This is my first blog post and first show review. I will do my best. I am a jeweler who works in silver and incorporates freshwater pearls and semi-precious stones and beads. My pieces range from $40 to $600. This was the first time I had done this show.

SoNo Arts Celebration has been around for 35 years and is located in South Norwalk CT - a affluent community just outside the New York City area. It was a wonderfully juried show, well balanced with good mix of artists - both 2D and 3D - with a wide variety of price points and good quality. The layout seemed to be a bit confusing but the show is on the small side so patrons seemed to figure it out and get to all areas.

There were plenty of volunteers available for set-up and tear down and even people helping with traffic control for tear-down which cut down on the frustration level. I had a great location right on a corner so I could set up with three open sides for maximum exposure. 

The weather was in the mid 80's and a bit humid. Sunday started off with rain but by 11:00 the sun had come out. The show has family components but this is not the focus and it provides diversion for the kids. There are musical components as well and I was a bit worried when I saw that there was an entertainment tent set up just the other side of the street from my space but my my fears were dispelled when I found out that the music would be acoustic without any amplification. Patrons could stop and enjoy the music if they wanted and it was not at all intrusive, The more raucous musical acts are kept at the far end of the food court area or are scheduled during the friday night kick-off or in the evening after the artists close up. I wish more shows would do this. It provides a well rounded event while being respectful of the artists and their needs.

I had high hopes for this show. It seemed like a great location. I had feedback from previous exhibitors in my category that were mostly favorable. I had a place to stay for free and the location was within my limit of a 6 hour drive. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a complete bust for me.

Attendance was sparse and most of them were "middle walkers". They don't want to get to close to the booths or make too much eye contact because they are not there to buy - they are there to have lemonade, see their neighbors and walk their dogs. Those who did venture into the booths were "just browsing". I got plenty of favorable feedback on my new designs and my price points. There were even a fair amount of ooh's and ahh's but none of this translated to sales.

Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), I had plenty of time to leave the booth to my helper and venture out to talk with other artists and found most were experiencing much of the same. From painters to potters to jewelers - sales were slim to none. It seemed that many barely made their booth fee and some, including myself, left having lost money. I counted myself lucky to have invested only the jury and booth fee and $80 worth of gas for my very economical vehicle.

This is really too bad. The organizers did a great job. The show looked great. The weather was a bit warm and sticky, but that is the norm for this area. Was it the downturn the stock market took just before the weekend? A few of the musicians I talked to mentioned that - as well as one or two of the women who ventured into my booth.

If only a few more people could have parted with a few more dollars. I wanted to stand in the middle of the street with a bullhorn and exclaim - "come on people, we ARE the economy" but I didn't think that would win me any points. On the upside - I have plenty of inventory for my next two shows. Let's hope that I don't bring it home with me again.

Calling all artists:

1) Applications for the important shows begin to be due in Setember, 2011 through January, 2012. And then it can be over for the big shows.

2) I am asking all experienced artists in the major categories to state your expertise and then which shows you consider the top ten. THEN, which shows YOU are actually applying to show in 2012. Thanks for sharing!!

3) We know we need to get professional pictures taken NOW, our booth shot MUST include all three walls (NO one inside and no signs)........there's lot's of advice out there. on AFI. Go to Larry Berman's website if you need more:

http://bermangraphics.com/

Thanks,

Linda

In a recent post, Larry Berman reminded us to not submit a photo to zapp or any other show for that matter where the DCSF number might include the DATE of the picture. WHY? Because if you are submitting a beloved photo from 2007 for a 2012 show, the jururs might toss you thinking this is your old work....and it is five years OLD!

So I thought about what I submit.

I enter names like "All That Jazz", "Spring Ice". "Victorian Vanity" or "Mesmerize Me".

As we approach the new year of applications, I wonder, do naming your entries something smart, annoy or catch the jurors minds?

What do you do?

Target Painting, And The Hazards Thereof.

Passably good weather, a pleasant venue, close to home. What more could an artist ask from a local show? Good sales would be a start. And FAATV, run by long-time artist and organizer Donna Beaubien, did not disappoint this past weekend. Hooray!

parkerparker booth -- Fine Art at the Village, August 2011

The show happens twice a year in the upscale Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, near Oakland University, in the Village Shopping Plaza, a manufactured shopping development with winding streets and the usual mix of Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Parisian and some nice restaurants. Setup is easy, with booths along one side of the street, all facing west, and along two short spurs, where the booths face each other. The show is small, and easy to walk, so there really aren't any bad spots. I was up near the Chico's, with a double booth. Setup runs from 5:30 Friday night til as late as you need. Since we live close, we showed up around 6:30, after the vans and little vehicles have had a chance to get in and get unloaded. It took about 4 hours all told, from setting up the booth to hanging the art and turning on the lights. We closed up and went home to a late supper of fresh tomatoes and basil pasta with salmon. Yum. No tequila, though.

