Posted by Tom Steele on September 16, 2010 at 5:59am
So, how was it? I know there's lots of people on here that were at these shows. I've not done any shows a few years, may be back in 2011. Any reviews much appreciated.
so, does anyone have any comments about SOUTHWEST SALUTE TO THE ARTS??? It has started up again and I would like to hear from any artists that did it last year? My requests for information usually fall on deaf eyes.
Tim, the art work was stolen at the end of the day on Sunday. We had to pack up then get our vehicles. It took 45 minutes waiting in line to get the vehicle into the park, the neighboring artists were trying to keep an eye on my things but the also had to pack up. It does not take long for someone to walk off with a few pieces worth $200.00 and $300.00 each although it would take some nerve thinking they would not get caught.
Probably honey crisp -- they were at prime season during the show. We bought a big bag from Westview Farms for about $10, and got a free reusable tote bag to boot!
I'm a bit late on this but feel compelled to weigh in.
I'm a landscape photographer from the Upper Peninsula. I attended this show as an artist last year for the first time. Being new to the whole art show scene, it was my best show out of half dozen in '09. This year outdid last year. I'll agree with Jim's previously mentioned hours as needing adjustment though.
Saturday was wet but my booth was always well attended that I hardly noticed. I thought it began raining in earnest around 3pm and by the time I was able to drop my walls it was after 6pm. By then most every booth was closed and the crowds long gone.
Sunday was a gorgeous day and I never had time to eat my lunch. Sales were frequent and at times there was a short line waiting to make purchases. My most frequent purchases were in the $30-$75 range but a larger percentage of my sales were through large framed pieces. Since then, internet sales resulting from this show have made this my best show of the season.
Overall I had a great show. We all got cheated out of a full day of sales on Saturday due to the rain. Volunteer relief was sparse at best and nearly wet myself on Saturday waiting. Good thing the outhouses were close. I took a lesson from a nearby artist last year and brought along a bike for those trips to my trailer. That was the best idea ever as vehicles are a 10 minute hike from my booth.
Many of us attend shows alone and need the added support. It is outrageous that any artist should have things stolen from their booth. Where were the neighboring artists? I consider it my unspoken responsibility to watch out for someone else if I am present. Should this have happened to me, I would feel let down by my neighbors. We do need to look out for one another. It is in our own best interest to keep an eye on things even if it is not our stuff. If this happened after hours then the organizers need better security.
I personally like this venue. In my area the shaded walkways and spacious layout is very pleasant. Organizers do a fabulous job of load in and out. One complaint I have was the NO LEFT TURN sign that appeared on University when I went to pack up. While I did see others make that illegal turn, I am never so lucky as to break the law unnoticed. A few minutes later I was turned around to proceed but pulling a trailer made this a bit testing on my resolve at the end of a long weekend.
Volunteers were more available on Sunday and the piggy packs they brought around each day were much appreciated. Wow! 2 apples, 1 banana, box of raisins, fruit bar, cheese and crackers and bottle of water in one bag on Sunday. Those were the best apples I've had to date and would love to know what kind they were.
This is over a 400 mile drive and provides me a chance to link up with family. I'd do this show even if I had to pop for lodging. A neighboring artist claimed he had a room for $36 per night. With prices like that in the area, it's easier to absorb the overhead.
Okay, I gotta chime in here, too. I'm a local Rochester Hills resident, so I almost always do this show. I've heard lots of complaints from out-of-towners over the years about this show, but it is what it is: a local show that is the main fundraiser for the Paint Creek Center for the Arts, and a well-loved community get together. Many of the attendees have kids performing on the main stage as dancers, or in the band. There's a pie contest, and lots of apples. That is to say, lots to distract from the art part.
Now, as Nels would say, to the meat of the review. Logistically, it's pretty easy. The show takes place in the Rochester city Park, near pretty Paint Creek, and the artists are staged on two levels. The upper level generally gets a bit more traffic, as it is sunnier, and is less prone to mud if it rains (which it usually does). The lower level is strung out along the creek and sidewalk. You can get electricity for an additional $60, but it's limited to certain areas on the upper level, so you tend to see most of the photographers and jewelers who care about power clustered up there. The newbies often get strewn around the perimeter, and the less desirable spots on the lower level.
