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I won a great prize for doing something I should have been doing for years -- I made a small contribution to support Art Fair Insiders / Art Fair Calendar this year. Given how much I get out of the Calendar and Insiders, the call for artists, show reviews, etc., I wish I could have done more.

I am so appreciative of all that goes into running these sites/services and providing the wonderful support to artists across the country.

I won a free show from AFFPS (Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces)! They contacted me immediately with instructions on how to redeem it. Love those folks, always so professional and always doing something to help the arts.

Thanks to everyone who donated prizes, thanks to Constance for all she does.

Intrigued by what happens at a Zapplication sponsored conference in Chicago on September 6-7? Here's your chance to win a free conference registration - a $315 value. The event is not "about" zapp, it is about many facets of the art festival business with solid strategic information for all involved.

How to win:

• Tell us in the comments below why you want to attend, or email me with your reasons
• Contest opens today August 1 (10 am) and closes on August 10 (5 pm ET)
• Readers of this blog will choose who wins the prize
• Artists, show directors, staff, etc., are eligible to enter. Pretty much anyone art festival related is welcome to participate.
• Please note that registration is non-transferable. If you win the contest and are unable to attend the conference this year, you will forfeit your complimentary registration.

About the Arts Festival Conference:

Now in its fourth year, the Arts Festival Conference, presented by ZAPP®, features targeted professional and business development for artists and administrators in the arts festival field. This year's event takes place September 6-7, 2012, at the Avenue Crowne Plaza Downtown in Chicago, Illinois.

Not the competitive type? See the agenda and register now at bit.ly/zapp2012.

Be part of the dialogue! Join artists, show directors, festival staff, the ZAPP® team and more at the Fourth Annual Arts Festival Conference, September 6-7, 2012, in Chicago, IL. Visit bit.ly/zapp2012 for more details and to register today.

September 7-9 Zapplication is sponsoring an arts festival conference and they kindly gave me a pass to run for a contest. We asked people to leave comments on why they wanted to attend and received some wonderful stories. Thanks to all who participated.

Then we asked you to vote for the winner. The winner is John Stillmunks of W. Des Moines, Iowa. Congratulations, Munks! You convinced our voters you should be there and I look forward to seeing you in Chicago.

See Munks' winning entry and the others also: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/win-a-free-conference-pass-to-the-zapplication-conference-in-chic

Here is the agenda for anyone else interested in attending: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/tab2.aspx?EventID=1106955

June 17-19 the Milwaukee Art Museum hosted the the Lakefront Art Festival on the museum grounds fronting Lake Michigan. It is a lovely venue and one of the top art fairs in the country attracting applications from artists coast to coast.

From Journal-Sentinel online, reported by Mary Louise Schumacher:

Nine artists and one artist team, including three artists from Wisconsin, won top awards at the Lakefront Festival of Arts on the grounds of the Milwaukee Art Museum this weekend.

Jurors chose them from among a field of 179 artists.

The winners included:

Jill Bedford of Dousman for photography.

Theodore Gall of Ojai, Calif., for sculpture.

Daiga Henson and Sarmite Svilis of East Windsor, N.J., for wearable fiber art.

Ning Lee of Livingston, N.J., for painting.

Joe Limpert of River Falls for glass.

George Raab of Millbrook, Ontario, for printmaking.

Julie Seymour of Hill Point for jewelry.

Klaus Spies of Asheville, N.C., for jewelry.

Justin Teilhet of Yellow Springs, Ohio, for ceramics.

Zhou Yu of Yardley, Pa., for painting.

The winning artists each receive $1,000 and a commemorative piece of art. They also are invited to return to the festival for three years without being juried in.

Michael Imes of Pewaukee won the sculpture garden award for his work in ceramics. It included a $500 prize.

Several artists also received honorable mentions. They include:

Gene Brown of Urbandale, Iowa, for mixed-media work.

John Charbonneau of Santa Fe, N.M., for digital work.

Peter Flanary of Mineral Point for sculpture.

Matthew Hatala of Danielsville, Ga., for wood.

William Kidd of Miramar, Fla., for ceramics.

Kelly Marshall of Minneapolis for fiber art.

Jennifer McCurdy of Vineyard Haven, Mass., for ceramics.

Thomas Meyers of Hancock, N.H., for pastel drawing.

Larry Oliverson of Sullivan for photography.

Elaine Unzicker of Ojai, Calif., for metal works.

Here are some photos: http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/multimedia/photos/124138004.html?page=1

The jurors were:

Susan Aurinko,a Chicago artist (photography) who curates the Chicago Artists' Coalition Gallery.

Robert Barnum, an artist (murals, oils, watercolors and metal) and educator from Mecosta, Mich.

Stephanie Wiles, the John G.W. Cowles director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio.

The Lakefront Festival of Arts is presented by the Friends of Art, a support group of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Proceeds benefit the museum's acquisitions fund. The event continues at the art museum, 700 N. Art Museum Drive, Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $14 at the gate or $8 for museum members with valid membership cards. Children under 16 are admitted free with a paying adult.