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Well.  I waited two days, even posted a blog about safety at shows that get hit with bad weather, and still nobody has stepped up to the plate and talk about the show.

Sorry folks.  Can't depend on me to be the only one that blabs about a show.

Come on--the following were there, and yet there is this eiriely silence  amongst them.  So.  Fulwiler, Jim Parker, and of course the Fobots--you were all there.  Will somebody please kindly step up to the plate.  I have already done plenty of my share.

Oh gee.  Then there was Summerfair in Cincinnatti.  What about that?

Too many of you folks out there reading and not contributing--that sucks!

Just calling a spade as a spade.

OK.  I will admit that I have been doing shots with Munks' cat Bill again, and he  gets me a little testy.

This festival is held at the Seattle Center each Memorial Day weekend, this year was the 40th annual festival.  The festival focuses on music and dance performances and always draws a large crowd, usually around 250,000 people.  The art booths are really a mix of arts and crafts, not many really high end arts.  I did hear that attendance was a bit lower than usual this year and donations to the festival were also down a bit.

This was our third year participating in this festival.  We were assigned a new booth location, at our request, that was much more prominent and visible, the weather forecast was decent for Seattle.  2 years ago the weather was perfect, last year it rained all 4 days, this year was forecasted to be sort of in between.  Having done well both of the previous years and knowing that people come out for this festival regardless of the weather we were anticipating a good show.

The show is well organized, a hospitality room is available, our section leader brought water and snacks around several times, other volunteers brought coffee around a few times.  Load in on Thursday night was very easy, I hear Friday morning was a bit more challenging.  Monday night load out is always difficult in that cars are not allowed on the grounds until after 10 PM so most of us hand truck our stuff.  This year they had a city bus parked in the normal loading zone and it created some chaos at load out until they could get the transit people to move the  bus.

Unfortunately this year our sales were quite a bit lower than previous years, in the end we ended up with sales that would be acceptable for a 2 day local show, not a 4 day grueling show schedule.  Most of the artists around us were experiencing the same pattern, everyone that I talked to who had done this show before was experiencing lower sales, new artists were not doing any better than those of us who had done the show before.   It really didn’t seem to matter which medium, jewelry, fiber, wood, glass, etc. everyone was saying their sales were lower than prior years.  2 different artists we know who have done this show for 14 years and 17 years told us it was their worst ever FolkLife.  This year’s show seemed to attract a younger crowd for a larger portion of the weekend than usual, especially on Friday when sales were particularly horrible for most of the artists.  Saturday was a little better, most of us had our best sales day on Sunday when it seemed like there were a lot more families and older couples in attendance. Monday was about the same as Saturday for most of the artists, although one artist we know had a fantastic Monday after having very low sales all 3 other days.

It's an expensive show to do with a $300-400 booth fee, 15% commission on sales over $700. Parking in downtown Seattle is not cheap, although on Sundays and holidays, street parking was free if you got there early enough to find a spot close to your booth.

Based on 2 out of 3 years of strong sales at this show we'll most likely try this one again and hope this year was an anomaly we won't experience again.

• Parking next to or near your booth for daily loading/unloading (if you heed the advice to pull your pieces at night) for 2 hours.

•  Parking on Friday and Saturday runs in the average of $30 within a block of the square and the price goes down exponentially as you move further away.

•  The security crew is friendly and is just as excited to be there as the artists.

•   The farmers market is trying to make a living, just like us, so use your honey to catch those bees, not vinegar.  They try to accommodate upon request

•    Bus routes and subway routes are within walking distance (Philadelphia is one of the highest ranked walkable cities in the US) and can get you to your hotel across town, or very close to Cherry Hill, NJ--where allot of artist’s stayed.

•    End-of-show packing is always crazy, no matter how much space you have.  With a little patience and communication the parking spaces stretch to meet your needs.

I have put off writing about this festival because I have mixed feelings about it.  There were several AFI members there and I was going to follow their lead on the commentary about this show.

If saying that the only reason I went to this festival at all was to see some AFI'ers, you may get the idea about the show in general.  It is held in a very nice upper middle class community,  load in should be fairly easy since it is held on one street with lots of parking near by.  There is storage behind the booths.  

The GOOD-This is not a large show but the quality this year was an improvement over last year.  In addition to stellar AFI members being there, I noticed a definite upgrade in the artists, for the most part.  They also had live music that was appropriate to the festival and there was a food booth that looked to be manned by locals rather than the usual roving band of food vendors.

