Posted by Nels Johnson on February 24, 2011 at 5:39pm
Barry hinted at it in my blog about the cake at the Grove. I find it very mysterious that nobody who was there has written a review. Come on Parker, Umbel, Sargant or Barry. One of you, or more , needs to step up to the plate. I give a lot of info on this site and don't ask much in return. But, my God, this is still one of the big shows in Florida and everybody is mum. What gives? You could almost think that you all did not do that well and are afraid to report about it, because somebody at the Grove would hear about it, and then you might get juried out next year--boo, hoo. Come on folks give us some meat. Give me something to chew on while I ride to Key West. Otherwise, you aint gettin no more cake from this boy.
Okay, Nelsie -- see my notes in the separate post. I can't believe no one else has piped up except Barry. It was better than I expected, given all the bad press it's gotten the past couple of years. My expectations were low, and they were exceeded. It wasn't a gangbusters show by any means, but at least I came away being able to pay some bills.
It's interesting to compare the new Grove with the old days when we got in and pottery was king. No gate fee, humongous crowds and lots of art lovers. Sounds like it is still worth trying if you have the dynamic work that will be judged worthy by their jurors. Having access to any market where people do buy art is a green light these days. BTW thanks for the reminder about being careful-reminded me of a breakin we had at the Uptown Art Festival in Minneapolis where our computer was stolen. Ouch! It happened in an artist's parking lot in broad daylight with volunteers guarding the gate! Go figure. A blog about safety and infamous stories of breakins would be a cautionary tale for others.
If I sound down it's because someone tried to break into my van today, in Noples, by jamming a screw driver into the drivers side lock. They didn't break in but I can't open that door if I lock it from the inside. This is the second time I've had trouble in Naples. 10 years ago I was staying at the Lemon Tree Hotel, which is a block from the show, and they smashed a window and took a bunch of stuff that we had left in the van. I'm telling you all this as a reminder to be vigilant. These things happen.
You all are being too nice saying you were disappointed that Guy Harvey did the poster. That was unconscionable. In the past, CGAF would never have considered letting someone other than an exhibitor do the poster. I was in Starbucks, in Naples, this morning and I saw someone wearing Guy Harvey t-shirt. It was pirate with an eye patch and a skull and crossbones, with Guy Harvey written across the image. Yikes!!!
As I said in another post, I think someone else should write the review. I was assured by a high ranking committee member that no one will get blackballed for having a bad show and I believe her. So, I, also, would like someone to step up to the plate. (It is spring training, after all). I will review the Naples show no matter what. It is hard for me to write the review because I have the perspective of 25 years, so, I can't divorce myself from those 15 years when it was the absolute best show in the country. I've had my best shows at CGAF and they used to treat us like royalty. I will say I consistently used to do between 6 and 10,000. One year I had my single best day ever--12K. I did compare the Grove show to some software that becomes unwieldy--think some earlier versions of MS Office and Adobe CS. I called it the "bloatware" of art fairs. Philip said he did a third better than a couple of years ago. That year was my worst ever. That was the year where at least a third of the exhibitors had a 0 show. I'll just say that wasn't my worst show and it wasn't as good as my best years. The numbers I gave were referring to a 15 year run. If you did well at the Grove, you had a phenomenal show. I don't think there was a middle ground. Wood is really hot now so those people did really well. The person next to me sold wood turned salt and pepper shakers all day long for 3 days. Part of me would like to say that salt and pepper mills don't belong at the Grove, but, they were wood turned and he used exotic woods. So, I don't know... A lot of people I talked to had good shows because old customers purchased work from them. I sold all low stuff. I'm used to selling 5-6 of my best pieces the first day and I didn't sell one big piece. Maybe I needed a wake up call. Maybe I've gotten too complacent. I can guarantee that my next pieces will be a lot different and will knock their socks off. Funny, they will also be easier to execute. I will only need to glaze f
Been exhibiting up in the Grove last few years, I live in the Lower Keys, didn't get in this year, but went as a spectator for the first time. It's a fun festival, very crowded, at times to the detriment of the artists, since you can get caught in the tide of people...
Very disappointed in the selection of Guy Harvey for the poster and festival merchandise. His work is so commercial. It's like having Tommy Bahama and calling him a "Fiber Artist".
the art gets lost when you think it would be more fun to sit at a table with a beer and watch all the people rather than check out the art. That isn't what the festival was supposed to be.
Well Nels, in a nutshell. The crowds were huge. We did about a third better than two years ago which was very encouraging. A jeweler down from me said it was mediocre for such a long drive. I heard some people talking fairly large numbers with reports of some 2 d artists having great shows but the painter next to me didn't sell much. A fabric artist a few booths down said she had a good show. A leather worker had a great saturday but died on sunday and monday. Some of the problems from the last time i did the show have been fixed and all in all except for the high cost of doing the show i was satisfied. The artist dinner had Masuman curry and a chile tofu dish so that was a treat. Thats all i got right now i'm getting ready for key west. safe travels.
Comments
I got cut off, too.
You all are being too nice saying you were disappointed that Guy Harvey did the poster. That was unconscionable. In the past, CGAF would never have considered letting someone other than an exhibitor do the poster. I was in Starbucks, in Naples, this morning and I saw someone wearing Guy Harvey t-shirt. It was pirate with an eye patch and a skull and crossbones, with Guy Harvey written across the image. Yikes!!!
Been exhibiting up in the Grove last few years, I live in the Lower Keys, didn't get in this year, but went as a spectator for the first time. It's a fun festival, very crowded, at times to the detriment of the artists, since you can get caught in the tide of people...
Very disappointed in the selection of Guy Harvey for the poster and festival merchandise. His work is so commercial. It's like having Tommy Bahama and calling him a "Fiber Artist".
Linda
I got cut off-
the art gets lost when you think it would be more fun to sit at a table with a beer and watch all the people rather than check out the art. That isn't what the festival was supposed to be.
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