh of relief that we didn’t have a 0 day.  So a few hours of total boredom on Sunday with one customer in the last 15 minutes of the show.  What a way to end the show.  End result – we were up about 10% over the first year of doing this show but definitely down from last year’s stellar show.

Load in / load out is fairly easy with a little bit of a crowded parking lot, but a very flat load in / load out for dollying your stuff.  Some vendors park around the building but then you’re parked on the grass or in mud and that adds a little more challenge to the load in / load out.  We opted for a little longer walk to our booth, but it was all flat and on concrete.  The show is held at the local fairgrounds in a large building with pipe and drape already provided as part of the booth fee.  This is our last indoor show of the year and given that it’s held in late April on the Oregon Coast, it was great to still be inside, out of the rain. 

The show provides the option for RV parking on site, however, we park along the perimeter of the gravel parking lot, in the grass, at the end of April so it’s a somewhat muddy camping experience at the end of April in Oregon.  This year they pointed us to a spot that was impossible to level our RV so we spent the weekend feeling like our equilibrium was a little off.  However, it’s great to have the option, the parking lot is across the highway from the show facility with a foot bridge over the highway so we never have to deal with driving anywhere once we’re set up and be concerned about patrons who have sampled too much wine.

Is this a show we’ll do again?  Probably, it’s a relatively easy show to do, 4 hours from home and decent early season results when we have limited options for shows in this part of the country in April.  Is it  a show that works for everyone?  No, I know of at least 3 artists who say they won’t be back, this was their 2^nd or 3^rd attempt at this show and the results just weren’t good enough for them to feel like they want to come back.  There were also a couple of artists who have been there in the past that were noticeably absent this year, so again, not a show that works for everyone. 

Now we’re enjoying a quiet week in a campground outside of Portland before we take off on Friday to continue our Oregon road trip to 2 new shows for us over the next 2 weekends. 

Thanks to Katrina Gallegos from the Coconut Grove Arts Festival for sending me this list of the winners:

BEST OF THE BEST WINNERS
BEST OF THE BEST
Ray Jones

BEST BOOTH
Mark & Carol Reynolds**

BEST POSTER DESIGN
Marilyn Liedman

Here's my favorite article about The Grove, featuring an image by Beau Tudzarov: http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2012/02/coconut_grove_arts_festival_fo_1.php

Their website: http://new.cgaf.com/

JUPITER— The 2012 ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival presented by Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center

The winners were selected by three judges who scored each artist and awarded a Best in Show and a first-place winner in each of the 13 categories.

Judith Wood of West Palm Beach has won Best in Show with her mixed media jewelry.

• Marvin Bower of Boonsboro, Md., in Fiber – Wearable
• Jayne Demarcay of Abita Springs, La., in Jewelry
• Shelagh Forrest** of Gainesville, Fla., in Photography
• R.C. Fulwiler** of Lakeland, Fla., in Digital Art
• Peter Gerbert of Dade City, Fla., in Painting
• Barrie Harding** of Dunnellon, Fla., in Wood
• Corey Johnson of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., in Mixed Media
• Edward Loedding** of Brandon, Vt., in Drawing and Printmaking
• Don McWhorter of Carrollton, Ga., in Ceramics
• Richard Ryan of Bourbonnais, Ill., in Glass
• Alex Santamarina of San Francisco, Calif., in Metal
• Jean Yao of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in Fiber – Nonwearable

More about ArtiGras: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/feb/21/artist-judith-wood-takes-home-best-in-show-20424/

Their website:  http://www.artigras.org/

In Altamonte Springs, FL, a new show appeared: Uptown Altamonte Art Expo

Their winners:

Best of Show:  Laurie Coppedge (Photography)

Awards of Excellence (4):
    Robert Hyde (Sculpture)
    Patrick Pierson** (Mixed Media)
    Rolly Ray Reel (Mixed Media)
    Peter Smith (Mixed Media)

Judge’s Choice (3):
    Julie Kessler and Judy Lee (Mixed Media)
    Tamra Martin (Jewelry)
    J. Brown and D. Hair (Painting)

Merit Awards (10):
    Leland Williams (Mixed Media)
    Diana Ahrens (Mixed Media)
    Michael Myers** (Mixed Media)
    Marla E. (Painting)
    Jim Sprinkle (Sculpture)
    Jeff Eckert (Printmaking/Drawing)
    Jeffrey Waller (Mixed Media)
    Julie Anstaett (Jewelry)
    Thomas Lott (Jewelry)
    Frank Castelluccio (Sculpture)

** Members of ArtFairInsiders.com - congratulations!

Hey everybody, I just thought I would pass on some information that I found just in case it may affect any of you. 

On August 16, 2011 Sugarloaf received notice that the Connecticut Expo Center was being sold to a new owner.  The facility will close forever as an expo center as of September 22, 2011.  The center has canceled all show contracts after 9/22/11 forcing them to cancel their show in Hartford scheduled for November 11-13, 2011 as well as future events there.  Hopefully, if you were scheduled to show your work there in November you already know this unfortunate news.

I found this information when I was on the Sugarloaf website.  However, when visiting the Connecticut Expo Center's site, unless you notice the 22nd on their calendar, you might not realize they are closing.  Everything on the Expo Center website suggests it is business as usual.  They still have a list of upcoming events running down the left hand side of their website.   Website visitors possibly have no idea that the Center is closing soon.