The show opens at 10AM on Saturday, and runs until dusk, 8PM. Saturday morning started out cloudy, but warm. There was rain in the forecast, but it didn't deter a few hardy souls from coming out and buying. Our neighbors, Arlene and Michael Parker, veteran jewelers, felt the crowds were down from previous shows, and it certainly seemed that way. There were people on the streets, but it was never crowded. At about 3, we had a good downpour, which cleared out almost everybody. It rained for about half an hour or so, and then the sun tried to make an appearance. People came back, and did a little more shopping, and then it rained a little more. But the shoppers who were out did seem to be buying. The alphabet letter photographer kept selling pieces, and I saw other small 2D art going by. I sold quite a few smaller prints, and a couple of framed pieces, and by the end of the day was pleasantly surprised at the total. Better than Glencoe, and better than Ann Arbor's grueling four day slog, even.

Sunday the show opens at a civilized 12PM, but people are out on the streets looking for bargains by 11AM. Many artists opened, and while there was traffic, it seemed as if there were more browsers. My sales were down from Saturday, but the forecasted rain seemed to hold off. It looked as if it would pass us by, until about 4:30, when we got a brief drencher. The show closes at six, so most of the tents had a least a chance of being packed up dry. We took our time, and finished up with a nice quiet dinner at Bravo at 8:30. While we weren't the last to pack up, the circus had mostly left town by 8.

The art at this show is a pleasant mix of local artists and out-of-towners. Rich Wood and Paul James, both local photographers, were there. Diane Sicheneder, a watercolor artist, took Best in Show. Bob Daly, a wood turner also won an honorable mention. Newcomer Natasha Frederickson was next to us with some intriguing metalwork. SuEllen DeLong was down the street from us, and there was no lack of nice jewelry. Sponsor booth were interwoven between groups of artists, mostly at the intersections, and included Marvin Windows, and some odd local chiropractor or some such. There's a good mix of work, from jewelry to painting, and I think Donna does a good job keeping out most of the riff-raff. While there were awards this year, there was no prize money. The money that would have been used for prizes goes towards local advertising, and it does bring folks over to the show. You can even get a Hunter House slider from the tiny truck parked in next to the kids playground. They are tasty, too. Good fries. For healthier fare, the Whole Foods at the end of the block has a full salad bar.

Me and Maggie Moo (that's me on the left)

All in all, we enjoy doing this show, partly because it's so low-key and easy to do. We get to sleep at home, we see some old friends, and we make some moola. Some years we sell better than others here, but we usually make a little profit regardless. If you're in the Michigan area already, put this on your list for next year, either the mid-May show, or the August version.

It is always interesting to see the PR that comes from the shows from the local media. Here are a few from this past weekend:

Not sure if this headline would make me want to attend this show in the Cleveland area: Lakewood Arts Festival a Sweltering Success... http://lakewood-oh.patch.com/articles/lakewood-arts-festival-a-sweltering-success#photo-7290581

We all know that the real biggie this weekend (650 artists at the main event and even more at two smaller events) is taking place in Minneapolis this weekend at the Uptown Art Fair. Here's what the CBS affiliate says:  350,000 People Crowd into Minneapolis Weekend Art Fairs. http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/08/06/350000-people-crowd-into-mpls-weekend-art-fairs/

Not sure about this one. The Mystic Outdoor Art Fair (CT) used to be pretty highly regarded so what do you think about this headline: Outdoor Festival to feature Children's Art   http://www.thewesterlysun.com/mysticriverpress/news/outdoor-festival-to-showcase-children-s-art/article_24faf960-be9a-11e0-9892-001cc4c002e0.html

Then there is this ominous headline for the Park City (UT) Kimball Arts Festival, "Economy paints a darkening picture as artists arrive in Park City"...  http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_18625639

But here's a more positive spin on that event, "Art festival partnerships benefit Park City", http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_18625679

And why don't we hear more hear about the Asheville, NC, Village Art and Craft Fair? Is it strictly a regional event? It is held on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate and partly sponsored by the prestigious New Morning Gallery... here are more details on this one:  http://www.goupstate.com/article/20110804/ARTICLES/110809837/1097/sitemaps04

Do you "like" this post with all its info? If so, will you please click on the "Like" button -- this spreads the word about the art fair business and publicizes the conversation about art fairs on Facebook increasing the interest in the shows and bringing more people to attend. Please click on the Like.