Load-in is pretty easy. You can drive into the park the day before, unload your vehicle and pretty much have your spot to yourself. More people took advantage of this this year than in years past, but it is still pretty painless. You can also set up on Friday morning, and even that is low key, cause the show doesn't really get off the ground until 4PM. Parking for artists is a bit of a hike, but it was more organized this year. RVs and trailers had way more space north of the park than I recalled from previous years, and vans can also park near Halbeck ball field. There is other parking at the high school with a shuttle, but that's way too far away to even really consider. Unless you're desperate.
The weather Friday was gorgeous. There are never many sales on Friday night, and this year was no exception. People come out to wander and preview the show, and usually come back on Saturday to buy. Except this year Saturday was wet and cold for most of the afternoon. You could've rolled a bowling ball down most of the aisles after 3PM and hit no-one but artists talking to each other in the rain. We had the Michigan-ND game on tv in our booth, so we had a crowd watching. At least we weren't standing around doing nothing like the rest of you fools! (joke). The judges were taking their time visiting everyone and to their credit, they spent time looking at the art in every booth. They took so long though, that they weren't finished by the time the word went around that it was ok to leave (without repercussions).
Sunday it was nice again, but what's with that 9AM start? This is a nice quiet God-fearing suburb and most people are either in church, or sleeping off Saturday nights hangover. Just like Friday night, the hours on Sunday make little sense. Open at 9AM, close at 4PM. Sunday's crowd was better than Saturday's, as many people stayed home on Sat. due to the weather and the Michigan football games (State plays at noon, Michigan plays at 3:30 -- try getting Dad out to an art show with that going on!). More purchases, but not a lot of big stuff. I sold a few prints, but hardly anything major. In fact my sales were about 1/3 of what they were the past two years. But rather than chalk it up to the economy, I think that the show has just gotten too big and maybe the categories are a bit skewed. Out of 275 booths, 51 of them were photographers! And even more were jewelers. That's hard to sustain even in a large market. And that's why Arts, Beats and Eats was so successful -- patron to artist ratio is higher than just about any other show in the country. Art & Apples doesn't get the big crowds, but it has over twice as many artists. It probably doesn't help that another show has sprung up in downtown Rochester, the Spotlights Market, which is more crafts-oriented, and adds to the amount of art that people can choose from.
And the judging, while competent, tends to award the same artists year after year. I know. I won two years in a row. But not this year, thankfully. I wouldn't know how to deal with the embarrassment of being accused of bribing the judges ;-) Oh, btw, you aren't allowed to interact with the judges when they are in your booth). The Best of Show winner has won FIVE (count 'em 5) years in a row. You'd think the management would tell them, "Hey, she won the past four years. Maybe you should give it a rest?" To her credit, she is immensely talented, and works in a medium that is very unique, which seems to impress the judges every year. But still...
Load -out is a bit chaotic, but manageable. Technically, you break down to 90%, get a pass, go get your vehicle, and then wait to get back into the park. Michael, I'm truly sorry that some of your work was stolen. In my years of doing this show, I've never really worried about theft when I went to get my trailer. But then, I have bulldog Kozo standing guard over our pile of valuables. Usually we take our time, because there is little supervision by the volunteers on where the vehicles go once they are back in the park. They control the entrances, but then it's mostly a free for all. Matter of fact, I never saw any of the committee members the whole weekend. Usually they come around and say howdy, but this year, they were strangely invisible. Except of course, when being interviewed for tv early Sunday morning.
Over the years, this show has gone from small and intimate, to way too large, to somewhere in the middle. It would be nice if the organizers spent a little more time listening to the needs of the artists. The hours should be adjusted to give us more selling time on Sunday afternoon, and get rid of the Friday night hours altogether -- it's really just a waste of time. I have heard that Sunday's hours are because the Rochester police wants to get everybody out of the park by sundown, so 9-4 gives the artists a decent selling window. Other shows manage to work around darkness, so maybe there's a compromise here? 10-5 would seem to make much better sense. The crowds bore this out, too. They showed no signs of leaving until almost 5PM as Sunday afternoon was such a nice day. Finally it cleared out enough that artists were able to bring vehicles in.
Bottom line for me: it's a pleasant enough show to do, and I can connect with friends and family. If I lived more than 300 miles away, I probably would not travel that distance to do it, with the added expense of hotels, meals and gas. It is back-to-back with Arts, Beats & Eats, and makes a good connector if you're in the area though. Without big name artists traveling to do the show, it's certainly harder to attract top talent to fill all of the slots.
