What a disappointment! I had read the reviews of this show on AFI and while it sounded like there was a lot of B/S, there was still a chance to make some good bucks.
This is a Chamber of Commerce show (50th anniversary) and they get a good crowd but it’s the wrong crowd for us.
Staci’s work is all about color and most of the fine art that we saw going out here was traditional New England style seascapes. It was the only show we’ve ever done where people came into the booth, tilted their heads and got a “what’s this bright stuff” look on their faces. Only a few smiling “I love your colors” compared to what we normally see.
So we misjudged the opportunity here – bad on us.
Show specifics: It’s an easy load-in/out with a fairly short dolly across the town green to almost any booth spot. The volunteers were great and the Chamber put on a Friday night BBQ (we didn’t attend because we have family in the area and were visiting with them. The reports we heard were that the food was great.)
The show layout was confusing. All spots were 15Wx10D so there was tons of room to set up almost any way you wanted. The rows didn’t seem particularly straight though.
The aisles were very narrow and when coupled with the usual jerks who set up their director chairs and huge beach umbrellas in the middle of the aisle, traffic became congested and booth visibility impaired. Come on guys – stay in your tents!
Exhibitors were all over the lot. There was fine art but there was also buy/sell and several show veterans complained that it’s getting worse each year. Also, I have never seen so much sea glass! There were three sea glass booths within a four tent radius!
We did end up selling 4 nice canvas mounted pieces, a small framed piece, and a few reproductions so it wasn’t a disaster but it sure wasn’t what we were hoping for.
One highlight – I got to meet/talk to AFIer Carrie Jacobson. Her contemporary landscapes are stunning. If we didn’t live on a boat, I’d want one hanging on our walls. I’ll let her chime in but I think she would agree that the body of work to be successful here needs to be quite different that what we both were exhibiting.
Comments
Sorry we missed you Evan. The only time I was on the street was to make a mad dash for ice cream. Congrats on the award.
Hey Bill...didn't see you there! This was the second year I did this show, my space was facing the street in the same place it was last year.
Bills review is pretty accurate. Last year I did decent at this show, just slightly over my average for last year if I remember right. This year I did about half that amount. Its a really nice and easy show to do in a nice area...but sales didn't fall into place this year. The cooperation from the town police and the chamber of commerce makes doing the show a real pleasure...if only the sales were there this year. Last year a fair amount of people who came to this show also came to the Mystic show that is held two weeks later.
I did win 1st place in photography for the second year in a row though...so that's a positive!
Great story on the blog. Both reviews were good to read. Thanks you guys.
Thanks for the nice shout-out, Bill! I wish you didn't live on a boat, too... I'd agree with everything you said about the Old Saybrook show. I would have written a review, but it would just echo yours.
The people were nice, the volunteers were fantastic, the art was wonderful - but I had a not-so-good show. I make paintings of pets - yes, I know, but mine are really paintings that are about pets; they are fun and fresh and defensible as art. One person commissioned two, one of each of her cats, and another person commissioned a large one, so I made a profit - but no one bought the work I had hanging. (I'll attach a photo).
I saw art going out, but it was more traditional than mine. A wonderful painter, John Harris (http://www.artjohnharris.com/) who was across from me, also sold nearly nothing. On one side of me, a woman selling windchimes made of bottles sold great. On the other side, a guy matting and framing old maps he had retouched also sold great.
There was tons of room at each booth, so I was able to show on the outside of the tent, and sit there also. Artists and artist companions sitting in the middle of the aisles with large chairs and umbrellas blocked sight lines and also made it next to impossible to dolly large paintings out at the end. I had to wait until they packed up and left before I could get my cart out, loaded with 36x72s and 36x60s.
AND the weather was very nice, so I can't blame it on the weather. I think it's a traditional-art crowd, and that's fine. Just not for me.
However, a VERY COOL thing happened at the show, and if you want to read about it, click through to my blog! http://carriejacobson.blogspot.com/2013/07/chance-and-great-surpris...
Don't be ridiculous Elle. I don't refer to other artists as a group as jerks. I refer to "an unlikable person; especially : one who is cruel, rude, or small-minded" as a jerk. And those who won't follow the rules they agreed to follow, whether they are artists or whatever, are jerks. You sign up for a 10x10 or 10x15 space. Unless the show says otherwise, that does not mean you also get to sit in the aisle and disrupt the traffic and flow in such a way that it inhibits someones ability to make some money.