Blog

Seriously. I was robbed. As a result, my art show season ended with some big surprises last fall in Albuquerque, NM.

And really, I’m okay with that.

Now.

I was in town doing The Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival, which runs the same time as the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The fiesta is one of the largest international balloon events in the world. 

On day three of the two weekend event I returned to the hotel found a big surprise: my trailer had been stolen.

The police were called in and the papers filed. I was told at that time “good luck” getting it back and that it was probably long gone in Mexico.

In the hope of getting some relief, I talked to the front desk at the Days Inn and asked to talk to a manager.  The manager was not in but I was assured there was surveillance video of the parking lot. The next day I returned to talk to the desk because I still had not heard from the manager.  I was told she had been ill and would call me later. Did I mention it was the Days Inn in Albuquerque on Menaul Blvd?

I heart those boots.

My good friends, David and Judy who were also at the art show, let the show directors know of my plight.  The show directors called a local news station and I made the evening news.

This was good because it brought people to my booth that might not otherwise have stopped.

My second surprise came when I realized the Days Inn in Albuquerque on Menaul Blvd doesn’t give a care about me or my trailer.  I never heard from the manager. I never received a phone call. They even refused to hand over the surveillance tape to the police.  I even went so far as to call the chain to see if I could file a complaint and never heard back from them either.

We  stayed at that Days Inn in Albuquerque on Menaul Blvd ELEVEN days and nothing EVER happened.

Then my third surprise came!

I got a call on the Friday of the second week of the show and the police had spotted my trailer in downtown Albuquerque. According to the police I was one of the lucky 1 in 20 to get theirs back!

Great news, I was ecstatic!

During this time I was thankful I had insurance to cover my trailer. I was lucky that most of my art and booth were at the show. I lost three bins full of prints, display items, packaging materials, lighting equipment and a small original.

However, when I tallied up the number on exactly what it was that I lost it was still at around $2,000. I thought this was still worth putting in a claim.  This is where surprise number four came in.

After putting in my claim I was told it was not going to go through. They said it was because my art business is, “only covered up to 500 feet of my office.”

MY office?

What office?

I am a fine art painter!  My agent knew the nature of my business when I signed up for the policy.  I stated that I need the insurance because I travel and do outdoor juried art shows.  I needed protection from weather, theft and car accidents. I needed to have the trailer and its contents insured!

According to the agent, after the fact, none of this was covered.  The reality stung.

I felt as if I had been robbed. Again. Twice.

Once by a couple of yahoos in a hotel parking lot and a second time by a licensed insurance professional.

Then I began to thank my lucky stars.

You see, I had been in an outdoor show last spring where a small twister took out 10 booths in a different part of the show.   Had I been one of those artists, I would have lost everything.  So I am in pursuit of a new agent and insurance because April 6, 7 & 8 I’ll be at the Deep Ellum Arts Show outside of Dallas in Deep Ellum, Texas to kick off my art show season (I’m in Booth 20!)

Lesson learned ……I will make sure all my bases are covered properly. After all, this is a business and not a hobby.

Just to be clear – did I mention it was Days Inn in Albuquerque on Menaul Blvd?

Boca Grande Masters Art & Wine Festival

What a wonderful show Boulderbrook Productions presented on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend! Most artists set up on Friday and took advantage of the extra hours that Richard Sullivan provided for the participants and public. The weather was perfect and the sales were brisk. It is a pleasure to do a show when you've ample space, convenient parking, perfect weather, talented artisans and interested buyers! Since we do a show most weekends, it is fabulous to say that this show was our best show ever anywhere! Many thanks to Richard Sullivan, Victor, the Boca Grande Resort and the patrons for a great show!

I had suspected for a couple years that Madison On the Square was not doing a conventional "on site" jury.  I just saw an e-mail they sent out on March 16th informing applicants that the jurors will be given 8 days to review the applicants.  To me this smelled of "off site" jurors being given the code to get into ZAPP ADMINISTATION for jurying at their own leisure. 

I think that this is the absolute wrong way to go for a jury process.  So why would they want to do this?  Saving costs would be tops on the list of reasons to do this.  They charge $35 per artist jury fee.  Let's assume that they get 1200 applications.  This is a top 50 show.  Maybe they will get even more.  Sure I know that there are between 62 and 87 re-invited artists that don’t have to pay a jury fee.  However, that's still about $42,000 just in jury fees not counting late jury fees.  Even if they paid 4 paid jurors for 2 days covering all the expenses for airfare if necessary, hotel and food, additional support employees, ZAPP projectors, or computer rental, etc, I would think that quite a tidy profit could still be derived from this profit center of the show.  Or perhaps the director doesn't want to be bothered with the tremendous effort involved in producing an "on site" jury.  I understand this as I've done it but....well, I guess, that's part of the job.  Maybe the director doesn't think that they are any qualified jurors within a 1000 miles.  No, that couldn't be.  I know that looking at 1200 applications, 4800 images, is a chore.  If done over 2 days, 600 artists are very manageable.  Sure it can be visually and mentally exhausting.  But I don’t think that’s the problem.  Ok, so I'm perplexed.

If the jurors are looking at the images ‘off site’ then the images are not looked at simultaneously as it says in the prospectus. They are not looked at simultaneously by the jurors as is done in a ZAPP projected jury.  And in addition, when off site they are not projected; they are looked at on a monitor when viewed off site.  When viewed on the on-line ZAPPLICATION process, the images are looked at individually with only a very small thumbnails being seen as a grouping at the end and on the scoring page; these small hard to see thumbnails are the only simultaneous viewing of the images.  This seems very deceptive to me.  By the way, I have been suggesting for 3 or 4 years to ZAPP that they enlarge these grouped images.  I finally hear that they may do just that.