Sugarloaf was starting to hear a few rumors that the Center was being sold.  So, they began looking for an alternative venue so that they would not have to cancel the November art show.  Any place large enough for the Sugarloaf Craft Festival was already booked.  Most of the places that were available were just not large enough, didn't have enough parking, or were in an unsuitable location for their Festival.

Sugarloaf is actively looking at other locations for future shows in Connecticut or southern New England.  So, hopefully, eventually the show will be picked up again.

I hope this wasn't a shock for anyone that was scheduled to do that show in November.

Jacki B

So sad...I had my 1st show in 8 years, Barrington IL Art Festival by Amdur Productions. Very organized, easy setting, tons of parking. Show was right in the middle of town, coffee and cupcake shops, adorable gift stores and boutiques set in old style homes,tons of local independent business, banks and investment companies, the town is charming, beautiful amazing houses, mansions with horses.

Saturday was chilly and  light rain couple times. People browsing, I didn't have a good day but too early to judge. 

Sunday was starting to be crowded, people finally coming inside my booth,tons of families excited to be out for Memorial Day, they were asking questions, leaving their e mails, I was 11:00 am,starting to feel excited when they notified us to secure our tent because a storm was coming. End of the story...storm came, hitting hard, I got in my car and went to Mc Donald's drive through to kill some time, then I came back to check my EZ UP, EASY DOWN tent. I'm glad I did. Water on the roof was just about to cause a disaster. Other artists helped me to on do my tent so the water just came down like a waterfall. Amdur team told us that storm was coming heavier so just go ahead and pick up, we wouldn't be penalized.

There's always good things in bad things, all I can say is that I am glad I met wonderful artists and they helped me to take all my tent and displays down in minutes and load my car, everybody soaking wet and they didn't care, they were all helping other artists. I'm looking forward to see them in other shows that we will be doing this season, we will stay connected :). It's 1pm and I'm already home blogging, geez! Thank you weather!

Please, tell me not to get disappointed and all sows are not like this!

Hello!

I am new to this, but I have been reading your comments for a while now and they are so very helpful!! Has anyone ever done the Festival of the Vine in Geneva? This year it's Sep. 10 & 11, they are still accepting applications, but before I send mine and the $175 booth fee, I'd like to know a bit about it!

Thanks!

Sorry. I don't have any pictures from the weekend. It was beautiful here in Dallas. Saturday temps were high in the low 80's, 50's at night and Sunday was 70's with lows in the 40's. Perfect weather.

240 artists. Set up in a lovely park with one middle lane for cars/vehicles at set-up and tear-down. Lanes for the booths are marked by famous artists, "Da Vinci, O'Keeffe, Wyeth etc." along the grassy park. You have a 15x15 space (plenty of room for extra in the back and between booths).

Set up was Thursday night for area artists. I was there by 5:40 and out by 7:00 (once it got dark). Had a great spot near the beginning of the lane. Came back early Friday morning to set up the art and was gone by 10:30 a.m. Very smooth set up and everyone acted civil.

A lovely artist dinner was given Friday night (good food: chicken, salad, rolls, potatoes) along with music and lots of wonderful company. Lots of artists talking with the City Council of Richardson.

O.k. Saturday was a busy, busy day for me. I got my first sale around 9:45 and didn't stop until after closing. I'm told Cottonwood can be like that with one day really, really great and the next day kinda slow. I was just happy to get sales and had one commission that day. Made around $1200 for the day (not including commission). May not be great for some of you but for me that was wonderful.

Sunday came and it was a slow day for me. My booth mate (a photographer) was also having a slow day but a textile lady across from me was selling left and right. One guy down my lane had a "0" show but the guy next to him (both painters) had the best show of 2010. I picked up three more commissions on Sunday so I was happy.

As far as the shoppers there were a lot of dog walkers, browsers but some very knowledgable buyers. Most of the "Be Backs" were actually back.

You couldn't have asked for nicer people to host the show. Richardson goes all out for the artists and the hospitality shows. One fellow had his tire blow right in front of me as we were pulling in to set up. Within minutes Seri Ayers (director) had 4 men out there helping this artist put on a new tire. He was really grateful. Many times during the show members of the staff were asking me if I needed a break and Seri came around to personally ask if I had a good show.

Not everyone was happy but I'm not sure we can blame the show for the hesitant buyers or the economy. We are seeing some of that even here in Texas. My dinner mates were from Atlanta and mentioned they had heard the Texas economy was soaring. I told them it's been very cautious (or that's how it's been for me anyway).

Tear down is a bit of a pill but if your patient and wait your turn like a good boy and girl you can be out of there by 8:00 p.m. (show's over at 6:00). Many artists leave to go eat dinner and let some of the others get out so they can have more room. Also, if your doing shows alone you can have plenty of help at tear down as the Boy Scouts come around to ask if you need any help and boy, do they earn their badges!

I will try for Cottonwood again. I didn't have any extra expenses as I live nearby and liked the way I was treated. It was a 2K show for me. Some around me did even better and like I said some had a "0" show. Seems like a big range at Cottonwood.

Sorry Nels. No Tequila Report. I don't drink but hope we can still be friends.