The BAD-I think I saw one ad in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago advertising all the DW festivals.  There may have been local ads but I am not local to Deerfield so I didn't see them.  The stick signs on the way to the festival were minimal.  The weather on Saturday was extremely warm, especially compared to what it has been  lately so the contrast was noticeable.  Don't know if this held down crowds as people were finally able to go to the beach or up to 6 Flags.  

The UGLY-I haven't spoken to her but Patti Stern posted on her facebook page that she had two pieces stolen from her booth on Saturday nite.   In the past, this would have surprised me in a place like Deerfield but I am no longer as naive and far more cynical.  This show was not that large that  something like this wasn't noticed so I have to wonder about their security.

The BEST- I got to meet Amy Furgiuele and Michael Stipek.  Both have lovely work and I got to see Michael in action as he sold two framed pictures.  David Hipwell wasn't at his booth as I wandered around.  I got to visit with Patti and Bob Stern also.  

That's about all I have to say about this festival.

      Just finished attending a show for the second year at Winona Lake, Indiana.   The set-up was easy and the layout quite nice.  Winona Lake is a beautiful quaint little town with a lot of character.   It seems to draw quite a few folks from surrounding areas.  The show people are great and they also provide a lunch for you and your spouce.  Saturday night they have a nice meal catered in.   Very friendly atmosphere.  They apprediate artists here in this little town.   Would you believe they even give everyone a small cooler of ice each day to use???

      Sales were okay even with 87 degree heat on Saturday.  Sunday was still quite warm.  I think if the weather would have been a little cooler it would have helped sales alot.   This is a smaller show and they intend to keep it that way, (more pieces of the pie).   I would have a hard time leaving this first weekend of june show for the people are great and treat you like family.    I was told not to tell everyone about the show for it is a sleeper.   I just cannot help promoting it.    I had some problems with my motorhome and they helped in everyway  possible. 

       I have found that the first week in June it is hard to find a good show.   This is was my lucky find thanks to a friend of mine.    If you like being catered to and love small quaint towns with a lot of character and friendship book this show for next year.   I know you will be glad you did.    Gary W> Odmark

I know there have been reviews of this show before, but here is my 2 cents worth.

Philadelphia is a city with only a handful of Art Festivals for a local artist to choose from. There is Rittenhouse Square, which is limited to fine art only (Photography is excluded). There is the Museum Craft show in November which is mostly craft, obviously, and there is the Manayunk Art Festival, open to all. I think maybe this is a good thing, as there isn't any festival fatigue that I hear about in other cities and states.

The city has become more resident friendly in the past 30 years. Any one who knew Philly in the 70's and 80's knows what a transformation has taken place. The new census for 2010 showed a population gain over the past decade, rare for an East coast older city. Rittenhouse Square has always been a residential core, and it has expanded through the years.

This is be an excellent venue for an art festival. This is it's 80th year. I have teachers who showed here when it was a clothes line show for students. The show now takes place on the sidewalk around the square. In the past, it was in the square on the grass. It was moved recently to protect the park. I have only done the show in it's present layout. Set up is on Thursday evening and you park at the curb across from your booth, parking is first come. It can get crowded, but usually you can get a spot near your booth. Some artists wait to set up on Friday morning. I did this last Fall, and was mostly by myself from 7 to 9, when most arrived to finish. This would be my preferred method, except you are sweaty and beat when the show opens at 11.

Friday is a quiet day, 'though there were buyers prowling the square. Because there is no gate or admission charge, people come back two or three days. I got "be backs" coming all three days. Sales were light, but I heard some artists report that Friday was there best day.

Saturday gets busy. On Walnut street, we share the sidewalk with a farmers market that is there every week. Many artists don't like being where the market is. The sidewalk has 6 feet for all to walk past, and it can get jammed. I don't mind it. I think it brings more people to the fair. Just don't get stuck across from the Amish flower farmer!

I had a mushroom guy across from me. I just made a killer mushroom pizza with his fungi!

Sunday is the busiest day. Philadelphia is filled with art aficionados. There is a real mix of young people, families, and of course us older folk. I talked with many artists, and it seems all types of work sold. I have never had a blockbuster show here, but it has been consistently decent. I find I have a better show here in September, which you apply for at the same time.

Parking is expensive ($24 to $28 a day, less on Sunday). I don't know much about hotels, since I live 30 minutes away, but downtown is not cheap, and they don't include parking. My neighbor stayed  around the airport, but I know what a pain in the butt driving there is.