Now let's look at it from the artist’s viewpoint as to why this is a problem for them.  Jurors would perhaps be dispersed across a large area in different time zones.  (Ok so the 2 jurors that they’ve announced are from the Madison area). Maybe they would be looking at the images during the directors working hours and maybe not?  What if they had multiple questions with no one to answer them?  What will their pre-jury instruction be?  Who will enforce the rules?  I've been to enough live juries to know that there are a lot of questions.  Will the jurors be looking at the images on quality monitors, or even similar monitors?  Will different judges be seeing the same thing from an image or not?  Perhaps juror 'A' has an old CRT monitor that's 10 years old and is totally not able to be controlled for color and brightness.  Perhaps juror 'B' has a monitor that cost $50 at some box store and the contrast is so bad that there is no shadow detail seen or the highlights are completely non-existent.  Laptops are notorious for their poor quality of images.  The point is that the jurors may not be seeing the same thing.  As a professional photographer I know how important "calibrated" monitors are.  Calibration standardizes what is seen on a monitor as long as it’s capable of control.  Ok, let’s proceed.  What if juror 'C' has a young child that is home and needing attention while they are jurying images during this 8 day process?  The jurors could be very distracted from doing their due diligence for any number of reasons:  diaper change, ice cream time, homework, domestic dispute, etc.  What if juror 'D' worked really hard all day but waited till the last moment to jury the images.  Perhaps they fall asleep at their screen and are half conscious giving a score and click on the wrong button.  Will that juror be doing justice to the jury system by being totally exhausted at the end of their work day?  Not likely.  Jurors “off site” can look at images for different lengths of time.  Is this fair?  They can even research web sites and explore other images done by artists.  Is that fair?  What if the juror decides to consult with what friends think of an artists’ work.  The images could be copied and pasted to be seen anywhere.  This alone has been a major concern for many artists.

The bottom line for me and I hope many artists is that they are not, let me repeat that, are not being judged equitably.  For $35, or $5 or $75 for that matter, they deserve a fair shake.  Having jurors not "on site" is not a fair and equitable way for shows to be jurying.  There are way too many variables for the jury process to proceed along this path to give the artist what they are paying for and deserve.  For years this show was run successfully by intern directors:  graduate students, in the arts program at UW Madison, who would be the director for 2 to 3 years.  Now a paid director has taken over and it seems that what is now important is the bottom line.  It is no longer the well being of the artists and what is in their best interest.

Is it a stretch to assume that all of this has something to do with the chaos that has been going on in Madison and Wisconsin?  Is it a stretch to say that this has something to do with the current administration in Wisconsin defunding the Wisconsin Arts Board?  Ok, I certainly will not go there as it is off point.

The control, the standardization, of the jury process and of the jurors as a group is gone with this newest move by Madison On the Square.  It is no longer a "level playing field" for artists.  The shared experience is eliminated.  This smacks of a director giving up and giving in.  So I decided to email Annik Dupaty, the Director of Events, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.  She is the director of the show.  I simply asked if it is true that jurying takes place off site and her reasoning for this.  She responds first by saying that jurying off site is the “standard of the industry.”  I don’t know where she gets her facts on this.  ZAPP does not even know what the percentage of shows jurying off site is.  She also claims that the system was set up that way when she took over as director.  I know one of the previous directors and this system for jurying was not in place while he was director.  There was a director between his term and Anniks taking over.  The graduate student director before Annik took over quit the post as director and did not graduate.  She states that,  “in these hectic ‘modern’ lives we lead it is hard to get full-time, busy working people to (1) align schedules, and (2) commit to being here for 1-2 full days straight”  Well, we have always been in these hectic ‘modern’ times.  Every generation lives through their own modern period.  Jurors were brought together for 50 years before this and other shows started to ask jurors to view images off site.  Jurors were in one location long before the shows were making the amounts of money they make now.  If jurors were paid a decent amount, I don’t think finding jurors to participate would be an issue. Many would relish having been a juror for the show and adding it on their resume or curriculum vitae.  She further states, “…and it isn’t necessary with the technology available to us.”  Well, that brings it full circle and to the conclusion that I reach and that is:  JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOESN’T MEAN THAT THAT YOU SHOULD.  The world is full of misguided decisions made with the idea that just because something can be done means that it should be done.

Since the costs for jurying have been so dramatically cut, have the jury fees or booth fees been reduced?  Would Annik be willing to send out a fair Survey Monkey to see what the applying artists feel about “off site” jurying?  I’d love to hear that the applying artists think it’s a good idea and that I’m wrong about all of this.

I think artists deserve an explanation so they can decide whether this is a show that they want to participate in.  They ARE the show.

Hope everyone had a terrific St Patrick's Day!  Since it was the 50th anniversary of the Denver Parade, we went all out.  Bellco Credit Union sponsors us in the parade.  Thank you Bellco!  Our four Giant Parade Puppets were festooned with shamrocks and green trim.  I rode my new stilt bike, featuring a red headed Leprechaun made by Cory Gilstrap. http://www.facebook.com/cory.gilstrap I mounted him on the handle bars with a pot o gold just out of reach of the grasping Leprechaun !  Photos and stilt bike riding practice video here:  http://stiltwalker.com/states/colorado/denver/50th-saint-patricks-day-parade-denver/

I didn't give Cory a huge budget, but he was very gracious to work with my budget and deliver on time.  I was/am very happy with the yet unnamed Leprechaun. (any ideas?)   Both the free hand, and the out stretched leg as well as the head are all pose-able.  Cory also provided the Pot o Gold.  After the parade I did sew on some more gold coins.  The thrift store fishing pole, which I provided, I also shortened in preparation for next year's parade.

Youtube has some video of the parade with our Giant Parade Puppets, one video even catches me on my stilt bike gliding by.

http://youtu.be/DCHMxZhiR_o

http://youtu.be/2fN7NEMI2es

Every year the Denver Post prints in the paper and online a photo of one of our Giant Puppets .  this year I couldn't find us online, but the daily had a photo of one of our puppets on the Friday before the parade, and the YourHub weekly insert had a terrific photo of all four Parade Puppets!  Best photo ever published!  Yea!

I'm enjoying reading all of the festival reviews, hope you enjoy this somewhat off topic post.

Cheers!

