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(May 13-15, 2011): It is testimony to a show that when faced with the challenge of weather: constant, wind driven rains for both show days and falling temperatures from the 80s to the low 50s, that the organizational structure is in place to still deliver a strong show for artists and patrons.

I wrote a detailed review about this show last year (see below) and the show this year was every bit as good as last year. The big difference was the weather -- two days of constant rain.  It was a challenging two days, but volunteers from Patty Gregory on down didn't miss a beat. The year of planning was executed flawlessly. The commitment and pride of each volunteer (and patron) was incredible and very humbling to this artist. Micheal Stipek's review of this year's show depicts the scene well, so I won't repeat. Instead, I would like to expand on a few aspects of the show.

Art Dollars Program: This is a key component of the show and did much to ensure attendance in spite of the weather. For Belleville, this show is solely about the art and artists! It is embraced by the entire community, everyone from the Mayor down has an active role in its success and all are proud to have this event be a part of their community. How else can you explain that before the first artist crossed the town line, $104,000 had been collected in prepaid Art Dollars?  This isn't money raised by a few big donors, this is hundreds of Belleville residents contributing for a full year. Art Dollars are given as gifts for birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine, etc. and can only be redeemed on the days of the show. The program began 10 years ago when Patty approached 10 of her closest friends and ask each to find 20 of their friends who would each contribute $100 dollars to the Art Dollars program. In that first year, they exceeded their goal and raised $32,000. In the last 10 years, the program has continued to grow by leaps. The Art Dollars program commits the community to the program and brings attendance out even in the worst of weather.

I had a constant flow of patrons in my booth throughout the show. When receipts were tallied, I had solid showing, selling in all price points. I can only imagine what this show would be like with good weather!  Of course some did better and many did not, it is the nature of our business.

Artists In Residence Program: I arrived in Belleville a day early to participate in the Artists in Residence program. About a dozen artists were asked to participate and I was fortunate to be one of the artists selected. The goal of the program is to leverage the artistic talent coming to the community by placing artists within the public school systems. I visited Waterloo High School about 30 minutes south/west of Belleville. The art program in this small town has experienced drastic budgetary cuts and staffing is now reduced to one teacher for a 1000 students. She was thrilled to have an artist come to her class. Going into the schools was a fabulous experience. I met with 5 art classes that included students from freshmen to seniors. A great group of teens and so appreciative and very inquisitive, asking questions on topics related to techniques, arts shows, artist's inspiration, etc. One of the local businesses sponsored me, paying for my lodging for the early day and giving me a small stipend to cover other expenses.

As artists, we need to do more to reach out to young artists. If you look around at shows these day, you quickly realize that we (including myself) are aging. It is so important for us to encourage the younger artists who are developing in our schools. The Artist in Residence program is well conceived by the Art on the Square committee. Thank you Deb Harriman for all of your efforts.

In closing, this is a tough show to get into as only 100 artists were selected from a pool of more than a 1000 applicants. Should you get selected, you will soon learn that this is one of the crème de la crème of art shows. Hats off to everyone in Belleville, patrons and volunteers for a job well done!  - LC

P.S. I would be interested to learn of other shows that have Artists in Residence program.

P.S.S. Paul Zerjay, thanks for stopping by during the show. I was a pleasure meeting another AFIer!

----- Read Last Year's Review -----

Here are five images from the great food/wine/booze gala on Thursday nite.  That is Ray Mosteller toasting the food and Peggy and Bruce vibing together. You can see the yummy food.

The other five images are scenes from the show and the riverfront in downtown Greenville.  My town of Tampa could learn a lot from these folks.  The sculpture of the dress made from plastic-ware is by Chattanooga artist John Petrey.

Just got back from Artisphere held in Greenville,SC last weekend.  Only 120 exibitors, almost 400 apply for it, it is gem for most of us.

First, a little background.  I used to visit a good friend of min e in Greenville for years.  His name was Loren Marshall, a great glass artist, met him at a Charlotte show back in 1981.

Whenever I would leave Florida for my summer swing of shows, which lasted 5 months, I always first stopped in Greenville to stay with Loren.  We would canoe the Green River by day and try to party at nite downtown.

Back in the 80s and early 90s there was no downtown to go to.  We usually had cheap tacos and margaritas at a mall location there.  That was as good as it was.

