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Many thanks to so many of you who have pledged their support to our art fair websites. Most of our prizes are gone, but here is what is left:

1. Hand decorated cookies; oatmeal cookies from Auntie M.'s Baked Goods
2. 1 subscription to Sunshine Artist
3. Candles from BytheBayBotanicals.com from member Michelle Sholund
4. Jewelry from Lynda Keen
5. 1 Frog bag, "BuyArt", from Lynda Wallis, www.freelanceillustrations.com
6. note cards from the Anton Art Center and a one-of-a- kind tshirt: http://www.theartcenter.org/
7. t shirts from art fairs across the nation - view them here: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/pledgedrive.html

And the winners are:

1. Steph Mader
2. Br. Xavier Pankovits
3. Paolo DeMaria
4. Peggy Whitson
5. Linda Shields
6. Don Lake
7. Danglez
8. Terry McCray
9. Roberta Starbird
10. Nicole Moore

Please contact me: info@artfaircalendar.com to claim your prize. Tell me your three choices and include your mailing address.

First time we were accepted at this show and after hearing so many good things about this show from other artists we were looking forward to a good weekend.  At the end of the weekend, everything was great, except the sales.  Weather was perfect, reasonable attendance, beautiful park setting, organizers were great, show was well balanced etc.  The locals were happy to be out in the sunshine and warmer temperatures, evidently this was the first really nice weekend of the spring for Spokane. 

Our sales were a lot lower than we expected.  Overall it seemed that sales were very mixed, one jeweler we know had her best ArtFest ever, 2 other jewelers said it was a good show for them, 2 other jewelers we knew had a mediocre show and ours didn't even qualify as mediocre.  A few of the other artists (various mediums) we know that have done this show before said their sales were down over prior years, but still felt like they had a decent show.  Others who were new to the show, like us, didn’t fare as well.  There were at least a few that didn’t even cover expenses.  We might try this show again, if we are accepted, it just seemed like a show we should be able to do well at so not sure if it’s just the current fear of economic conditions or something else that caused our sales to be much lower than expected.  We had a quite a few potential customers who said they’ve seen us and/or bought from us at Coeur d’Alene’s Art on the Green which we’ve done twice in the past and have done well at both times.  We’ll be doing the CDA show again this summer, hoping that some of those who saw us in Spokane, loved the new designs might return and actually buy from us in August.

We did get a chance to meet a couple of other Art Fair Insiders, Stephen and Bonnie Harmstonwere in a booth straight across from us and I had a chance to get reacquainted with Sheila Evans.  While introducing myself to Sheila I also met her cousin Tim, turns out we all went to the same high school, were in the same marching band, Tim was our drum major, Sheila was in the color guard and I was a flute player.  It did remind me that Spokane can be a very small place at times!

August 19 & 20

Where is Frankfort? High on a bluff in the heart of Michigan's summer vacationland, the hidden gem of Northern Michigan on Lake Michigan and Betsie Bay.

From the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce:

This very popular northern Michigan Art Fair has been voted one of the top 10 Art Fairs in Michigan! This two-day event provides a variety of artists and food. Visitors specifically look for their favorite artists year after year - We do our best to keep them in their same spot, so they know right where to find them!

The fair is in a beautiful park setting with up to 10,000 people in attendance. It is one of the most popular art fairs in Northern Michigan.  The Chamber also hosts a few other fundraisers that day to help with the cost of putting on a fantastic event like this! 

What's not to like? 

• two days
• beautiful time of year for weather
• spacious booth spaces: 12 x 12
• great booth fee: $105 - for both days!

Friday night at the show, looking down Washington St.

Ok, Nels, here are my thoughts on the festival, starting from the get-go. I should be getting ready for the next show, but I'll admit that I like recapping my experiences for the amusement of all. 

I got called off the waitlist, after applying to the show for maybe five or six years in a row. I was happy to accept, and found that communication from the show was complete, timely and useful. A clear festival map is provided, along with a detailed handbook a couple of weeks before the show. The only other shows that deliver such a comprehensive set of materials are Krasl (binder with tabs) and Artisphere in Greenville (a big binder with tabs). The show director, Leah Alters, works hard to answer questions via email quickly. At one point, she even inquired about my stolen trailer! How did she find out about it? Art Fair Insiders. She and her staff are definitely listening to the artists.