Booked this show because of it's long history and ranking (#12) in the Sunshine Artists Mag.  We sell wooden Irish Treasure Boxes, and only a small handful of vendors found their sales to be as good as the prior year.  Unemployment high in this area (I am told) and folks are uncertain about what is going on (or NOT going on) in Washington......so maybe that is why there were so many lookers and not too many buyers.  We will make expenses and a few $ more for our pockets.  Despite it's ranking, we will not do this show again.  Nice promoters but just not a buying crowd.

Just found out this morning that Bill Kinney from Paragon had to cancel his upcoming show in East Meadow, LI.  I was bummed, because I had planned on spending the whole month of September on LI, visiting home.  Man plans, God laughs.  Anyway...

So now I have an open weekend, Sep 23-25, and there are a couple of shows that are near where my show the following weekend is in Hendersonville, NC.  I'm looking at all my fellow artists' reviews of Atlanta's Midtown festival, and Charlottes's Freedom Park show.  I could stay north one more weekend and try Armonk.

This is all contingent upon there being empty booths that the promoter might have.  So far, I've been lucky in that respect-many of my New england shows were past the app deadline, but they had open spaces (which may be a bad sign too, but I'd rather try to make money and network than sit on my butt for a weekend)

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?

I'm working on my show reviews of New England that I've done.  Promise I'll get them out shortly!!

I try to bring cash with me to art festivals. Sometimes I don't have to pay tax and this also saves the artists from paying those ridiculous usage fees. Well those $20 bills were flying out of my wallet today.

This is one of my favorite shows of the summer. Lots of great artists, wide spacious layout, a lot of restaurants so you get to eat real food and cool off, parking is easy, close and covered. The only way this show would be better is if the artists gave the work away.

Oh wait, there is another way the show could have been better--if those damn stone birds were not in the show. Yep, they're baaaaaaaack. They even had a good booth location which really was disturbing (only to me obviously). They were next to a commercial vendor but still. 

I don't understand why but as usual there was very little ceramics or glass. Most of the ceramics were functional and the glass was pretty unimaginative. The only Amdur show that has interesting c & g is Port Clinton. Maybe artists aren't applying or the judges don't like it but it is kind of weird.

There were plenty of AFI'ers there--Diana Ferguson, Donna Sauers, Bo Mackinson, Ray Mosteller, Carol Pflughoeft, Jane and Susan Shaffer and Carla Bank. I boothsat for Carla while she went to meet Diana and it was so much fun watching the faces on the kids as they saw the candy pictures and heart pictures. It was also fun to see the parents ask the kids which pictures they liked best and in some cases they came back to buy. Get the kids interested while they are young.

It is really nice when you are looking forward to a show and it doesn't let you down.  I only went home when I ran out of money.

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I hope Pascalina is not holding her breath waiting for my response.  

Did anyone else get this?

I wanted to know the view of artists when it comes to patrons taking photos of your art work. I have been known to delete photos from cameras of those taking pictures without my permission. I don't quite understand the reasoning of artists that just let people come in to their booth with these huge cameras and take photos of their work...mainly 2-D art. I had a person with the the Sheriff Dept several years ago take a photo...made cards out of my art, photoshop my name out of the image and then used it as the Holiday Greeting card for the sheriff dept. I had to hire a lawyer send a letter and hope this person ceased...if not it was my understanding that it could cost 'me' several thousand dollars to fight this person in court. That translates to time and money I could not afford to be wrapped up just to slap someone else on the wrist.

Recently at an art show. I stopped a woman from taking a picture of my art and she was very upset. It was on a Sunday and after the show Rick and I decided to eat then go back and tear down our booth. We took our name tags off and went to a local diner only to be seated behind the same woman without her knowledge that we were there. As her friends came to join her they started sharing on their cameras the different images that they were going to go home and print out. Photo taking has become very common at the art shows and it just surprises me how many artist really don't mind one way or another if a customer takes a picture. My question is, why should they buy your art when they can just go home and print it out? I would welcome views on this topic...I'm not a guard dog...however, when it comes to protecting my art I have had to learn to watch my booth very carefully.

By early August, nobody really needs to read another review that talks about the heat, and besides, I'm tapped out of metaphors on the subject.  But as long as heat continues to keep folks from venturing to art fairs, or shuts down the neurons controlling impulse buying and pursestrings, it's relevant. 