I stopped doing the show years ago when a dog pooped in front of my booth and I had to track down the owner because he completely ignored the event and kept on walking like nothing happened. I thought that was an omen. The show is always on the weekend when Michigan plays Notre Dame and the Lions play their first game and everyone watches. Metro Detroit is a big sports town.
I talked to a photographer who, also, had a really bad show. I guess with Arts, Beats, and Eats the week before and the fall Birmingham show two weeks after, people didn't miss anything by skipping this show.
I heard a report that the lower level of the show was just about deserted on Saturday after about 3 pm - no surprise. This event, even its heyday always slowed down on Saturday afternoon so we can all watch the UM-Notre Dame game. Last time we did it I remember a great Saturday morning and then the crowd really thinned out. What ya gonna do? It's Saturday, it's Michigan, it's UM vs ND! Luckily not everyone agrees.
My booth was at the main entrance and I know, myself included, that I want to see everything before I buy something. I believe people became too tired when they went around to see everything and this was a drawback for me. Although a few did make it back to my booth. I even had a lady who wrote down what she liked and where the booth was on a pad of paper - she was an expert festival shopper.
Comments
so, does anyone have any comments about SOUTHWEST SALUTE TO THE ARTS??? It has started up again and I would like to hear from any artists that did it last year? My requests for information usually fall on deaf eyes.
I'm a landscape photographer from the Upper Peninsula. I attended this show as an artist last year for the first time. Being new to the whole art show scene, it was my best show out of half dozen in '09. This year outdid last year. I'll agree with Jim's previously mentioned hours as needing adjustment though.
Saturday was wet but my booth was always well attended that I hardly noticed. I thought it began raining in earnest around 3pm and by the time I was able to drop my walls it was after 6pm. By then most every booth was closed and the crowds long gone.
Sunday was a gorgeous day and I never had time to eat my lunch. Sales were frequent and at times there was a short line waiting to make purchases. My most frequent purchases were in the $30-$75 range but a larger percentage of my sales were through large framed pieces. Since then, internet sales resulting from this show have made this my best show of the season.
Overall I had a great show. We all got cheated out of a full day of sales on Saturday due to the rain. Volunteer relief was sparse at best and nearly wet myself on Saturday waiting. Good thing the outhouses were close. I took a lesson from a nearby artist last year and brought along a bike for those trips to my trailer. That was the best idea ever as vehicles are a 10 minute hike from my booth.
Many of us attend shows alone and need the added support. It is outrageous that any artist should have things stolen from their booth. Where were the neighboring artists? I consider it my unspoken responsibility to watch out for someone else if I am present. Should this have happened to me, I would feel let down by my neighbors. We do need to look out for one another. It is in our own best interest to keep an eye on things even if it is not our stuff. If this happened after hours then the organizers need better security.
I personally like this venue. In my area the shaded walkways and spacious layout is very pleasant. Organizers do a fabulous job of load in and out. One complaint I have was the NO LEFT TURN sign that appeared on University when I went to pack up. While I did see others make that illegal turn, I am never so lucky as to break the law unnoticed. A few minutes later I was turned around to proceed but pulling a trailer made this a bit testing on my resolve at the end of a long weekend.
Volunteers were more available on Sunday and the piggy packs they brought around each day were much appreciated. Wow! 2 apples, 1 banana, box of raisins, fruit bar, cheese and crackers and bottle of water in one bag on Sunday. Those were the best apples I've had to date and would love to know what kind they were.
This is over a 400 mile drive and provides me a chance to link up with family. I'd do this show even if I had to pop for lodging. A neighboring artist claimed he had a room for $36 per night. With prices like that in the area, it's easier to absorb the overhead.
Now, as Nels would say, to the meat of the review. Logistically, it's pretty easy. The show takes place in the Rochester city Park, near pretty Paint Creek, and the artists are staged on two levels. The upper level generally gets a bit more traffic, as it is sunnier, and is less prone to mud if it rains (which it usually does). The lower level is strung out along the creek and sidewalk. You can get electricity for an additional $60, but it's limited to certain areas on the upper level, so you tend to see most of the photographers and jewelers who care about power clustered up there. The newbies often get strewn around the perimeter, and the less desirable spots on the lower level.
Load-in is pretty easy. You can drive into the park the day before, unload your vehicle and pretty much have your spot to yourself. More people took advantage of this this year than in years past, but it is still pretty painless. You can also set up on Friday morning, and even that is low key, cause the show doesn't really get off the ground until 4PM. Parking for artists is a bit of a hike, but it was more organized this year. RVs and trailers had way more space north of the park than I recalled from previous years, and vans can also park near Halbeck ball field. There is other parking at the high school with a shuttle, but that's way too far away to even really consider. Unless you're desperate.