Friday Night at the show, looking down Long St. to the West

The load-in was super simple, although it had the potential for disaster. My assigned time was 6:45PM (the last of the day), which worked well for me and my trailer. Directions to the staging area were clear, better than my GPS, which had me running in circles in downtown Cleveland. More on that later. A brisk walk to the Art Center, where, after a brief wait, I SAT DOWN at a table with a show volunteer, who explained pretty much everything to me. She also delivered another copy of the show handbook in the packet, just in case I hadn't printed it previously. The booth signs are humongous, and nicely designed. Somewhere in that mass of information it said which side of the booth to hang it on, but we couldn't find it. There was some confusion on this important issue, cause some artists hung on the left and some on the right. My spot was on a corner, right behind the main stage. I worried that the stage might make it hard to converse with patrons, but it turned out fine. The show volunteers told me to drive the entire length of Long Street to get to it, but as it turned out, I was able to back up the trailer behind the stage, and dolly about 100 feet to the booth. Easier than navigating a show full of sweaty setter-uppers, cranky artisans and irritated vendors.

We got the booth up, the art hung, and parked the new trailer. We spent a few minutes locking the wheels, locking the hitch and installing the ball lock. Lesson learned in Fort Worth. It's worth noting that parking areas provided by shows, full of trailers, vans and trucks, with security, may be a better place to drop a trailer than parking alone at a hotel off in the distance. Just sayin'.

After checking in at our Priceline hotel about ten miles north of town, we went searching for food. This proved to be a tough task on a Thursday night after 11. We finally ended up at a Steak & Shake at the Polaris Mall north of I-270. Not optimal, and no tequila.

Karyn Kozo and funny painted mime guy. 

Next morning, we got to the show bright and early. Columbus' hours are a bit squirrely -- 11:30AM to 10PM. They do provide electricity, though, and it's a party crowd. Friday's sales were good for me, not as good as I had expected, but enough to whet my appetite for a gangbuster Saturday and Sunday. The music proved to be loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to be interruptive, and since I like music as background, I enjoyed the acts that played during the day. At times, crowds were wall to wall, but all told, I only had a few transactions. Friday, for me, was collector day, as I sold nothing but larger pieces.

Karyn went looking for food and Starbucks. Unfortunately, the easiest Starbucks to get to is almost a mile away. She took the truck, drove to another 'Bucks with easier parking, and took almost an hour and a half to find her way back to the booth, what with the one-way streets in Columbus. High Street alone has no turns posted during business hours for almost a mile. Finally I got my coffee. Lunch is the same problem. No restaurants, delis or other food emporiums anywhere that we could find, on Yelp, or Urban Spoon, at least within walking distance of the show. Luckily, the cuisine tents had decent, healthy options, if at expensive show prices. I tried the ancho pork skewer on basmati rice, and found it tender & flavorful. For $10, it oughta be! The gazpacho was good, and the cherry pie was outstanding. The diablo steak salad was also tasty. Afterwards, I was glad that the show provided trailer porta-lets in strategic areas around the show.

Friday night, we didn't bother with dinner. By the time we got the tent closed down, it was 10:30, and we didn't feel like repeating Thursday's drive-around debacle.

One cool promo that ran in conjunction with the show was @tweetandgoseek. Matthew Barnes, aka @misterbarnes, hid little pieces of artwork around the show that had coupons and freebies attached to them. He then tweeted clues to the location, and first to find the artwork got the prize. Effective, fun, and a great way to send folks around the show. I had one stuck to my sign, and met the infamous @misterbarnes. Great promotion.

Saturday sales were real slow. Surprisingly, the crowd changed. Many tire-kickers, lookers, gawker and freaks sprinkled in amongst the suburban families out for a stroll. Lots of sno-cones and beer consumed. We made friends with our neighbors. Bill Secunda, from Butler PA, with his giant nail sculptures, is a hoot. His huge sculptures always gathered a crowd, mostly to take pictures of their friends with his giant bear. Bill also had a big electric fan, which was a definite necessity. His crane broke down, and a very helpful fork-lift operator helped him unload and came back after the show to help him get these heavy monsters loaded back up on the forklift. Kudos to this nameless fellow!

Karyn said afterward, "Wouldn't it be a kick to see these rolling down the interstate?" 

Bill Secunda and Karyn Kozo. It is DEFINITELY Beer o' Clock!