And so it was at Cooper River last weekend.  Low 90s and drenchingly humid for Friday setup; drier but low 90s (again) on Saturday and Sunday.  Run by Bill Kinney of Paragon Events, this is definitely an "Art in the Park" kind of show: in a large lakeside park a few blocks off the main shopping drag, with no shopping venues or restaurants close at hand.  Crowds were light all weekend. To be fair, some of the folks who showed up really wanted to be there.  But a sizeable number were browsers who just came to the park hoping for a breeze or bike ride and got curious when an art show happened in front of them. 

Visitors were unfailingly friendly and fun--I'm a Philly guy, these are my peeps!--and Cherry Hill is only five miles across the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia.  But it wasn't really an art-buying crowd.  I made about three times booth fee, and felt lucky to have done that.  One of my neighbors, who runs one of those "spell-anything-with-photo-letters" businesses that I'm seeing more and more of these days, barely covered expenses and said that if it wasn't his worst show ever, it was close.  A couple of high-end 2-D artists I spoke with fared no better.  Even the burger-and-lemonade vendor near me said that it was a break-even event for him.  Now that's surprising!

To his credit, promoter Kinney wasn't all roses and sunshine in a post-show letter to his artists, citing the unrelenting heat, humidity, and even "indecision over...raising the debt ceiling" as factors in the "spotty" buying, though he noted that some artists' sales "left them happy given the brutal circumstances." He also shared details on his advertising spend and media placement for the show.

I appreciate Bill's efforts--he's a pretty straight shooter and knows how to recruit and run a show (although the 6 PM close on Saturday made little sense to me, with nothing to draw people to the show over the dinner hour). But although the park's ample parking lot and wide-open spaces made setup/teardown a breeze, that was the only breeze to be had all weekend, and the few shade trees around all lined the bike path, meaning they were unable to provide relief to artists and patrons.  I suspect this is a great venue for a spring or fall show, but in the dead of summer, the odds are against this being a comfortable show to do, or to attend. 

I needed to wait a week to write my comments about Ann Arbor.  A friend of mine called me last Thursday and she said she still hadn't recovered from the grueling 4 day show. I was feeling the same, except that I had another setup on Friday and then 2 more days of direct sunlight. So, it's taken me another week to get it together. 

I think I am uniquely qualified to talk about Ann Arbor because I have watched this show for 45 years from different perspectives.  When I was 15 years old, I thought I was an intellectual.  I joined a summer group that introduced me to a lot of very cool things.  We listened to Coltrane and Charley Parker.  We read Ginsberg poetry and James Joyce novels. We went to the old Hillsberry theater to see Shakespeare and to the movie theater to see "Raisin in the Sun," Lastly, we took a trip to Ann Arbor to see the art fair.  In those days the show was on just South University and East U. Artists leaned there paintings against ladders and potters displayed their pots on old crates. That was 1964.  After I got out of college, in 1972, I ended up working as a store manager and buyer in the shoe business.  We had 6 stores in Michigan and I ended up at the Ann Arbor store on South U., where I ran our store for 2 years. During the Art Fair we brought all our sales merchandise from the other stores and set up racks on the street.  We did 1/3 of our yearly business during those 4 days.  In those days, the Ann Arbor Art Fair was the premier show in the country and many of the artists were museum quality. Realizing that retail was not for me, I went back to school and took clay classes at a college.  I started doing art fairs in 1981 and got into the State Street show in 1982 and I have done it off and on for the past 30 years.

By the time I got into the Ann Arbor shows, they had morphed into 3 shows, the Original, State Street, and the Guild.  The reason for this was that the whole business community wanted to get into the act of selling their old merchandise during an otherwise slow time.  This worked throughout the '80s and the '90's because the artists did well and the merchants did well.  But, make no mistake, this was always about the merchants selling their wares.  We were just there to get the people to come to Ann Arbor.  The show committees never did much for the artists but it didn't matter because we did really well.  And expenses were low. You could get a room at the Michigan League or the Bell Tower for less than $80.  You could park in a lot for less than $5, but, if you got there early and left after 10PM you didn't have to pay anything. Show fees were less than a third of what they are today.

In those days, the Original show was considered the best show, State Street next, and then the Guild.  But it worked because once you got into your show and got a space, you stayed in your space for years so that your customers could find you. The shows had grown to over 1200 exhibitors. Consequently, the quality of the 3 shows remained high and there wasn't much difference in the shows.  Everyone had their preferred space.  I know plenty of great artists, like John Long, who had a spot on Main Street(the Guild Show), for years. The State Street show liked to put its best artists on North University to compete with the Original show.  I was on North University in those days and I loved my space.  North U. did not have any vendors on the street except for Moe's Sport Shop.  The rest of the street was dedicated to the artists. I regularly did between $6000 and $10000, which in todays dollars would be $10K-$18K. The Ann Arbor shows were considered in the top 2 shows along with Coconut Grove.

