There was dismay among artists when the American Craft Council removed flowers and carpeting from its flagship Baltimore venue this winter, then again at its' St. Paul show, but near nearly as much as when they announced they were cancelling their Sarasota and Charlotte, NC, events for the fall of 2009.
Richard and Joanna Rothbard of American Art Marketing sent out the following email:
The Sarasota Craft Show is on! The Charlotte Show is on the table waiting for a consensus from Charlotte exhibitors. To ALL ACC exhibitors This is your special INVITATION to both Sarasota and Charlotte, so SAVE THE DATES. The shows will be managed by Richard & Joanna Rothbard of American Art Marketing who have 28 years of experience in show management, are NYC gallery owners since 1985 and exhibiting artists for almost 3 decades. Booth fees will be substantially lower, same high standards, and we will be working with the marketing team that has made the event so successful.
Further details, Invitation & Application forms will be available on our website by May 7/8. Show dates: December 4, 5, 6. and November 6, 7, 8.
Those of you who would like to see Charlotte continue this year need to respond accordingly. The Sarasota Show is under contract...I am looking forward to hearing from you. Richard Rothbard, www.americanartmarketing.com
The interesting news here is that sometimes it is good for artists for an event to change hands. As you may know Sugarloaf Craft Festivals recently vacated their Novi, MI, twice a year event and the show was picked up by the Rock Financial Showplace, as an in house operation as the Great Lakes Art Fair. By taking over the show they were able to lower the prices for exhibitors for booth space and electricity, a welcome relief for these times. Rothbard, who does not have all the ACC overhead has likewise been able to lower booth fees for his Sarasota show, from $700 to $555 and the corner fees from $300 to $95. How's that for good news?
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