Bill "Stretch" Coleman

June 22 & 23
Auburn Hills, Michigan
Summerfest Arts & Craft Fair
Downtown Auburn Hills
Sponsored by the City of Auburn Hills
Fri.: 4pm-10pm; Sat.: 10am-10pm
40 Artists
Deadline: April 1

This is an outdoor show open to all artists and craftsmen!  Please come and share your specialties with the northern Oakland County community: arts, crafts and hand-made items (please no flea market items, used clothing, homemade foods, or drinks) - estimated attendance for this FREE two-day festival is 5,000 people!

Details:

• Spaces 15 x 15
• Early bird special: $30 (by April 1)
• $40 (by May 1st deadline)
• Application online: www.auburnhills.org/index, then click on this image:  

Hi, fellow artisans!  I lurk here more than post, ofcourse, but thought I might just post about an inaugural show in Florida the first weekend in .  I noticed earlier that there was a post from someone wanting input on it.  It is the St Johns River Artfest in Sanford, Florida.  I have been a stained glass artist for over 20 years, but doing shows only about 5.  I have confined myself to Georgia shows, because it is so expensive to travel, but decided to offer my glass to other audiences this year..This is 1 of only 2 shows I have booked so far this year.  The first is the Mossy Creek Festival near Perry Ga, which I have done for a couple of years. 

 I spoke to someone on the planning committee for the St Johns show a while back.  It is a juried show, and I got notice yesterday I have been accepted.  According to the person with whom I spoke, the main purpose of this event is public education about how the art is created, and to that end will have a special section of the show for demonstrating artists.  I applied for that, but have not yet heard if I have been accepted for that.

They are doing extensive advertising in the area, and even their website seems to be artists friendly.  They will have lots of volunteers who will be there for the artists.  The accepted artists will be mentioned in advertising.

I know it is a first time show, and I am rolling the dice, but I just have a good feeling about it.  Apparently, they did not have as many applicants as they wanted, so they are extending the jury period through mid April, and asked that I let other artists know.  If interested, just go to their web site at www.stjohnsriverartfest.com .  I will submt a review after the event...

Even though I have been more of a "lurker" than a participant, I really appreciate the conversations here.  I just have not had anything to contribute til now.   Happy Shows, all.....Mary Anne Maslanka

Working @ the salon til 3 hope to make time to design a few more jewelry pieces, have really good Idea for a silk cord bracelet and necklace...and my next painting is going to be Sunset over Poppy Fields, its a picture I found taken in France on the edge of a vineyard, Gorgeous sunset cant wait to start it!

Sonoran Arts League 12th Annual Festival of Fine Art (http://www.sonoranartsleague.org/festival.php). I had an inkling of a feeling...but I went ahead anyway. The guides were right again but I, a mere mortal who doesn't listen well yet, trudged forward. A friend of the wife who is a long time member of the arts league had told us about this show and how they were trying to get a new variety of art in it and I thought, "what the heck, as good an excuse to get out of winter in Denver as any and it is no further than any of the other shows I've done so far." So, off I rode. This time I had to do it all myself as the wife and I have been gone for about a month with shows and a vacation in Hawai'i with my sister and bro-in-law (what am I doing in Denver?) and she felt the need to spend time with her elderly father with whom she has been living for most of the last 3 years. No big deal, I've done it all myself before, even if the tendinitis in my elbow is acting up a bit.

The show was held at the Stagecoach Village in Cave Creek, AZ. I found out later it was previously held at the town center of Carefree, AZ, not too far away. Which suggests that this show might have an identity crisis. There was also another show at the same time as this show at the Frontier Village, just up the road, organized by another show promoter! I think I read somewhere that this area has too many shows, I'm starting to get the picture...Set-up for this show, like most of the shows that I have done in AZ was the day before. Ran into an artist whom I recognized (apparently she didn't recognize me) and asked her if she knew where the check-in was. She explained that she was an artist (I knew that!) and didn't know anything more than I did but that the gal over there was Candy (the shows organizer/promoter). I made some comment about the Stagecoach Village looking like another Arizona ghost town like Fountain Hills. That comment didn't go over real well as the "artist" got defensive, at that point I retreated. But it does seem that a lot of these newer small shopping areas that have developed around the Phoenix area look like ghost towns to me with low levels of occupancy. Cave Creek is not a new development, it is a town that developed long before Phoenix blossomed and still has the ambiance of a small arts community. Other developments like Stagecoach Village have developed as shopping centers within the town limits later.

I did catch up with Candy, who had taken on the task of organization of this show from the arts league, she was busily trying to figure out spots for the artists as she reported that "10 artists canceled" (more about that later!) and she had to reconfigure her layout on the spot. Good thing it wasn't a huge show! She pointed out a spot on the east side of the mall for me which was soon commandeered by another artist who needed the space to spread his sculptures out. Not to worry, my new space was next to him and it was just as good if not better. Have you ever been to the middle east and gone among the vendors in the little streets and every one of the booths in the bizarre looks like it has almost the same stuff? The show setup had that feel to me on reflection as I and four other photographers were within spitting distance of each other! "Good thing we're all different" reported the guy next to me. It was true, my work is more about 20th century Americana, roadside attractions and rusty automobiles, his was western landscape work, the guy next to him had huge black and white canvas landscapes, the guy around the corner was western/cowboy stuff on leather and the guy down the block had different western landscapes. I guess that is what happens when you have to organize on the fly!

Back to the show...Set-up for this show was Thursday afternoon at 4 I was there at 3 and got my booth space which gave me ample time to get things up, especially with the increase in daylight hours, before the Friday opening time of 10 a.m. Not unlike the Carefree show that I did in January (http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/carefree-fine-art-wine-festival-january-2012) this show was also mostly populated by the snow-bird crowd of lookers. Long story short...Most of us sat around for long periods of time during the day or talked to the curious on Friday. Fortunately, at 4:30 one individual and a young couple came in and saved the day with their purchases. Could they be angels in disguise come to save me? Saturday was pretty much the same along with lots of talking and sharing about my work but the email to a client that I had met at the January show came through. He came in with his wife and put in the order for 5 photos of work that he had commissioned.