My one bewilderment is this show seems to be ignored by the local media. I would watch the local news for weather updates, and the show was never mentioned. (At Fort Worth the local news broadcast live from the show all weekend) The show director had paid announcements on the local NPR station (WHYY) but their Arts Calendar omitted the show, instead listing some much smaller events. The Philadelphia Inquirer likewise showed no love. This is a common complaint about Philadelphia news media. The visual arts are ignored, supporting the inferiority complex that since we are so close to NYC, there must be no art here.

Load out is like load in, you can bring your vehicle up to your booth at 5:00 right as the show closes. Do this if you can, 'cause it gets crowded at the curb. There is a large group of local art college student exhibitors in the center of the square (a nice touch, I think, to see so much student work. Philly has a large # of art schools, and some teachers require them to "get their feet wet") If you are near an entrance to the park, the students will compete for curb space. Some of them don't parallel park too well!

This blog is aimed mainly at you newbies or any artist who has never been at a show yet where a dangerous weather pattern hits.

I was at Columbus this weekend with Ellen showing too.  We both escaped any damage.  We were lucky, but also did some prudent things.

In the more than 1300 art festivals I have done, I have had my booth leveled twice.  A hurricane, in MARCH at Vero Beach in 1994, leveled my booth and everybody elses.  Winds came thru at 4:30 am clocking at 80 mph.  Had my canopy blown away at Springfest Charlotte.  Nasty winds downtown.

What we are going to discuss does not have anything to do with when you are at a show and you get a rainstorm.  You still need to take proper percautions to keep you and your work dry.

When a nasty storm cell, like what hit Columbus, things can become very serious as evidenced by the pics on Facebook showing the damage.

Most times shows are on top of dangerous weather and give artists a heads up.  Sometimes there is no time for a warning which was the case in Columbus.

If a bad storm is coming here is what you should do.

First, make sure all your weights are properly in place, if are staked to the ground, make sure everything is tight and right.

Second, zip the booth up tight on all four corners.

Third, if there is time, take down all awnings on front and rear--they are just wind-catchers which will endanger your booth.

Fourth, and most important, GET THE HELL OUT OF YOUR BOOTH. Get to a shelter or get to your  van, asap.  Do not try to ride out bad weather from the inside of your booth.  It could cost you your life or a limb.

The natural inclination of most people, when faced with bad winds and storm conditions is to stay and try to physically hold up your walls against the vector forces.  Don't do it.  Flying debris from your neighbor's booth or your own booth can cause nasty, sometimes fatal injuries.  Several artists were injured Saturday by flying objects.

Believe me, it is better to lose your booth and art and inventory then to sustain an injury.  The hospital bills will be much higher.  You can always buy another booth, you can always make more art.  But if injure yourself, it may cost you time in recovery without making art or money.

When winds were buffeting the rear of our booths I was yanking poles off the rear canopies as fast as I could.  Ellen was inside her tent trying to rearrange stuff.  I yelled to her loudly, "Get the hell out of there now, Ellen, go to the van.  She did.

If your booth takes a direct hit, nothing is going to save it.  You could have 10 Shaquille O"Neilles hanging on to your walls and they would be blown away as easily as grains of sand.

If you have a corner spot at a show, it is great for business, but it sucks for bad weather.  You have to be extra vigilant.

What was tough about the Columbus situation was that the show was checking with the local weather and it showed, at 7:15 pm, that really bad weather was supposed to hit around 9:30.  Guess what?  Two minutes later the cell hit.  It  was like it germinated right there at the show.  None of us had any real warning except for two big facts.  You could see the sky was getting dark purple, the temperature was falling fast.  Secondly, as a product of our SmartPhone culture, hundreds of shoppers were all showing the radar to each other.  There was a lot of anxiety.

I noticed it and took the very precautions I have previously mentioned.

After the storm passed, we got out of our vans and surveyed the destruction, it was everywhere around us.  The show said another bad storm was still coming and for everybody to get in their vans or shelter.  This was around 8 pm now.  I looked at Ellen and said, "We have done all we can do to protect our booths and they are still standing.  Let's go get some martinis and eat dinner."

And that is exactly what we did.

PS.  Before we left we helped others, but many did not want any help.

We were lucky.

        REMEMBER, GET THE HELL OUT OF YOUR BOOTH, YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE MORE ART

I just remembered a kind of humorous  situation related to winds at art shows.  Hopefully you will appreciate it too, plus it leaves this blog on a lighter note.

So, about 1985 I was doing a December show on Miami Beach.  I had an early KD canopy like so many others.  Our booths were set up in a narrow park by the water between tall hotels--a classic wind tunnel if there ever was one.