In the late '90' things were starting to change.  Sales were still good, but, we would hear grumbling from the merchants wishing we weren't there.  And, you'd hear about the locals saying they go out of town during the event.  And, it seemed like everyone with a parking lot or an empty building were renting out spaces to anyone willing to pay for it. And, the 3 legit shows kept adding booths, opening new streets. Starting around 2001 things started to change.  Attendance started to go down very slightly.  The buyers starting staying home because the shows had gotten too big.  None of the serious art buyers wanted to wade through all the junk to get to the good stuff.  Even though sales were off all little, they were still good, so, nobody really complained.  

Things really started to nose dive in the mid 2000's(2005? I'm guessing) when the Original Show had a problem with the South University Area Association.  I can't speak to the problem because I don't know any of the details, but, the Original Show was moved to the campus on North University abutting the State Street Show. The SUAA started their own show in the same location of the old Original and now there were 4 legit shows.  Show fees started to skyrocket, there was absolutely no free parking anywhere, and if you wanted to stay at the Bell Tower it would cost you $350 for a room.  It is my opinion that the attitude of the merchants and Ann Arbor, in general, crossed a line.  They never welcomed us warmly except to thank us for bringing all that business to the local community. But then around 2005 it seemed that they started taking us for granted.  Many, many really great artists stopped doing the show and over the years are being replaced with average or really poor exhibitors. And, more and more commercial vendors showed up on the streets and in spaces where artists used to be.  And still, none of us really complained, except a few of us, because sales were still decent and since the majority of exhibitors hadn't done these events during the golden age, they accepted the status quo.

Then came this year, and because of the heat, which kept people away and kept people from buying, you are all whining and saying all the things that I have been saying for the past 10 years.  I agree with everything that was said in Nels review and everything that was said in the comments.  I've always been accused of whining too much.  I really glad some other people stepped up to the plate and said what needed to be said.  This was the worst year ever in the history of the show.  I would have been embarrassed to show some of the things that I saw being sold in the booths.  With the reputation that Ann Arbor has, you would think they could attract better art.  Oh yeah, ridiculously high booth fees, high parking fees, inflated hotel rooms, and commercial vendors encroaching on the artists spaces.  Maybe the smart ones are doing something else.  On any weekend there are now 5 shows to chose from.

Some of you talked about reducing the hours and making the show 3 days.  That will never happen.  Nothing will ever change because the Ann Arbor events are about and have always been about the merchants selling their sales merchandise.  I heard some grumbling about boycotting the shows.  None of you have the balls or the commitment to do that and that would be the only way to change things. As I've said many, many times we create business for any community that has a show.  That, in turn, creates taxable income, so that the city and the state benefit from our being there.  Ironically, no other community benefits more from a show than Ann Arbor and no community takes us for granted more than Ann Arbor.  So, unless you are willing to make a real commitment, nothing will ever change.

Now about the economy and the show in general:  I talked to a lot of people.  The thing that makes the Ann Arbor shows great is that it attracts people from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.  No other show does that and because of that fact, there is always the possibility of making great sales no matter what the conditions are.  What was missing this year were the buyers from the North suburbs of Detroit, who make up the majority of the buyers at this show.  It was way too hot.  The radio stations were telling people to stay inside and not go anywhere, which meant not coming to the show.  And in talking to everyone, it seemed that everyone I talked to were from other states.  I talked to nobody from West Bloomfield, Birmingham, etc. Those people stayed home and that was the real reason why people did poorly.  In fact, there was some indication that things are turning around for those of us that make one of a kind objects.  I base that on the fact that I hadn't seen any gallery owners for 2 years.  I could always count on at least 1 gallery order at any show that I would do.  In the past 2 weeks, including Ann Arbor, I had 4 galleries come into my booth and express wanting to do business again. One gallery had sold all my work this summer and needed more. Two of the galleries were galleries that that I had sold to regularly in the '90's but hadn't bought in the past 10 years.  They are now eager for new work.  Because of this, I feel that things are turning around for us. 

I will probably do the show next year because I've always accepted the situation and am willing to live with it.

Ok here's the meat, along with a few pictures. First off, this is a small show in a small Chicago suburb that lies between Highland Park to the north and Winnetka to the south. Lots of money here, and a very cute little downtown area. The show is on Park Avenue, a block west of Green Bay Road, and on Vernon.