Now I had mentioned that 10 artists had canceled this show. There was a kink in the jet stream that had sent it south along the pacific coast midway down the Baja Penninsula and then shooting back up through AZ, UT and western NM and CO. We were sitting right in the middle of it. Apparently those 10 others had gotten nervous and bailed early. Most of the others that were at the show were nervous as hens with a coyote in the house talking about where the weather was, what was expected, etc. Judging only on how it looked in our little corner you would think nothing was out there. Skies were blue on Friday and the temperature was 85 but anyone with a smartphone (me included) was watching the Weather Channel App. It was supposed to be cooler on Saturday with high winds showing up by 2 or 3 in the afternoon and rain showers. When Saturday arrived although it was a bit cooler, only 75 with some overcast and sun peeking in, it was still nice. The artist crowd was getting even more nervous as the day went on with a few taunts from fellow artists about "chicken little artists". Candy was circulating rumors about possibly shutting down the show early and that wasn't well received by some of the participants either. I was feeling like the show was played out so I was good either way. By the end of the day I couldn't discern fact from fiction but the word was the show would pack it in which indeed it did even though, although forecast, there was no wind or rain what-so-ever even at 5! There was some grumbling but most artists pulled up stakes. Two artists in our area decided to stay and left their tents up, at least overnight as-far-as I knew. Wonder what happened to them? As it turned out it rained like crazy Saturday night into Sunday morning with more on the way later in the day. Was it a good call? I think given the combination of lackluster sales and the prospects of bad weather it was well worth it to pull out a day early!

As for getting out of Phoenix on Sunday morning? I-17 going north to Flagstaff was closed due to 19" of snow, I-40 both east and west through Flagstaff was closed due to the snow as well! Although I had another motel night booked I decided to leave a day early via the southern route through Tucson (in heavy rains) and then east into NM. The weather wasn't any better there as vehicles were being routed off the highway in Lordsburg due to high winds and no visibility between there and Las Cruces. I've been snow bound in Las Cruces before but Lordsburg is even worse. I started to feel like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone, the only other thing needed at the MckyD's was Rod Serling!

Show Organizer/Promoter: Sonoran Arts League via Vermillion Promotions

Booth Fee: $25 Jury Fee, $375 Booth Fee, $30 City of Cave Creek Business License and an Arizona License euphuistically referred to as the Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT)/License

Logistics: Load-in, depending on where you were located was either easy or a lot of transporting. I was there earlier and was able to park at the middle gazebo and cart my stuff in. If you were at one of the entry points it seemed easier. Some of the streets were narrow and there wasn't much space to park and unload.  Some areas of the show did have a lot of congestion built into the way booths and streets were setup. Some artists may have gotten overlooked at either end of the show. Load-out was pretty much the same. I was packed up and out by 7:30 which was only an extra half-hour from my usual time, sorry sweetie! I think it took the extra time as I first packed everything up and then had to cart all my stuff up a ramp to the nearby parking lot, usually I can drive right up to my piles of stuff.

Show Hours: The show was set to run from 10-5 Friday-Sunday

Amenities: This was not a regular Candy Vermillion Production for which I was told she often provides lunch for the artists, that said, she did have yummy sweet stuff, water, juice and coffee each morning. There were limited booth sitters from the Arts League that went by given that the show was in such a small space anyway that didn't seem to matter much. The show had a few nice food vendors (and popcorn) I think it was the same Greek food guy from Tubac! serving variations on a Greek menu, gyro's, hummus, salad, etc.  Nearby restaurants, were there any? Like I said the shopping area looked like a ghost town. I  looked for food when I drove out one night but didn't see any in the immediate vicinity. I bought stuff at Safeway and kept it in a cooler.  Parking was in an area at the back of the mall, plentiful and free. The walk to the lots was not too bad. Porta potties aplenty seemed to be kept clean!

Reflections: I would probably not do this show again unless I move to Arizona. Although the booth fee was not exorbitant  it is too far to drive, the return was too little and the expenses too much. Another reason I may not do this show again is that there seem to be too many shows going on in this little part of the greater Phoenix area. Overkill! Unless the thought is that vacationers are only around about a week or so and a new batch of blood wont know the difference?

I wish I could say that I've been so busy filling orders from the Jan and Feb shows that I had no time to report on this show till now but although I've been busy it hasn't been as a result of the aforementioned purpose! ;-P I had this show on my radar for a number of years but wasn't able to get to it till this year, just missed the deadline last year.  I should be learning to listen to my spirit guides more carefully for a reason! Years ago (20) I would spend two weeks with a friend as an escape from Denver, in Tucson, between holidays and really enjoyed the mild weather (60-70 or so) thinking I was heading for something similar I chose to go to Tubac, AZ thinking that February should be almost tropical as compared to Denver (it is!). The weather topped out around 60 at least one day and I remember some good gusts of wind that sent dust swirling around and made some artists nervous. Our neighbors recounted the horror that they had experienced the week before in Palm Springs and it made them a little nervous to say the least. (http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/there-but-for-the-grace-of-g-d-go-we). We set our chairs out in the middle of the wide road to catch whatever sun we could over the next several days.

Tubac is located 40 miles south of Tucson and about a half hour north of the border and Nogales, AZ/MX. A little bit of history...The area is believed to have been inhabited approximately 11,000 years ago by mammoth hunters, since 300-1500 A.D. by the Hohokam, followed by the Pima and native O'odham, who "greeted" the Spanish in the 1600's. It was under Mexican control by 1821 and came under possession of the United States in 1853 as part of the Gadsden Purchase. In the meantime it boomed and busted under various mining interests. Arizona became a state in 1812, homesteaders were kicked out. In 1948, artist Dale Nichols arrived establishing the Artists School. The first Tubac Festival of the Arts took place in 1960, with the Tubac Center of the Arts opening in 1972.