This bad storm hit us late afternoon, winds were in excess of 30 mph.  My neighbor was this little old lady probably about five-feet-tall who was painter.  She had a KD and it was not weighted down anywhere.

So, me and several others are hanging out in our vans behind our booths, smoking hooters and drinking beers.  All of a sudden we hear this tiny plaintive cry through the wind,"Help me, please somebody help me."

We ran over to her tent. The wind was blowing fierce.  She was holding on to the canopy for dear life, and with each sudden gust, she was being lifted four feet off the ground with the canopy.  She kept yelling "Help Me."  

Finally we got six guys on the darn canopy to hold it down and release her.  She was one grateful woman.

The next day I went out and bought my Newton Porto-Canopy which I still use to this day.  It has weathered many bad storms and is till standing.

Festival date confusion allows artists ample opportunity to still apply for the show

(COLUMBUS)- Production staff of the Riverfront Art Festival have agreed to extend the exhibitor deadline to June 22 because of confusion regarding the festival dates.

“It has come to my attention that not all of our artists were aware the dates of the festival had changed to September 30-October 2,” said Mike Collins, Riverfront Events President. “To ensure all interested artists have the chance to apply we will extend the exhibitor deadline for two more weeks. This extension will also allow us to account for the greater growth of the festival.”

This year, with greater sponsorship from local, Central Ohio organizations, the Riverfront Art Festival has the opportunity to give more back to its artists. Each accepted exhibitor will be automatically entered into a contest to win a FREE 10x10 booth. The winning artist will be chosen at random and notified the week after the jury process.

“We’re hopeful with the increased support from our partners and additional programming, this will be the best Riverfront Art Festival to date” said Collins.

Join us for the 2011 Riverfront Art Festival September 30 through October 2, when Genoa Park will play host to more than 150 local and national artists of the highest caliber, featuring a variety of fabrications and designs from fine oil paintings to functional pottery and textiles. While the heartbeat of the festival is the amazing selection of visual artists, the park also features a waterfront amphitheater, which will host our most incredible musical lineup ever - including two nights of WaterFire performances!

For more information please visit www.riverfrontartfestival.com.

Amanda Leeman, aleeman@promotions-one.com, 614.299.8628 -or- 614.425.1591 Communications and Partnership Manager
Mike Collins, mike@promotions-one.com, 614.299.8596 President

This festival is held  on a tree lined street amid beautiful old homes in a very trendy neighborhood of midtown Atlanta. Sounds like a great recipe for an art show right, not so much.

I spoke with several artists who have done this show for a few years and they told me it used to be a good show until it was turned into a drunken music festival. The music was so loud that by the end of the weekend I had a sore throat from trying to talk to my customers.  Good crowds came out but they were not art buying people, they were saving their money for beer and corndogs, good for the vendors, not the artists. The steady stream of people didn't look left or right, they were intent on the libations & entertainment at the center of the festival. It was like watching a parade of zombies.

While I didn't lose money ( close) several around me did, lots of zeros or close to it. I'm sure there might have been a few success stories but no one I spoke with was happy and I made the rounds Sunday morning.

If you have a Red Stripe or meat on a stick concession this is the show for you, but if you're looking to make a paycheck selling your art, look elsewhere.

Many thanks for recent pledges including: Pamella Harris, Judy Zeddies, Marilyn Troutman, Donald Dixon, Marcia Grout and Michael Ries. Your names are went into the drawing for today's winners.

Monday's drawing:

1.  Suzanne Krongold

2.  Barbara McLaughlin

3.  Susan Miller

4.  Melanie Rolfes

5.  Rush Creek

6.  Donald Dixon

7.  Barbara Nelson

8.  Michelle Wermuth

9.  Carolina Niebres

10. Frances Hurst

Please visit the Prize Page to choose your prize. Please email me (info@artfaircalendar.com) your first three choices and don't forget to include your mailing address. Do this as soon as possible please.

Prizes that have already been awarded from Friday's drawing:

1.  Dorraine Watts - Kindle

2.  Brian Bass - pottery from Sarah Silva

3.  Tahmi DeSchepper - digital services from Larry Berman

4.  Shirley Baker - weights from CanopyWeights.com

5.  Scrap Felt - subscription to Sunshine Artist

6.  Woody Smith - peanut brittle from AuntieM's

7.  Lenore Lampi - free booth space at any Howard Alan Event

8.  Barbara Johnson - polaroid mobile printer

Congratulations to them!

