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This will be my fourth and hopefully last time to give Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs CO a chance to be a decent show.  When I did this show back in 2002 I was disappointed in sales compared to booth fee but if I could have made close to what I did back then I would have been thrilled.  

I know this show has a new promoter and it seemed she was doing her best and working very hard to be sure there wasn't any buy sell and that the artists/crafts people were showing what they juried in with. The quality of the show was decent though I didn't get a chance to walk the full show (even at a slow show I tend to stick to my booth because I would hate to miss a sale or opportunity).

I heard comments that the work was better than past years but really the key issue is the demographics of the show goers.  Generally they were very young and didn't have any inclination to buy even the lowest price pieces.  But they were very engaged and interested in my work- when they were there.  There were many hours of not a person in my booth... which to me is just no fun- even if I'm not selling I would like to at least be showing my work and talking to people.  

The hours are very long and the three days just drag on.  At least I had great neighbors to chat with and could work on my clay.  But I can tell when I have a terribly slow show because I get too much done- not enough breaks to wrap up works of art for customers.

I would love to see this show come back- it fits very well into a CO show schedule and it's in a wonderful community but I think I will wait awhile to see if these young art show attendees can eventually turn into young art buyers.  

June 12, 2011

Glendale, Ohio (Cincinnati)

Booth Fee: $40.00

Jury Fee: It is a juried show, but they do not charge a jury fee.

This was my third year at the Trillium Art Fair and the third year for the fair itself. Glenwood Gardens is a beautiful park nestled back in a spot where you wouldn't expect it. It is home to many large shade trees, flower gardens and rotating exhibits – this time it is a sculptural exhibit: Big Bugs.

The show organizers do a nice job limiting the jewelry category and having a nice mix of other artists. This year there were painters, photographers, metal sculpture artists (with those cute copper garden fixtures!), handcrafted purses and of course jewelry artists, among others. It really is a nice show. There are always volunteers and park employees walking around throughout the day, distributing water and granola bars in the morning at set-up and then checking to see if anyone needs booth sitters for breaks. I usually take advantage of this because I do the majority of my shows solo, so that is a much appreciated perk!

I have been fortunate enough to have the same spot every year on the east side of the park and the shade trees in the middle really work to keep my booth fairly cool (even in last year's heat). This year, the temperature was a dreamy 80º and there was plenty of sunshine, which had lots of people out shopping. Generally I find that the majority of people shopping are actually spending too. The park is dog friendly, so there is an endless parade of furry friends all day, which I find fun. They also have a couple bands play throughout the day, which adds to the energy of the fair.

Loading and unloading can be a little tricky as you are not allowed to pull up into the exhibit space, which is grass, and there is a chain-link fence around the area. They do open large double gates at one end, so you can unload with the help of volunteers and carts. This year, artists parked down the hill away from the main parking lot and were shuttled back to the exhibit area.

Overall, this has been one of my best shows consistently for three years and I really hope to be in it again next June!