The show is organized by the Chamber of Commerce ( A link to the show website: http://www.tubacaz.com/festival.asp) and is likewise manned by volunteers of the chamber. Check in is easy at the chamber building, you're given a map, additional materials and sent on your way. Depending on your location at the show there are either very wide streets for set up or narrow ones. After all this was a colonial town with all the charm of one and the historic streets of one. We were on the main street into town which meant lots of space to set up. In fact there was a large empty area behind our booth that we could just leave our van in as we setup and there was plenty of space for others as well. The show sets up Tuesday afternoon before the official beginning of the show ( Gotta like those day before setups!). And so, on Wednesday, the show began. Being as it was a Wed. crowds were light, or so we thought, Thursday was busy as it was reported that 9-11 tour buses had unloaded eager tourists in the parking lot. Friday was like Wed. with Sat and Sunday being not much better (or does my memory serve me correctly?) The age demographic was generally the "Snow-Bird" retiree who may have come down from Green Valley or even Tucson. Some other visitors came from as far as Phoenix (2.5 hours away). Maybe I'm being too critical but when the 5 foot tall popcorn bags, dogs and baby strollers come out in force it seems to go along with a strolling crowd that doesn't buy much and so it was in Tubac for 5 days. Other reports that I read later (of course) suggested that the 5 day ritual should be shortened by at least 2 days, if only I had known then...We had some sales (never judge a client by the way they look!) and the promise of others " I'd like to buy three of them but I need to measure that space", what else is new? We saw some large pieces walk out as well as the usual yard ornaments. Our neighbor the jeweler sold smaller pieces, earrings and small necklaces, etc. the cowboy leather wallet and belt guy sold at a fairly regular pace while the gold glass guy across the way didn't seem too busy, was it because his booth seemed sort of isolated in the corner there?

Logistics; Load-in, depending on where you were located was either easy or a little chaotic. If you were at one of the entry points it was easier. Some of the streets were narrow and there wasn't much space to park and unload.  Some areas of the show did have a lot of congestion built into the way booths and streets were setup. Some artists may have gotten overlooked on some of the smaller side-streets. Load-out was pretty much the same. We were packed up and out by 7 which is typical for us.

Amenities: Don't expect them, no water, no snacks, limited booth sitters as the chamber volunteers were spread thin. The show had lots of nice food vendors (and popcorn). Several vendors served variations on a Greek menu, gyro's, hummus, etc.  Nearby restaurants were $$. Parking, expect to pay $6 daily in one of several lots scattered around the town. The walk to the lots was not to bad. Porta potties aplenty seemed to be kept clean although I found the secret bathroom around the corner that was deluxe!

Reflections: I would probably not do this show again unless I move to Tucson anytime soon. It is too far to drive, the return was too little and the expense too much. Another reason I may not do this show is that years ago I swore off of doing shows that had any hint of dust and other blowing stuff. It gets into, onto and all around my framed 2-D pieces and I don't like the clean-up afterwards!

September 15 & 16
Omaha, Nebraska
80 Artists
Deadline: April 1

The Aksarben Village Art Fair will showcase the work of 80 artists from throughout the U.S..  The goal of the show is to feature offbeat, creative and novel artwork that is affordable and can be purchased as a gift or enjoyed every day, such as vintage jewelry; hand-sewn purses; one-of-a-kind, whimsical items for the garden and home and other treasures, along with a wide range of artwork that will attract buyers and browsers of every age group.

What you can expect:

• Affluent shoppers
• Mixed-use urban lifestyle setting
• Established neighborhood
• Multi use park and amphitheater
• Free and convenient Parking Garage

Aksarben Village is a $300 million development that combines retail, restaurants, entertainment, residential and hotels to offer an exciting planned urban community in the heart of Omaha.

Here is your chance to get in on the ground floor of an event organized by solid show promoters.

Established art fair presenters the Omaha Summer Arts Festival and Vic Gutman & Associates are proud to partner to introduce this new fall event.

For more info: www.aksarbenvillage.com 

Apply at: www.zapplication.org   

Email inquiries to: amcnabney@vgagroup.com

I have had too many shows turn around on Sunday afternoon to break down early because of poor sales.  It bugs the hell out of me when other people do that as well.  I think it is incredibly disruptive to the people who are staying and maybe trying to eke out some sort of profit from a bad show.

However, there are valid reasons to break down early.  My general standard is if I feel my work or I am in danger.  That is a call that each person has to make for themselves.  And weather being what weather is, sometimes we make the wrong one.

I think there are valid reasons to not do a show.  There have been a couple occasions when I wish I had made that decision.  I did make that decision once with Naples National and it was the right one for me.  They had changed from an easy load out to a difficult one.  I did not have any vacation time to take Monday off and it is a point of honor with me that I do not call in sick to work just because I am late getting back from the art show.  My co-workers and boss are very decent about working around my shows and I owe it to them to not take advantage of that.  I found out later that people in my section that year got out around 1AM.  That plus a five hour drive home.  It was the right call.  I did eat the booth fee without complaint.  It was my fault for not reading the show literature sooner.  Actually I think that if we are willing to eat the booth fee and attempt to give as much notice as possible it is a personal call.

What are everyone else's principles?

ARtFest Midwest,The other art show in DesMoines. Did anyone do this show in 2011? I am looking for feedback. I have been accepted to this show and I live in Atlanta. With rising gas prices I am not sure its worth the drive.  I paint florals on canvas and metal ceiling tiles.

I've often wondered why a list of artists for an art show can be tough to find until you actually get to the festival. They have worked hard, and we want to thank you for participating! AT the NAA, we're always striving to improve things, even if it's in small ways at first. If you think continuing to have this list available and publicized is a good thing, let us know!

The artists of this show (many who are participants on AFI) are listed below, and we can't wait to see what they've got on display this weekend! To attract buyers, we've been promoting it in the local paper and other print/radio media (maximizing ad dollars through sponsorships), on facebook, through email marketing, and other word-of-mouth generating methods. Below the list is our ad. Feel free to share the image with your Naples customers to let them know you'll be on Fifth Ave South for the street's last festival of the season.