Come forward to 2011.

I had tried getting into this show four times with no success.  This year I made it. With nearly 400 applicants, your chances of getting in are slim.

So I returned to Greenville after not being there for nearly 18 years.  Loren had passed away from an unfortunate accident so I had no reason to visit there anymore.

When I first drove down Main Street last Thursday I was startled, in a delightful way ,to see its transformation from a dormant mill town into small, vibrant metropolis.

The street was lined with tall leafed trees on both sides forming a sheltered tunnel.  Restaurants of every food-type you can think of were filled with people,young ones, eating and drinking.  Diverse shops enticed you. Big new office buildings, concert halls, government edifices soared up into the sky.  The place was electric.

Greenville is home to several large automotive manufacturing companies.  it is the main seat of commerce in South Carolina, easily outshining Charlston and the capitol Columbia.  Numbers of Europeans living there, working in commerce.  Lots of young people,well mannered and dressed, all sporting copious disposable income.

It is the gateway to the mountains.  So traditional and conservative are two key words that come to mind when selling here.

I got there on Thursday to drop off a piece for the Gala Auction which I attended later that nite,  That is covered in a seperate blog.

Hats off to Travis.  He blgged and photoed about it last year.  it lived up to its reputation.  One of the best ever with a free open bar--yahoo! Vodka and more vodka, just keep it coming with the crabcakes and the crab legs.

Friday we could set up from 8 am on.  Show started at 4 pm went to 8 pm.  Easy setup.  Van right in front.  Ample canopy room behind for me and my inventory.  Fellow photographer Karen Connelly was setup beside me.  We both pulled our booths back to the outer edges which left room on a common side for art to be hung.  I canopied it and we deemed it the art ally.

Predictions of 60 per cent rain and thunderstorms never happened all weekend, we skated free to our immense relief.

As Michael Stipek pointe out about the Bellville Show, same was true for Artisphere.  They couldn't do enough for us.  We had free lunches and dinner every day.

Crowds were thin Friday nite and so were sales. We were up against the Kenny Chesney concert downtown that nite.  Plus two other restaurants had band stages with music going on.  Lots of competition for the crowd's dollar.  That is the only negative to this show, and it can be a big one.

Volumous crowds both Sat. and Sun. Not many big packages gooing down the street in people's hands.  it did get better on Sunday.

Lots of fellow AFIers at the show.  Matthew Hatala, Amy and Phil Crone, Peggy Fulwin from Wisconsin (I apologise, I know  have misspelled your name) Diane french, Gary Seidel (He had all the German money locked up in his booth again), and many others, oh yeah, Gerry Maschinot, a great Southern photogrpher.

At Saturday end most artist wewre ok with sales.  Many said they were down from last year.  Me, I had my second best Sat. of the year only beaten by Main Street Fort Worth.

Sunday.  Beautiful skies, cool weather, high of 77, and early crowds--"we aint going to no stinking church today, we be buying art and chicken wings."

Oh, before I forget. ON Saturday nite it was prom nite and the kids were dreesed to the nines coming down the sidewalks. This one girl had  vivid orange dress on, so vivid, it reminded me of a Creamsicle on acid.  It was that intense, but she looked great in it.

I mostly sold precious little pieces of paper out of the bins both days, but it all mounted up. Iam heading to Saugatuck, my summer home for the next five months, with a fat bank account and a healthy show line up.  Also that means cooler weather and much better grass to hit golf balls off of.

In summation, this is a hard show to get into, it is worthwile if you have the right stuff, but we artists are not the main reason why they are comming to downtown.  We are being used to attract them, so people can sell all other matter of goods, not only art.  Unfortunately this is getting to be trend throughout the country.  We are seeing most big shows using the spectacle of great art to lure in the crowds.  Meanwhile, the auto people and every other corporate sponsor is looking for ways to piggyback on us and sell their wares,  We sometimes get lost in the tumble of things.

Aloha, Nels.

Despite the weather cooperating, sales were half that of the fall show. While I don't know what the gate was, it felt like fewer customers, and those shopping were conservative, buying more traditional work.

Set up's a breeze, tear down a civil free-for-all. Artists parked a distance from the show in a muddy field.

If you do the show, stop in at the "Mudhouse" in Crozet for a good bowl of soup and homemade apple pie. I'd go to Crozet just for that apple pie.