Dave Johnson, enjoying a moment of piece and quiet in his booth

Dave Johnson, all the way from Seattle, with black & white photography right across from me, was dying in the heat. But we had a few good laughs. Lisa Ark, with her tiny miniature paintings alongside her larger (don't call it cute!) work, had a decent show. And next door, Mark Yasenchak had some exquisite porcelain skulls displayed next to his beautiful towers and boxes. Down the street we ran into Pat Whalen, and Sam & Jeannie Maddox, who were our neighbors at Main Street Fort Worth in April. Mark MacKinnon was there with a double booth showing his ethereal photographs in simple yet elegant white frames. We talked to Leah Cavanah on Cleveland, too. She wasn't having a great show. Rob Coomer, another tog friend, did have a good show, with his stunning photographs on steel. And of course we ran into Nels and his lovely wife Ellen.

Doug Remien, a friend from Waterford, MI, had told me earlier that Columbus used to be his best show of the year. This year? Not so much. The sales weren't there for him like before. And that seemed to be the story for most -- some made a little money over expenses, some made nothing. Certainly the artists whose booths were blown away missed out on the third day of selling, and will have some work to do to recoup the losses from the storm. I was happy to make a little money, pay a few bills.

If you don't know, the show has started a relief fund for those artists that had significant losses. If you are an artist who had losses, you need to let Leah Alters know that, too. The relief fund is at:https://columbusartsfestival.org/get-involved/artist-relief-fund.php

If you can afford to contribute a little to the fund, those artists that had big trouble will surely appreciate it. I will if you will.

Did I mention the artist breakfast that never was? We arrived at 9:10AM, for the breakfast scheduled to start at 9AM, and they were already out of eggs and meat. The staff said more was on the way, and at 9:30, they started the awards program, with artists still standing in line for food. The awards were given, and at 10, we finally gave up on free food, and walked to the nearest Starbucks, at Broad and 3rd St, about .8 mile away, for breakfast sammitches and real coffee. I would have preferred to have a full breakfast had I known the show one was non-existent... Ding the show's caterer for that. 250 artist, one steam tray of scrambled eggs? Back to counting and forecasting school for you, Mr. Caterer.

Saturday night - storm. Been covered. See my post over in Nels blog from the other day. Lots of damage. Lots of rain. Sunday, the show director sent everyone an email, letting them know that free tent space was available for those whose canopies were destroyed. They called the tent rental company and put up two big tents down on Cleveland St. Leah said that leaving the show would have no repercussions, and a few artists did pack up and leave on Saturday night, fearing more storms on Sunday. Coupled with slow Saturday sales, it might have been a good move. My feeling is, we're there, might as well tough it out. Sometimes that strategy works, sometimes it doesn't.

Bill Secunda and "Stove Man", enjoying a healthy discourse on the benefits of stove lurking

The human yearbook (ok, she was cute, and pretty normal)

Karyn (right) and "Painted Guy" (left)

Thumbs up on the black & white photos, dude! Ummm, did I mention the heat?

Sunday was hot and muggy, but no storms in the forecast. Sales were better, but the bizarros kept coming out. I've never seen so many oddly detailed people in my life. There was "Stove Man", who spent quality time with Karyn & Bill Secunda, describing in detail his fetish for crawling into stoves. There was "Painted Guy", a mime with a donation bucket. There was the "Human Yearbook", a girl who didn't want to buy a yearbook, so let her friends use her body instead. Many, many dogs, some of them cute. Many, many strollers. Many, many tattoos. And a few sales. Enough to say it was an okay show, but not enough to put it in the pantheon of stellar performers. It was free entertainment for most, and the heat made everyone lethargic.

Cumulo-nimbus pop-up storm about 5PM Saturday evening

Sunday afternoon, the radar started showing pop-up thunderstorms headed our way again. There was a giant storm out in Indiana, over South Bend, too. The show people came around and let us close an hour early. Most artists were already packing, as the crowds had wilted from the heat. But the rain missed us, thank goodness, and the packup went quickly. We were on the road by 7:30, and got home to bed by midnight.

I'm sure I must've forgotten to add something. But I really must get back to wringing out my knickers. Plus I've got to get on down the road on Friday. See y'all in Chicago, or Crocker Park, or wherever we'll be for next week's circus!

The Edina Art Fair is local fair for us, and this was Brian's sixth year. The crowds were good and sales were brisk, despite a distracting neighboring booth. We thank our customers and friends who stopped by to see us!

The vendors at this fair tend to fall into two categories: better-to-great artists and WTF (Wow that's fricking-crazy). WTFers diminish the experience of browsing through the art, because they're not artists. The differentiation is often blurred when one approaches the booth, because it might LOOK like they are selling art. In Edina six years ago, I noticed a booth selling Sprongs shoes. Interesting? Yes. Art? No. As Brian juries into better and better shows, we see the WTF phenomenon less. However at Edina, it seems to increase each year.