A PDF of the ad in Showcase is linked here: NDN-Showcase-DNFA-2012.pdf

Artists can be found in media order: 

• Ceramics
• Digital Art
• Fiber/Leather
• Furniture, Glass
• Graphic/Printmaking
• Jewelry
• Metal
• Mixed Media 2D
• Mixed Media 3D
• Painting
• Photography
• Sculpture
• Wood

CERAMICS

216 Aurelio, Martha

230 Beam, Brian www.brianbeampottery.com

221 Blum, Doug B. www.dougblum.com

42 Clegg, Larry R.

108 Collison, Richard www.palmsuppottery.com

141 Dzedzy, Stan

6 Green, Bruce A.

148 Grimsley, Joseph

231 Hedgeman, Tonya C. www.bytonya.com

156 Lee, C. C.

97 Mann, Toni

160 Markiewicz, Gail M.  www.gmceramicart.com

201 Moore, Cindy

86 Moore, John E. www.the hairy-potter.com

55 Nappo, Gabrielle www.gabriellespottery.com

98 Painter, Susan W. www.susanpainterpottery.com

13 Rankin, Ralph

77 Shields, Ken C.

68 Thoreson, Thorwww.gillsrock.com

120 Vaughn, Todd www.gtoddvaughn.com

19 Woods, Glenn www.potteryboys.com

DIGITAL ART

7 Alboher, Lea

41 Billman, Greg

159 Cornell, Robert

185 Leben, John www.lebenart.com

56 Montecalvo, Paul F. www.paulmontecalvophoto.com

76 Parker, Timothy www.art2d.com

FIBER/LEATHER

14 Brogden, Megan www.meganbrogdenstudio.com

33 Cole, Candiss www.candisscole.com

67 Donofrio, Caryn R.

51 Gil, Jorge

205 Kroetsch, Leeann www.threadedartwear.com

146 Laine, Philippe C.

171 Mansard, Iris S. www.raincoatlady.com

220 Melillo, Jeanne M. www.jeannehomedesigns.com

187 Pace, Marie C. www.mariepacedesigns.com

83 Park, Herion www.herion.us

176 Perry, Diane

54 Rubright, Barbara L.

200 Rudoy, Shekina www.shekinadesigns.com

126 Sorrells, Ken www.graffitimats.com

5 Weiss, Jeffrey D.

82 Zarcone, Robert J.

FURNITURE

123 Causey, Teri www.tericausey.com

GLASS

138 Aronzon, Lisa M. www.lisaaronzon.com

213 Carlin, Kevin P. www.motorcityglassworks.com

105 Debon, Dennis www.energywebs.com

90 Eickholt, Robert G.

222 Espinosa, Josephina www.glassisters.com

112 Fishbein, Harvey &

    Leviton, Harvey  www.harvardreflections.com

35 Goldhagen, David www.goldhagenartglass.com

175 Haddad, Jamille www.jamilleatheatwaveglass.com

124 Miller, Lindi L.

80 Miller, Tim S. www.tmillerglass.com

48 North Gerlach, Celeste B.

204 Schmidt, Susan www.artifaxdesigns.com

157 Slade, Bill www.billsladeglass.com

119 Thomas, H. A.

150 Zidek, John www.johnzidek.com

GRAPHICS/PRINTMAKING

163 Packard, Lawrence D.

173 Reynolds, Patrick J. www.patrickjreynolds.com

78 Strailey, Nancy

JEWELRY

3 Angeloni, Liz

12 Brown Gordon, Sue

17 Chuang, Cynthia www.jewelry10.com

50 Coy, Kimberly M.

58 Dinka, Dianna J.

47 Fox, Pam M.

38 Hampel, Christiane www.hampeldesign.com

227 Hausner, Martin

125 Johnston, Sharon www.sharonjohnstonjeweler.com

63 Mahfood, Bernadette S. www.hotflash-designs.com

43 Marksz, Gail & Alex www.markszofpalmbeach.com

218 Nelson, Joyce www.cosmopolitanjewels.com

162 Nilsson, Robert & Teresa

206 Polk, Randy www.randypolk.com

59 Reardon, Kathleen & Thomas www.trkd.com

197 Romano, Gina

219 Strader, Molly www.mollystrader.com

20 Strobel, John www.johnchristinedesigns.com

73 Sundin, Lauran www.lauransundin.com

140,142 Trisko, Robert

70 Vagner, Michael

METAL

196 Cambronne, Steve L. www.stevotomic.com

207 Gurtan, Vedat www.gurtan.com

23 Johnson, Dennis A. www.erlundjohnsonstudios.com

62 Lapso, Kathleen M.

225 Matthews, Mark

115 McCaffrey, Shirley

181 Otfinoski, Peter www.otfinoski.com

166 Pattinian, Merri L.

217 Pompei, Vincent J.

129,130 Ricaurte, Rommel E. www.steel-alive.com

152 Ruby, Kurt

96 Schmidt, Ron

224 Snider, Diane M.  www.wyldeblaze.com

MIXED MEDIA 2D

65 Adams, Cynthia www.casaartstudio.com

208 Bi, Dan

182 Cheng, John

229 Doncaster, Barbara www.barbaradoncaster.com

21 Erlund, Beth www.erlundjohnsonstudios.com

170 Fergus, Virginia S.  www.vsfergus.com

189 Ferrell, Jack

100 Gal, Yoram www.yoramgal.co.il

52 Henderson, Debbie www.debbiehendersonart.com

215 Hunter, Chanpen www.renderingsinframe.com

164 Katic, Milenko R. www.milenkoartstudio.com

228 Kern, Anna T. www.annakernartist.com

66 Manneck, Holly www.manneckart.com

143 Manrique, Belisario N.

212 Mickelsen, Nina www.clarissastudioart.com

121 Miller, Bill & Kelleghan, Susan

234 Mirandon, Nicholas

116 Williams, Liz

161 Wilson, Donna

MIXED MEDIA 3D

8 Collins, Mary-Anne & Bill

114 Fountain, Doug www.dougfountain.com

147 Laurent, Elaine www.elainesells.com

36 Stern, Robert & Patti www.theperfectview.com

232 Wender, Andrew

PAINTING

24 Alexander, Rick L. www.artbyalexander.com

49 Armstrong, David

106 Barter, Stacy www.stacybarter.com

113 Carlson, Julie www.oilsbyjulie.com

168 Conary, Mary Jane www.maryjaneconaryartist.com

158 Couch, Pamela www.pamelacouch.com

128 Crawford, Marta www.martacrawford.com

135,137 Davis, April A. www.aprilwdavis.com

202 Folks, Eva www.evafolks.com

177 Galloway-Carter, Sandra L. www.sandragalloway.com

64 Groenteman, Barbara www.barbaragroenteman.com

110 Guo, Yongqun www.artdesignsyg.com

72 Holehouse, Jim G. www.tropicartdesign.com

