High winds hit Howard Alan's Venice show hard overnight, as reported elsewhere by Barry Bernstein and Nels Johnson (with great contributions from others). It didn't stop the show in Venice, though it made Sunday morning startup a bit complicated for some.
The show was quite well attended both days (very warm and humid on Saturday). This town supports the heck out of this show in all weather--the "vibe" is more like a Rotary show than a big art festival. Although the pockets aren't deep, for the most part, if you have $30-40 items you can sell plenty of them. I haven't done this show in several years, and I was quite surprised to get visits from customers who bought from me not only here, but at a small, low-key show at the Venice Airport that I did in 2009 and 2010. It is one friendly crowd, for sure.
The weather front moved through just before dawn on Sunday morning. I was unable to walk the show but show manager Helayne Stallings said that several tents were damaged. One artist near me was trying to put the roof back on his tent as I arrived; high winds later on Sunday knocked over one sculpture right off the pedestal, shattering it all over Venice Avenue. For the most part, damage was reported as minor.
We probably caught a break, in that the winds were 20-30 mph from the NW, and the show is set up east-west, so the buildings helped to block them. There was a rumor circulating on Sunday that Helayne had authorized artists to leave if they wanted, so I tracked her down to check.
It wasn't true, she explained, and told me about the only show she'd ever cancelled (I believe in Bloomington Hills, MI) about 15 years ago. The weather cleared up after the call had been made, and she caught quite a bit of flak.
So the on-site show managers give a full report to Howard himself, and he alone makes the call whether or not to cancel the show, she said.
At any rate, the crowds continued to come (attendance and sales were even better on Sunday for most of the artists I spoke with at show's end-- quite surprisingly to me).
This show doesn't fly high on the radar screen, and my sales aren't what I get at Coconut Point and Naples by a long shot. But it's a reliable paycheck, the 70-mile commute to my home is easy Interstate 75 driving, and I've always appreciated the warm welcome I get here.
Nearly everyone I spoke with was happy or at least satisfied with their sales. Or maybe, like me, they were just counting their blessings that they survived to show another weekend.
(Note: Haven't heard from anyone about Naples Mercato, which was cancelled on Day 2. Anyone?)