Topping the WTF catagory this year was Venture Photography--a portrait studio chain. The booth workers appeared to be college-aged kids on commission. Their objective seemed to get people into the booth, where each would be pressured into purchasing a $500 value certificate for $50. If the kid could not close, the boss man, who had been watching from the street, would come close the sale. These kids would literally follow patrons down the street with an open laptop or book, "Would you like to see our work? Will you give me feedback on my images?" To be fair, though, neither Brian nor I witnessed any waterboarding.

When I asked to meet the photographer, I was told they weren't at the fair, but three new ones had just been hired. Most fair-goers picked up their pace to avoid these relentless young folks, speeded right past real artists' booths without a glance, until they were safely in food territory.

In case my point has not been made, the inclusion of WTF booths along side juried artists seems unjust. It diminishes the reputation of the real artists by association. And it requires fair-goers to ask, "Which are artists and which are con-artists?"

It surely has been fun handing out the prizes to all of you who have been such great supporters of our websites. Many thanks to all who have pledged.

Here are the prizes that are left:

1. 3 memberships to the online marketing community - if you are trying to market your art online this community is run like AFI, but it is all about BUSINESS and making money online. This is an invaluable opportunity for you to get some great advice.
2. 2 expert reviews of your website -- great advice on how to make your website work better for you!
3.  2 - baked goods from Auntie M's  (peanut brittle gone)
4. 3 subscriptions to Sunshine Artist
5. candles from Michelle Sholund
6. jewelry from Lynda Keen
7. notecards from the Mt. Clemens Art Center
8. CDs from Paul Adams & David Hoffman
9. 3 Frog Bags from Lynda Wallis
10. vintage t shirts from the top art fairs

Here is the next group of winners.

1.  Barbara Berney
2. Jetze Beers
3. Gary Willcock
4. Wendy Edwards
5. Anne Tindell
6.  Jacqueline Gomez
7. Ginny Herzog
8. Pamella Harris
9. Julie Crouse
10. Wendy Shattil

Please visit the pledge/prize page and make a choice and send it to me.  Please send three choices as someone is sure to take your first choice!

Everyone who pledged should have this "Art Star" on their own page on this website by now. If you don't let me know so I can add it.

and also, if you don't already have a "Red Dot" please send me your mailing address.

Pledges are still being taken and many thanks to you who are just now getting around to it. Your names have been added to the list for the drawings.

We'll be doing our last drawing on Friday morning, June 10, for the rest of the prizes.

Second year for Barrington. May 28-29.  Great potential for the show. Saturday, weather threatened all day but no rain.  Threat apparently kept people away. Sunday started off cloudy.  Amy came around at 11:00 am.  Said no time to tear down, just buttom the hatches since severe weather headed our way in next 30 minutes and then sunny skies within an hour or so.  Storm hit at 11:15 severe rain, lighting and 50 mile hour winds.  Some damage to tents but not too much.  Four hour later, rain finally stopped and sun came out but show was basicsally over.  Probably had 2-3 inches of rain and heavy lighting.   Many exhibitors took life and limb in hand and tore down in storm...We rode it out in tent with no damage.  Had a lighting strike very close.  Nearly jumped 6 inched ouf of my chair.  Chain saws were busy After the storm. Total sales about $600 for the show.  Just can't compete with the weather. 

East Side Milleniuum- Downtown Chicage.  June 3,4,6  Great location.  North end of Grant Park and one block North.  Huge office buildings and condos all around.  Great weather Friday and great crowd but very few buyers.  Same for Saturday.  Less than $500 each day.  Sunday started out the same.  However around 2 PM the heavens opened and showered money from above.  We had our absolute best selling day in 37 years of doing shows and our best show in the last 25 years.  One finely dressed man came into the booth and was like a kid in a candy shop.  $5,000 later he decided he had purchased enough items.  Eight shopping bags and a large box containing our Noah's Ark.  Was still shaking an hour later after he left.  Sales were constant until 1/2 hour after the show closed.  Finally had to drop the curtains on the tent so we could get packed up and get out.

Also won best of categoy - Three dimensional - functional.  Goes to show that some people do appreciate good wooden toys.  Now have to cram for the next 2+ weeks to get some inventory made for the next two shows.  Always something to compalin about

Ed Schmidt

Wooden toys 

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!