Well, I was going to start this post with the time-honored "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." opening, but in my journalism days, that lead would get your copy shredded faster than a mushroom in a lawn mower.
But if I COULD bring myself to write that, it would be an appropriate way to describe this most schizoid of shows. Impeccably organized, with amenities galore for both artists and show-goers alike: Great entertainment, a robust food court, a huge and hard-working volunteer stafff, artist breakfasts, artist lunches, a constant stream of golf carts to carry artwork for patron pickup. Whew! But this 3-day event had more twists and turns than a Swedish body massage.
Setup was on Friday, and at least on Central Ave., a breeze. You checked in at a specific gate, depending on your booth location, showed your ID, and got your packet, stuffed with discount coupons for local eateries, full-color map, and more. (The most thoughtful touch, to me, was the inclusion of three "Free Monday" passes that you could hand out strategically to be-backs who had bought $10 single-day admission tickets. This would give them a way to return on Monday and buy from you after measuring their wall space [or whatever]).
The show is laid out in the shape of a cross: Most artists were aligned, face to face, north-south along Central Avenue for about 1/3 mile. Artist parking was plentiful at the north entrance, and it was an easy walk to your booth.
Tents are tightly packed pole-to-pole, but there are sidewalks behind the east-facing artists and lots of grassy areas behind the west-facing folks, so storage was ample. A smaller quantity of artists were set up along University Ave., the east-west street, which seemed to be the main entrance for patrons, and also housed the young artists' tent, show sponsors, vendors, entertainment stage, and food court. (Artists and "vendors" were not commingled, but I'd invite some of you other AFI'ers to comment on whether the music got in the way of your ability to talk with customers; I was too far away to tell.)
Central Ave. is almost perfectly designed for a show: wide enough for two rows of tents and booth-side parking of even the widest RV for unloading, while still allowing a lane for other artists to get by. I was in and out in two hours, looking forward to the start of the show.
Saturday morning was a bit muggy, but fortified by the fine artist breakfast as well as the muffins I'd scarfed at my hotel, I was ready for action.
To this first-timer, it looked like Art Show Nirvana. Day 1 brought large, well-heeled crowds through the gates, and by day's end I was two-thirds of the way toward my sales goal for the weekend, with a take that nearly touched my sales from the previous weekend's (successful) show. Not a lot of sales, but the ones that bought, bought big. As the show closed at 6 PM Saturday, I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the show that bankrolled my summer trip up north, all by itself.
I got to the show a bit late on Sunday (the first time that's ever happened), having gotten caught in traffic due to an early-morning fatal crash on I-95. I had one of my neighbors' business cards with me, so I called them to let them know I was running late in case anyone asked. Thanks to their gracious offer to help me unzip and move my back stock out of the booth when I arrived, I was ready by the time the first customers came by from the main entrance at 10:15.
Sunday's weather was tropically muggy and increasingly breezy, conditions you see here more often in mid-May than in February. The crowds came out in force, but few came in to browse and chat, preferring to stand at tent's edge and hand me compliments instead of credit cards. As we watched the crowds stream by, my neighbors and I agreed that for the most part, the experience was like setting up a lemonade stand on the median of nearby I-95: people might see you, and they might even like lemonade, but it wasn't worth the risk of pulling over to actually buy a glass. I eked out two decent sales, but the other five purchases were small items. Considering the thousands of people that had strolled by over the first two days, my customer count was surprisingly low.
"Ah, well," I rationalized as I headed wearily back to my hotel room 20 miles south in Boynton Beach. "At least I hit my sales goal for the weekend. So on Monday, I'm playing with house money."
Monday dawned at least 10 degrees cooler than the previous two days, as a front moved through overnight: Perfect show weather, I thought. But the holiday crowd was lighter, a mix of elder retirees and young parents who brought their children to an art show on their day off. It was fun talking with kids about photography and birds and wildlife, but not profitable. My average sale per customer dropped from the $200 level down to $25 (!) on day 3. The fact that I don't normally have a $25 price point should tell you how many of my customers were youngsters getting my student discounts.
So, although this well-known show was nicely profitable (three days' hotel expenses notwithstanding), and it brought in the promised huge crowds, it was certainly not the Naples National. Like most shows, artists around me reported varied success. Jewelers mostly seemed happy, though the first-timers next to me weren't selling in line with their expectations. There were several artists around me who had items with low price points (i.e., handbags, hats, and "ribbon designs"--colorful hand-made chokers, bracelets, and necklaces) who were busy all three days. I saw a reasonable amount of 2-D art walking to the exits on the first two days, but if I had to guess, more of it was large-scale photography than paintings, acrylics and the like. Several traditional 2-D artists near me either zeroed, or sold only reproductions. (Another told me she did pretty darn well.)
Speaking of which, this show, in my opinion, does everything humanly possible to keep buy-sell and schlock art out of the show, including very specific rules on the type of work that can be shown (i.e., no t-shirts, work that includes celebrity likenesses, well-known artwork, etc., etc. You need to display a "Process Statement" that describes how you make your work. There are also rules about the quantity and labeling of reproductions for traditional 2D artists. Lots has been said about these topics in these forums, of course, but it would be interesting to hear from others about whether you think these rules were effective here.
The consensus gleaned from the conversations I had with neighbors and friends were: Decent show, exceptionally well organized and run. Still lots of high quality work, but "not what it used to be."
I didn't talk with the show organizers, and as noted, this was my first visit. But I wouldn't be surprised if the perceived drop in quality might be a conscious effort to provide a wider range of price points to visitors. It would be great if some of the AFI veterans of this show (Nels, of course; Steve Vaughn, and others who I wished I had had time to meet with and visit) could weigh in below with their perspectives.
Some tips for participation in this show (take from them what you will):
* Book your hotel room early. This is the busiest holiday weekend of the snowbird season.
* Bring your ID and process statement, and set your booth up with work representative of what you submitted to the jury. They check.
* Wear comfortable shoes. 3 days is a grind!
* Get a business card from a neighbor or two during setup. It might come in handy in an emergency.
* Spiff up your booth display so it entices attention. You've gotta be seen!
* Bring your fans, even if the forecast suggests you won't need them.
* If you're on the west side of Central Avenue, the grass is thick and spongy. You won't need your rug. Likewise, there's a six-inch curb along that side of the street. If you're a jeweler or someone else with a display case that you normally put in the very front of your booth, consider it moving it toward the back of the booth a foot or more. Otherwise, your customers may barely have enough room to stand and view your merchandise!
* Make sure you have lower price point items for Monday.
* Read all the artist information provided to you and take advantage of the coupons and patron passes. Despite its large size, this is a show that really does try to help you find your slice of the pie.
Des Moines Arts Festival.
Visit the D & W Events website for more information and to download an application: 