Everyone who pledges receives our AFI insignia bumper sticker, the "Red Dot". Please send me your mailing address so we can get these out to you.

We will be drawing names again on Wednesday morning for the remainder of the prizes. If you'd like to be included in the drawing - and you think this website is worth supporting - pledge today!

This has been a whirlwind week for us with this pledge drive and the two podcasts. Once again many thanks to all who have pledged to keep our websites alive and happy and continuing to make your art fairs more satisfying to you in every way, physically, emotionally and monetarily.

We have a bunch of prizes to award to those who pledged. We have chosen the following names using the www.Random.org site. Instead of directly awarding a specific prize will the following people please contact me and let me know their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices, as I know not everyone wants web consulting or a Kindle or some of the other prizes on the list. You can find the prizes here: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/pledgedrive.html

The winners are:

1. Dorraine Watts
2. Brian Bass
3. Tahmi DeSchepper
4. Shirley Baker
5. Margaret Hagopian-Slack
6. Scrap Felt
7. Woody Smith
8. Steph Mader
9. Lenore Lampi
10. Barbara Johnson

Please have your choices to me by midnight June 5.

Everyone who has pledged is receiving:

• an official Art Star on their profile page on this site (going up soon)

• a "Red Dot" bumper sticker. Please send me your mailing address so I can get those out to you.

Haven't pledged yet? Get in on the next round of prize drawings. Pledge here now.

Next prize drawing at 9 am on June 6.

Preparing Your Images

Thanks for the Advice, Larry!

• white
• grey or
• black?

What did I do?

1. I erased any extraneous accoutrements (like on the purses, the wire I used to hang them)
2. I removed all the original background
3. I added a layer of pure black behind the original image
4. I made several copies of the image and using various tweaks adjusted the color, saturation and contrast to better reflect the reality of each piece
5. I sized the image to match the requirements of the major online application site (Zapp!) or 1920 pixels square
6. then I optimized each image (high resolution jog) to upload into my media file on the Zapp site.

Rick Bryant, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of Arts in State College, PA, just sent me this jpg of his show's 2011 t- shirt. Isn't it amazing? It is by assemblage artist Robert Villamagna of Wheeling, WV (www.robertvillamagna.com). The name of the image is "Surrender Rabbit."

The next person to make a pledge will with this t-shirt!

Our deepest sympathy is extended to our artist friend, Eugenie Torgerson, and her family upon the sudden loss of her son, Ryan, who died unexpectedly this week. Although, I was unable to locate an obituary, I did find this website with many wonderful tributes to this young man. 

http://209.216.63.141/news/news.cfm?ID=63086

If you wish to send condolences to Eugenie and her partner, Edward Avila, her email is:

eugenietorgerson@sbcglobal.net

This entry is from my friend Lynn Fisher who does wonderful porcelain and stoneware work. I'm copying this to my blog (with her permission) because I think it's important that we bring to light how some shows deal with a tragedy in an artist's life. Luckily, it's not all shows...

It might have started days ago, possibly even two weeks ago when there was an electrical storm here and two huge poplars were completely split open after being struck by lightening. That may have caused a short or spark in that particular outlet that may have hit the flexible metal gas line nearby. It all sounds stupid, especially since the furnace man had installed the gas line so close to the outlet. They were both hidden behind the furnace; if I'd known about it I would have had it changed immediately.

The photos don't do the damage justice, since most of the soot or creosote rose in the heat, covering the ceiling and 2/3s of the upper walls. Surprisingly, it didn't stick to certain surfaces -bisqued molds, for example, or some of the fabrics. The windows are still black in these photos, although moths and flies have left some delicate patterns of light where they brushed against the glass. I've since wiped some of the windows to let in more light but I'm not sure which is worse, the dark studio or or the light one that shows just how awful the place is. It's like a little den of horrors, a nightmare.

Once the studio is cleared out it will be gutted and rebuilt, but it will be several weeks before I can move back in. I won't get my hopes up for anytime earlier than mid-July.

Arg. What a thing to come home to! At least it isn't the total loss that it is for all those people who've been wiped out in floods or tornadoes. I feel really fortunate that it isn't worse!

So here it is, Bonnie, ready for you to share however you like. I think it might be nice to show what Old Town and its cavalier attitude is like to those of us artists who are suddenly faced with a situation completely out of their control. They are truly compassionate, sticking by their rules, and then making it even worse by telling me I don't need to apply again next year."

This was the show's response...

Joan Goldstein

Exhibitors Committee Co-Chair