Park Street View, looking west. Middle row of booths on right side.

It's an easy set-up, with two flights two hours apart. Setup continues as late as you need. The layout places artists on both sides of the street facing each other, backs to the businesses, and then there's a third row of booth down the center of both streets. It does add to the energy, as there aren't a lot of people at any given time. Packing the booths in a little tighter makes it seem busier, even when it's not. And there were many times when it was very not busy.

My booth, with Penelope Osio-Brown parked in front of it, watching her booth (off stage left)

I had a spot on the end of the middle row on Park Ave. I was right at the corner, where Park met Vernon. Since the booth had a facing on both sides of the street and in the front, I had to alter my standard corner configuration to allow for doorways on all three sides. There was a bit of space behind the booth, too, so I did have a little space to store the toolbox and a duffel bag. Plus, I was right across from Starbucks. Bonus! Karyn likes Starbucks. And there were a couple of good little restaurants right there -- the Food Stuffs grocery and deli has amazing sandwiches and salads. The Homestyle Pizza place also has good salads. Nobody starves here.

Lots of AFI'ers were there. Geri Wegner came by and introduced herself to Bob and Patti Stern, who were right across from me on the north side. She's a hoot! Hi Geri! Nice to meet you! And Carla Bank stopped by, too. I got snagged by a customer, and by the time I finished answering a question, Carla had gone on. Sorry I didn't get a chance to chat with you more, Carla!

Loel Martin, after making his first sale of the day

Cheryl Ward, PJ Commerford, Wendy Zoschke (L to R)

Marc Zoschke

Stevie Ray Baldauf, doing his rock-star imitation

Paul Zerjay and Jim Parker. Why are we smiling? Who knows!

Stephen and Cheryl Ward, manning two separate booths

Paul Zerjay was there, as were about a million photographers, including Rob and Jim Copeland, Loel Martin, Scott Fishman, Scott Fincher, Igor Menaker. PJ and Dick Commerford were there. So were Wendy & Marc Zoschke, Steve & Anita Baldauf, Cheryl and Stephen Ward. Lots of artshow couples. We had a huge dinner on Saturday night at J. Alexanders in Northbrook. That was fun, but I didn't consume any tequila, Nels. The prime rib sandwich was excellent, and the shoestrings fries are good as long as they're hot.

Rob Copeland, scoping out the competition (me)

Traffic was good early in the morning. People started coming around 9:15, fully 45 minutes before the show opened, on both Saturday and Sunday. Taking advantage of the cooler morning breezes. But sales were like pulling hens' teeth. Everybody was singing the blues on Saturday. Many of the artists still had not made expenses by the end of the day on Saturday. The hours are civilized: 10-5 both days, and so by 5:15 we were on our way to cooler climes. There was a bit of an artist party, with cheese and crackers, but we skipped that, since my niece was visiting with her husband and 7 month baby. 

Sunday wasn't much better. I had a few sales , mostly smaller prints. The Sterns sold a bit, as did our painter friends PJ and Dick, the Baldaufs and the Wards. But mostly it was slim pickins. Paul Zerjay told me that it was one of his best shows last year, and was looking forward to it this year. But somehow the heat kept the buyers away, and by 3PM, the artists were all wandering around talking to each other.

Load out is pretty easy. Big parking lot on the south end of the show for trailers and RVs was reserved all weekend. Again, Amy had two flights for load-out. The artists in the middle were to pack up and bring in vehicles first, then the artists on both sides. In practice, it was easier for most to park outside the show and dolly out. We had a load-out record of 1:45 -- and I was able to bring the trailer in to load, which helped. We hit the road by 7:30, and got home to Michigan at around 3AM. It was an exhausting weekend, mainly because of the heat.

Amy does a good job of organizing the show, publicizing it, and running an up-to-date website. Her communication is excellent, business-like, and she's visible throughout the entire show, along with her green-shirted staff. But she can't force people to come when it's hot out. The thermometer was in the 90's both days, with slightly less humidity than  Ann Arbor. But it was uncomfortable in the sun. There was lots of shade behind the booths, which is where this Streetwise vendor was sleeping, near the Starbucks. And that just about sums up the show. Sleepy, but fun.

StreetWise vendor, working behind Penelope Osio-Brown's booth, near Starbucks. 

I call it "Nightmare on Montgomery Street"

This is billed as an art and fine craft show, boasts a tough jury, apps are through Zapp, cost is 260 for 3 days. There are money awards in categories and one "Award of Distinction" The show is set up around Columbus circle and the streets that come off it like spokes on a wheel. One of the streets, Montgomery, has had its own show for years... a "gypsy" show that has lots of good work but also some bad stuff and some B/S and some groups selling tshirts and posters .