89,91 Hummel-Marconi, Debbie www.mything.com

15 Krupp, Barbara www.barbarakrupp.com

44 Lee, Ning www.ningleeart.com

61 Lin, Alan www.xlinart.com

145 Lowe, Michelle Nicole www.michellenicolelowe.com

31 Marshall, Kimberly www.marshallsartz.com

32 Maurer, John www.johnmaurer-art.com

4 Metzler, Janice G.

144 Miller, Charlotte F. www.cfungmiller.com

214 Miller, Sandra L. www.sandmillfineart.com

122 Millsap, Thom www.millsapfineart.web.officelive.com

199 Odmark, Gary W. www.gwodmark.com

2 Ostrowski, Joann S.

93,95 Park, Edward

57 Pearse, Darlene www.darlenepearse.com

75 Plumridge, Don www.donplumridge.com

85 Pollack, Stephanie www.stephaniepollack.com

127 Pransky, Phyllis www.phyllispranskyartist.com

37,39 Reichow, Christine www.christinereichow.com

226 Ross, Tom www.tomrosspaintings.com

101,103 Seslar, Lin

155 Skinner, Joy www.joyskinner.com

172,174 Snow-Hein, Laurie www.lauriesnowhein.com

192 Soderquist, Linda H.

191 Solomon, Anne Marie

209 Thomas, Marcus C. www.marcusthomasartist.com

71 Wang, Jan Peng www.janpengwang.com

109 Wang, Li www.liwangart.com

223 Warman, Abby www.abbywarman.com

84 Whitney, Jan

11 Wu, guanwen

118 Wu, Man-Wai www.manwaiwu.com

88 Yuan, David

180 Zenor, Phillip L.

PHOTOGRAPHY

153 Blekfeld, Bernard

53 Cavanah, Doug

10 Clay, Eric www.fadedbeauty.com

107 Cuba, Carlos www.carlosimages.com

45 Deane, Jennifer Dana www.jddfineart.com

40 Deng, John www.johndengphotography.com

94 Duse, Luciano www.lucianophotography.com

198 Easter, Jeff www.artworksoncanvas.com

46 Gerlach, Pat www.patgerlach.com

81 Gerlich, Jack www.jackgerlich.com

1 Goodman, Dennis www.dennisgoodmanphotography.com

203 Guglielmo, Chris www.aquaexposure.com

16 Humphrey, Larry www.larryhumphrey.com

178 Jasinski, Michael & Brian

102 Johnson, Nels

167,169 Kousnsky, Isack www.isack-art.com

69 Louis, Jean-Claude M. www.jeanclaudelouis.com

74 Megela, Jack www.jackmegelaphotography.com

179 Richmond, James G. www.richmondphotography.com

117 Rowell, David E. www.daviderowell.com

136 Sunquist, Lawrence B.

SCULPTURE

194 Campbell, David B. www.stonelegance.com

235 Casco, Oscar

71A Causey, Scott

22 Gibson, Alan G.

87 Nogueira, A. Cesar

29 Okonkwo, Nnamdi www.nnamdiart.com

92 Peltier, Gilles www.gillespeltier.com

116A Pozzobonelli, Mauro P. www.pozzobonelli.com

195 Rujuwa, Peter

186 Striewski, Andrea E.

183 Townsend, John W. www.marinesculptures.com

139 Tyree, Tanya L. www.2artstudios.com

WOOD

9 Baisley, Victor

60 Boudreau, Donald R. www.boxesbyboudreau.com

190 Deveer, John & Levy, David www.davidlevycreations.com

18 Holzbaur, Werner www.werner-holzbaur.com

210 Linn, Robert B.

99 Schmidt, Russ D. www.rdalegalleries.com

211 Shoemaker, Roger

165 Smith, Woody

233 Vollmer, Jeffrey P. www.merchantsofmirth.com

79 Wilhelm, Robert A. www.rawdesigninc.com

June 1-3
Mount Clemens, Michigan 
Anton Art Center
Fri.: 12noon-9pm, Sat.: 11am-8pm,
Sun.: 12noon-6pm
80 artists and craftspersons
Deadline: April 1

The fair takes place in picturesque downtown Mount Clemens, a small-scale urban landscape with retailers, restaurants and nightclubs. The Anton Art Center has hosted a fine arts fair for over 30 years. The 2011 Mount Clemens Art Fair drew approximately 8,000 visitors. The first day of the 2012 fair will be held in conjunction with a classic car cruise on preview night.

The Art Fair has wide demographic appeal and will be advertised throughout Macomb County and the surrounding area. We will send press releases, e-blasts, print and other electronic promotion to our mailing lists. Artists will be provided with postcards and electronic ads.

Expect: 

• $850 in cash prizes
• enjoy complimentary breakfasts
• friendly volunteers  
• $15 jury fee, $150 booth fee

The Mount Clemens Art Fair includes a wide-variety of live entertainment, a Children's Area with make-and-take art activities and more.  Join us for a lovely weekend in Downtown Mount Clemens!

For more info: www.theartcenter.org
Email:jcallans@theartcenter.org
Phone: (586)469-8666
Fax:  (586)469-4529
Application:  www.MountClemensArtFairArtistApplication.pdf  

I read in John Leben's recent blog about this year's show that you pay attention to posts on AFI.

So, you probably saw a couple of mentions about the spaces in the rear of the park which are mulched along the narrow sidewalk with narrow paasage for patrons between the booths on both sides.

If I understand correctly, there is room to move the booths back away from the edge of the sidewalk.

Would that not be a better solution than the way it is now.

Artists back there suffer, because the crowds are thick in the sidewalk and are pushing thru.  Most artists' booths dont get a good looking at (which kills sales) because the crowds are moving on.

It is hard enough to get into your finely juried show.  But when one gets in, I would hope they would be on an equal footing with everybody else there to make sales.

The people in front have a big advantage over those in the back.