The weather Friday was gorgeous. There are never many sales on Friday night, and this year was no exception. People come out to wander and preview the show, and usually come back on Saturday to buy. Except this year Saturday was wet and cold for most of the afternoon. You could've rolled a bowling ball down most of the aisles after 3PM and hit no-one but artists talking to each other in the rain. We had the Michigan-ND game on tv in our booth, so we had a crowd watching. At least we weren't standing around doing nothing like the rest of you fools! (joke). The judges were taking their time visiting everyone and to their credit, they spent time looking at the art in every booth. They took so long though, that they weren't finished by the time the word went around that it was ok to leave (without repercussions).
Sunday it was nice again, but what's with that 9AM start? This is a nice quiet God-fearing suburb and most people are either in church, or sleeping off Saturday nights hangover. Just like Friday night, the hours on Sunday make little sense. Open at 9AM, close at 4PM. Sunday's crowd was better than Saturday's, as many people stayed home on Sat. due to the weather and the Michigan football games (State plays at noon, Michigan plays at 3:30 -- try getting Dad out to an art show with that going on!). More purchases, but not a lot of big stuff. I sold a few prints, but hardly anything major. In fact my sales were about 1/3 of what they were the past two years. But rather than chalk it up to the economy, I think that the show has just gotten too big and maybe the categories are a bit skewed. Out of 275 booths, 51 of them were photographers! And even more were jewelers. That's hard to sustain even in a large market. And that's why Arts, Beats and Eats was so successful -- patron to artist ratio is higher than just about any other show in the country. Art & Apples doesn't get the big crowds, but it has over twice as many artists. It probably doesn't help that another show has sprung up in downtown Rochester, the Spotlights Market, which is more crafts-oriented, and adds to the amount of art that people can choose from.
And the judging, while competent, tends to award the same artists year after year. I know. I won two years in a row. But not this year, thankfully. I wouldn't know how to deal with the embarrassment of being accused of bribing the judges ;-) Oh, btw, you aren't allowed to interact with the judges when they are in your booth). The Best of Show winner has won FIVE (count 'em 5) years in a row. You'd think the management would tell them, "Hey, she won the past four years. Maybe you should give it a rest?" To her credit, she is immensely talented, and works in a medium that is very unique, which seems to impress the judges every year. But still...
Load -out is a bit chaotic, but manageable. Technically, you break down to 90%, get a pass, go get your vehicle, and then wait to get back into the park. Michael, I'm truly sorry that some of your work was stolen. In my years of doing this show, I've never really worried about theft when I went to get my trailer. But then, I have bulldog Kozo standing guard over our pile of valuables. Usually we take our time, because there is little supervision by the volunteers on where the vehicles go once they are back in the park. They control the entrances, but then it's mostly a free for all. Matter of fact, I never saw any of the committee members the whole weekend. Usually they come around and say howdy, but this year, they were strangely invisible. Except of course, when being interviewed for tv early Sunday morning.
Over the years, this show has gone from small and intimate, to way too large, to somewhere in the middle. It would be nice if the organizers spent a little more time listening to the needs of the artists. The hours should be adjusted to give us more selling time on Sunday afternoon, and get rid of the Friday night hours altogether -- it's really just a waste of time. I have heard that Sunday's hours are because the Rochester police wants to get everybody out of the park by sundown, so 9-4 gives the artists a decent selling window. Other shows manage to work around darkness, so maybe there's a compromise here? 10-5 would seem to make much better sense. The crowds bore this out, too. They showed no signs of leaving until almost 5PM as Sunday afternoon was such a nice day. Finally it cleared out enough that artists were able to bring vehicles in.
Bottom line for me: it's a pleasant enough show to do, and I can connect with friends and family. If I lived more than 300 miles away, I probably would not travel that distance to do it, with the added expense of hotels, meals and gas. It is back-to-back with Arts, Beats & Eats, and makes a good connector if you're in the area though. Without big name artists traveling to do the show, it's certainly harder to attract top talent to fill all of the slots.
I talked to a photographer who, also, had a really bad show. I guess with Arts, Beats, and Eats the week before and the fall Birmingham show two weeks after, people didn't miss anything by skipping this show.
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