A few years ago they started playing around with the date (never a good thing) and decided to schedule the art show alongside other festivals on the same day, also a bad idea. Why wouldn't a mid-sized city spread the fun around so you have something every weekend to look forward to and to spend unfettered time at? Why make people choose?But I digress.

I was ready to drop the show even though it was once a favorite, but an artist friend recently moved there and lives in a great house in the Strathmore district and always convinces me to keep doing the show because we have fun. Oh, OK. (she won the award of distinction this year after being juried out last year. Ah, sweet irony)

When we got there, we learned that we would be on Montgomery Street, that the Montgomery street show had been moved to a parking lot a block down and across a street that was open to traffic. We would be in front of the entrance to the soup kitchen and we had no less than 4 cops come tell us to never leave the booth and hide our money. I was perplexed and a tad irritated, but nothing compared to what I would feel when I actually left set up to walk to the bathroom.

The first half of our block was commercial. The half that led onto the circle, the half that the customers saw. It was anchored by BathFitters, featuring a lovely chicklet in teeny shorts and a tight shirt posing under the shower head, stepping in and out of the tub. Oh cheeses.

There were home improvement booths, a cutlery guy who looked so mean I was worried about the sharp objects in front of him. 5 booth spaces were left empty so as not to block the cheap clothing sale in a parking lot. Another 4 or 5 spaces stood empty so that a store could set up tables with used books and CD's. There was a wine slushy set up, 2 food booths, there were 2 booths with Native American "Art and Craft" that was neither, face painting, Syracuse University had the corner across from the bathtub gyrations and their book sale took up about 5-6 spaces. The art show resumed after all that crap and then was anchored at the end of the block by a big display from "Boom Baby" another cheap clothing emporium and a soul food cart.There were probably 20 art booths between the crap at the beginning of the and the end of the street.

I could barely see, I was so ticked off. Are you kidding me???

Everyone was upset, including the Montgomery show folks who were shooed off their traditional shady street to do time in the sun on asphalt.

Meanwhile, behind our spot, there were 2 arrests, one loud profane shouting match and an impromptu performance by a young man with an old boom box whose main talent was singing louder than the box and who considered himself part of the show.

  Someone a few booths down from us apparently was offended by the aroma of the storm drain in their spot and covered it. As a result, my booth had ankle deep water in it for several hours on Friday, I could only walk in it barefoot, that's how deep it was. The maintenance crew came by to check it out and said they couldn't do anything about it because the display was set up over it. Oh really? Let me give it a try. Several booths were affected, but mine won the depth award.

Yay me.

Anyway, I would work really hard on adjusting my attitude and start having fun with my customers again and then I would trek to the bathroom or food area and my gut would get knotted up all over again, It was about respect. How do you treat hard working artists and craftsmen this way? I talked to a lot of people in both shows and the verdict was unanimous and ugly.

So, we had little meetings along the street and it was decided that we would not address the issue with the committee in the heat of the moment when we were pissy and they were overwhelmed. We would write individual emails to Laurie, detailing the many problems. Lots of folks just said they weren't going to bother, they were done with the show. I wanted to try to save it. I like Syracuse.

And then the unheard of happened. Sunday afternoon a woman walked into my booth and said "Pat? I'm Laurie, I run this show and I agree with you 100 percent"

OK, how did she know what I was saying and how did she know it was me saying it? I was too stunned to ask.

She proceeded to run down a list of what was wrong, even adding in things I had never mentioned. She promised they would fix it. She explained why some of the problems existed, many of them having to do with the businesses on Montgomery Street.  So just put the show back the way it was, I thought.

One of the volunteers told me the show took over Montgomery because they added 40 artists. Really? Where? Most of the people in my block were veterans. Plus, this show extended their deadline which always makes me wonder. More is not always better, I told her. The word on the street was that the show was not making money so they had to take on sponsors and add booths. They also said the Montgomery Street crew had been a thorn in the side of the "real" show and they were looking for a way to hurt it.

I don't know about any of that stuff. I do know a few things. They had a really lovely show for a long time and over the past few years they have made stupid changes that mortally wounded it. I know that, for me, whether or not I can make decent money with my particular stuff is the major reason I choose a show, but you need to show me a little respect or I am outta there. I know that putting BathFitters in with art booths is a death blow.