See if you could remedy that problem for next year.

 I hope we get some feedback from someone on your fine committee.

Hopefully waiting, Nels Johnson.  Just a simple request.

There have been a lot of blog posts singing the praises of the Winter Park Art Fair. I’ll add mine to the chorus. This is a great show! For me, its the best show in Florida. Of course, that’s not saying much when you look at my dismal sales for the first five shows in my Florida tour. I averaged around $1100 each for the first five (Artfest, Coconut Grove, Naples National, Las Olas and Bonita Springs). For Winter Park I grossed a little more than $4700. A good show for me.

This is a rare breed of art fair... one which residents support wholeheartedly. They look forward to it every year. They save up their art buying for the Winter Park Art Fair. I know of a few more shows that have that special vibe, Krasl in St. Joe Michigan and DesMoines Iowa show, to name two of my favorites. They are shows that the residents are proud of.

When I checked in on Thursday afternoon, I was greeted by Carole Moreland, a board member, and one of the show organizers. She recognized my name as the poor bloke who has been blogging about his dismal Florida season. She wished me a good show and assured me that the committee studies our blog posts and makes notes about how they can make their art fair better in the future. That made me think about the conversations I had with Barry Witt at the Bonita Art Fair and Howard Alan at Las Olas. Our blog posts help give guidance to other artists considering entering these shows and directly affect the number of artists who apply to these shows. The organizers like positive reviews and they like to see big sales numbers for their shows. Art Fair Insiders has more power and influence than I had originally thought. But, lets see if this influence eventually manifests itself in improvements to the art fair circuit.

Anyway, back to Winter Park. Big prize money (although I didn’t win any), fantastic lineup of artist, an enthusiastic buying public and great weather all made for a premier art fair. The only negatives I could come up with were the difficult load in and load out... lots of dollying, and some questionable locations for some of the booths (especially the ones on wood chip paths). But its a show I would be delighted to get into again next year.  

One more show for me in Florida, Naples Downtown. Then, its back to Saugatuck, Michigan. See you in the Spring, Nels.

All art show artists who create their own work are continuously disadvantaged by (1) buy/sell operators, (2) group operations (3) mass manufactured items, (4) co-artist teams who exhibit in multiple shows on a given weekend (5) people who jury in with a certain body of work only to display a totally different (sellable) body of work at the show and (6) people who jury under 2 or 3 mediums with the same work.  I'm seeing these situations at almost every show.  If we're ever going to create a level playing field, it has to STOP!

BUY/SELL:  We all know that's where the "vendor" buys product somewhere else at a very low price  (i.e. overseas or even the U.S.) and merely sells it at a show at high margins and/or volume, when the vendor had no involvement in the creation or production.  There is absolutely no place for that in a fine art show.  Don't tell me that we need to give customers "something they can afford".   Patrons who want that kind of product already have an outlet (almost every chain store in USA).

GROUP OPERATIONS:  I've seen this a few times with jewelers (and it might also exist in other mediums), where one manager has 2, 3 or more people apply to a show under their individual names; yet all product is owned and managed by one central manager.  It is likely that the product is either buy/sell or mass produced.  Each booth might have a different style (silver vs. gold, vs. something else), but the central manager collects all the monies and apparently runs the entire operation, even though the promoter thinks he/she has several individual artists creating their own work.  This is deceptive and, when proven, the artists and manager should be banned.

MASS PRODUCED ITEMS:   Artists who create and produce their own work are seriously disadvantaged by people who subcontract their product to mass production factories.  In these situations the "artist" is no more than the outside sales person for the product.  He/she may have created the original design, but is no longer involved in production because it is mass produced by any idiot that can push the machine start button and take the finished product off the machine.

CO-ARTIST TEAMS EXHIBITING IN MULTIPLE SHOWS:  I've seen many instances where Co-Artist Teams actually exhibit at two shows on a given weekend.  Upon inquiry, I hear that "oh, this is my work and that is his/her work".  Yet they applied as a "team" of co-contributors.  It's not a problem for two people to have different works.  But when they apply as a team, and do not exhibit as a team, that is a problem!  They are stealing a booth from another more deserving artist.

JURY IMAGES DO NOT MATCH BOOTH DISPLAY:  I'm seeing this more often every month.  Artists having difficulty jurying into a top shows with their "saleable" art are sending jury images with totally different bodies of work.  The problem arises when the artist sets up his booth with only his saleable items and never shows the juried body of work.  Art shows should always have a notebook with the jury slides and booth shot to compare the actual artist booth display at the show.  Where it is not consistent, artist should be confronted and told he/she cannot exhibit bodies of work which were not juried into the show.  No exceptions!

MULTIPLE MEDIUMS:  I've seen people who submit applications into two or three mediums and over time get accepted into each of the mediums.  Yet when their display is the same work.  It has to be one or the other.  It CAN'T be all three.

I just exhibited at the Scottsdale Arts Festival.  I was near someone who I suspected as a buy/sell or mass production operation.  When I saw that the name plate had two co-artists names but I only saw the one same person exhibiting all weekend, I was even more suspect.  Now I have googled their name, found out about their production company that has been selling their items wholesale since 1972, company listed as 11-50 employees, sells through numerous retail outlets and does 40+ shows a year, etc.  I continued to search and found one of the co-artists listed as a participant in Howard Alan's Juno Beach Art Show, which happened the same weekend they were in Scottsdale.  

I have since sent a lengthy letter to the Scottsdale promoter and informed them of my findings and asked that they take action.

Perhaps this was the "straw that broke the camel's back", so to speak, at least for me.  I've just read the blogs about certification and others to try to fix what's wrong with our industry.  Certification is not the answer!  The buck is always going to stop with the promoter.  So it is up to all of us to educate the promoters and inform them of wrongdoings as they occur.  But not just so they can slap the hand of the current artist, but to take corrective action in the future and perhaps even ban the offending artist.

And it's not just enough to take action at the current show.  It is essential for promoters to communicate with each other and compare notes.  I know a lot of times a director at one show is a juror at another show and vice versa.  This is where each promoter's database of offending information should be shared with each other.  

This is the only way we will make the playing field level for all.