This was my first time doing the Fair on the Square in Baraboo.  They didn't hand out booth assignments until 6a, with the fair starting at 9a.  I take a long time to set up when I'm doing a fair alone, so I got there early in hopes of getting my assignment early, so I could start setting up.  I got there about 5:15 and was the 9th in line. 

I was impressed with their organization.  Streets had been clearly marked with no parking signs and a few food and ride booths were already set up.  There were two cars parked on the street.  One was promptly towed.  The other turned out to be owned by a bakery employee who ran out to move it just before the tow truck got there.  The cars were gone by 6a & the assignments began.  Assignments were given out quickly & they had a very clear map, so it was easy to find your spot.  There were yummy doughnuts & coffee available for the artists too.  We were able to pull right up to our spots to unload & were supposed to move the vehicle before setting up.  Some followed that rule, some didn't but I didn't see anyone blocked from their booth by another artist's vehicle.  Everyone around me was very considerate.  There were 4 parking lots available for artists, so we were all able to park within 1 block of the fair.  The booths had room for storage in the back, which was great.  Through out the fair they had a gentleman who went up & down the street with a garbage bin, so artists didn't have to accumulate trash in their booths.  An officer on a bike was also patrolling but I don't think he had any business.  There were assorted performances going on too (karate demo, belly dancing, a play just to name a few things).

Although the fair was well organized & laid out, the weather didn't cooperate.  The forecast was for a high of 56 with showers thru out the day, as well as 15-25 mph winds.  The rain held off while we all set up & either the winds didn't get as high as forecast or the buildings sheltered us.  We did have mist/drizzle off & on thru out the day but no real rain.  We had a few hardy Wisconsinites come out to buy but unfortunately, I as well as most of the artists around me didn't even make our expenses. 

My biggest frustration was the two women who came in and chose several pieces of my jewelry to purchase.  They asked for the findings to be changed from gold to silver on one piece.  I told them it would take a few minutes to make the change, so they said they'd shop a bit more, then come back.  They never showed up.  I can understand if they didn't want to purchase but I thought it was pretty rude not to show up after asking me to change the findings.  They were well dressed, clearly well educated & I didn't have any qualms about trusting them.  Next time, I'll at least get a deposit.  Lesson learned.

I've done the spring Birmingham show four or five times in as many years. They all seem to blur together. There was the hot Mother's Day weekend when we had a double near the steps of the library. Our neighbors were doing a land office business in pressed clay flowers in miniature pots, for about $5 bucks a pop. The customers were lined up down the street in front of our booth waiting to buy a cheap souvenir for Mom. There was the chilly, rainy Sunday when we finally gave up around 1PM and loaded out like drowned rats. That was a couple years ago. Last year we froze our buttskies off on Old Woodward. It seems like the weather is always cold and rainy, or hot and rainy, or hot and windy, or cold and windy. Or a combination of all of the above.

This past weekend was no exception. We had the heat and humidity on Friday for setup. At least it didn't rain. Saturday, it did rain a bit in the morning, then it slowed down for a good part of the afternoon, and let those few folks who wanted to buy, buy. I saw a few bags and some wrapped 2D work go by. I had several good sales, which surprised me. I think I sold more this past Saturday in Birmingham than I did that past Mother's Day in the double, when I sold about four 11x14 matted prints of my favorite little chipmunk. You know it's going to be a slog when the chipmunk is the big seller. Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy. But I would prefer to sell a little more high-brow work. 

And my split-toned work was a good seller here, this year. Maybe the tonality matched the weather. Maybe it was just artful enough. No matter, I made expenses and a little more on Saturday. Which was a good thing, since the weather turned really ugly on Sunday, as Warren pointed out. Cold, rainy and windy. With temps hovering in the mid 40's and predicted wind gusts up to 35mph, it was not a hopeful recipe for art sales. The Guild made a wise decision, and let the artists pack up at 10AM before the show even got started. One man walked by about 11:30 and asked me,"Are the artists packing up?" All I could say is,"Are you KIDDING?" as I looked around at half-erected tents, trailers, vans and mayhem all around. 