On the plus side, I have been branching out with framed collage and I sold a bunch. I am inspired and gratified. And my friend's husband taught me how to make that art show standby food for us vegetarians. Artichoke French! That made the trip worth it.

This one had to be the show from Hell for me. It started going sour a week before. My van decided to go four paws up with a hole in the exhaust system that burned out the oxygen sensors, and then the power steering went out. A rental van wasn't available fro love or money. My old trusty Ford Escort wagon needed a/c which jumped from $800 to $1300 when a computerized control module waqs found to be bad. That gets fixed and the order is placed for a 4x8 U-Haul trailer to get my stuff to the show. Problem was a trailer hitch for it would be special order and wouldn't get there in time. It was a moot point as the promised trailer didn't arrive either.

So I bite the bullet and pack what I can in the wagon, leaving all the big framed pieces behind. The largest pieces I could take were 18x24 frames and some smaller stuff. The wagon is packed to the ceiling and the front seat has a 12 gal tub, my clothes, a tool box, and a cooler. The scary part was strapping 8 Pro-Panels to the roof using a couple of 1x2x4' furring srips to extend the roof rack bars. A couple of tarps to wrap it up and about a hundred feet of clothes line rope, and seeveral prayers and oaths to hope it all stays on top. It did, although with strange noises coming from the roof and tarps all the way from Indianapolis to Detroit.

Now for the show. It was a strange layout, a gigantic L shape that stretched out over a quarter mile along a service road that went around behind a shopping center and several commercial buildings. I was toward the end behind a stand alone Barnes and Noble and a hospital. Way behind those buildings. The space behind the booth was an earthern berm shielding off a condo complex.  The angle was steep and I wished I had brought shims. The guy next to me had several pieces of 2x4, and that helped a bunch, although I still had to dig into the ground with a hand spade to lower the back of the chair.

It was hotter than hell the entire weekend, and I drank more than a gallon of fluid every day and still only visited the nearby portapots once or twice a day. At least twice I gave my chair to a patron who dizzy and ready to pass out. Traffic was very light and many times you could have sent several bowling balls down the lane and not hit anyone. I saw very few people carrying packages the entire weekend.

The organizer was on top of it, and I'll give that to Patty Narovzny. Her crew was evident the entire time, bringing water and snacks around, maintaining security, checking to see how things were going. The judges were efficient and each came around and introduced themselves, and they had a helper with them keeping track of the time they spent in each booth. The judges asked decent questions, which is more than I can say for most shows. Patty came around with one of the judges, and dropped some tidbits to help out. I was sitting behind the booth with a small table in front of me. She told me I should be in front as that was more inviting. I concurred and spent the rest of the show sitting in the doorway at the back of the booth. People talked more, but the traffic was so low that it still didn't translate into better sales.

A few of the artists who had spouses or help in the booth (I didn't) were able to walk the show. Traffic was higher at the entrance and many people just weren't goimng past the corner. Another point of concern is that there were booths at the other end for home builders, window sales, and so on. That sounds more like a county fair to me rather than a high end art show.

The extremely long layout is a fatal flaw, in my opinion, for a show like this. I saw a lot of older people walking the show and heard more than one family group complaining about the long distance to walk. The front end of the show is close to parking and the mall stores, but the other end is off in Siberia, or that weekend, Hell's Half Acre.  Ample room was given for each booth space and if the end person in the group of 5 booths cooperates, the artists in the midddle can set up with a 6 foot space between the booths. Kudos for that.

Top credits for the organization of the show as far as logistics, low marks for the overly long arrangement of the show, lousy turnout which may or may not have ben the promoters fault. I was the last person clearing out as I had to remember how to pack everything back into the compact station wagon (BTW, I have a line on getting a Ford E350 XLT 11/12 passenger van in the next week or so), and a neighborhood person was walking their dog at dusk. He asked how the show was, and I told him truthfully that it was a lousy turnout. He said he usually goes to it, but it was too beastly hot to be out walking around in the afternoons.

Net result was that I had one sale on Saturday which didn't even cover the hotel expense. I would have to be crazy to go back to this show. It's on concrete, the configuration of the show is bad, and a high socioeconomic neighborhood still didn't translate into sales. A repetitive question was "Are these photos or paintings?" That question has seldom been asked so many times.

This was a show where my wife was able to say "I told you so!". She suggested cancelling when the transportation issue was looking grim. I've cancelled one show in 22 years when a vehicle began misfiring badly and blowing oil out of the crankcase back into the air filter when I was about 50 miles from home. I would have saved myself several hundred dollars had I heeded that suggestion this time. It's a shame when everything was in place except the crowd.