Alan Bogl and the Guild staff do an excellent job of organizing the show. Sure, the youngsters who help out don't really know what's going on, but so what. Alan does, and he seems to be everywhere. When I called Sunday to see if he could solve a problem with a couple of mis-parked vehicles so I could get my truck and trailer in, he was on it in five minutes. Problem solved. We didn't find out who won the coveted awards, but oh well. We had all the coffee and bagels we could eat and drink.

But the real highlight of the show was meeting the infamous Barry Bernstein. He was set up right next to us, with some fine looking raku pottery (or is it ceramics?). We had a great time, which was good, since half the time there weren't too many other people to talk to. And we saw other friends, local, mostly. Marilu Patterson was there, from Chicago. Herb and Colleen Thomas were near us, too. Local watercolor painter Diane Sicheneder was there, as was Doug Remien. Pat Whalen came all the way from San Antonio, Florida. Wow, Pat. Wow. 

A word about the layout: meandering. The new Shain Park is quite nice, actually, even though I miss the spring-loaded tyrannosaurus rex to ride on. Booths were laid out on the sidewalks through the park, but not on the grass. Booths surrounded the park, on Henrietta, Martin, Merrill and whatever that other street is, Bates, I think.

But they are all spread out, and many are orphaned in little stubs of five or six booths on one side of the street. The booths at the end of these stubs are not going to get the traffic that the park does, and forget trying to remember where anybody is. The map might help -- I know the town and the park, and I still had a hard time finding people that I KNEW were there.

The Old Woodward merchants evidently didn't want the show cluttering up their street, although the Common Ground show will repeat its performance there in the fall. I don't get it. Downtown Birmingham can use all the excitement it can muster up. Alan and crew know how to run a show, with minimum fuss and hassle. But the city seems to hamper efforts to keep this show electric for the artists, the patrons or the merchants. I heard that the Fire Department wanted 70' between runs of five booths! Luckily, THAT didn't happen. Maybe an art show rumor. I don't know. Factor in bad weather, and there isn't much of a show. Drat.

Meandering. Maybe next year the weather will cooperate. And maybe we'll all sell a little more art. Ever hopeful. Isn't that why we keep coming back?

I just finished exhibiting at the Belleville, IL, Art on the Square.  Without a doubt, the artists' treatment, care, hospitality and wellbeing is paramount to the people who run this show.  I can't really remember when I've had so much attention paid to my needs!  From continual water, snacks, food, buffet meals, volunteer booth sitters, runners for cocoa - it just doesn't get much better than what Patty Gregory, the director and chief cheerleader, and her seemingly endless number of concerned helpers will do for us street urchins!  And the buffets - Sat. night for the high school art exhibit to the Sun. awards banquet - I gained weight from all of the tasty foods offered to us artists.  And the pre-show money raised in non-refundable tickets sold solely for the purchase of art:  $104,000!!!

Even in the bitter cold winds and ceaseless drizzle (more about the weather later), volunteers were always available to take of our needs, even to watching our booth while we made a mad dash to the port-a-potties or to grab a bite to eat from the nearby food booths (which had good - and hot food at reasonable prices).

Unfortunately, the weather was a total downer.  On Thurs., those of us who wanted to set up could do so.  We had from about noon on.  It was hot - 86F - and humid.  The weather forecast was for some winds and a lot of light rain/drizzle from Fri. night to Sun. night, with a storm front hitting the area late Thurs. night

And the storm did hit!  The boomers woke me up about 2 AM.  Concerned for my booth, though I had cross braces, cement blocks, a bunch of sandbags (also another thoughtful consideration by the show folks) and a Lite Dome booth, at 2:30 AM, I found it to be taking the wind without a problem.  Not so for a lot of other booths.  There were a number of them with corners bent under, EZ-Ups mashed, even Lite Domes and Trimlines tossed about, with several of them spun around or upside down.  The wind was howling and the rain relentless.  Much of the damage, even to the better tents, came from poorly weighted corners and so many artists didn't use the sandbags offered in huge numbers or used them inadequately.

In spite of terrible conditions, there were about a half dozen Belleville firefighters and another half dozen Belleville police officers, plus a number of the volunteer show staff - all of them valiantly struggling to save tents.  A lot of artwork was loaded into police vans and carried to the police station to protect it.

I can't say enough good things about all of these people - watching them get soaked and battered by the wind while trying to save artists' tents.  Even the mayor came at about 3 AM and went to work helping out!

Well, Fri. night was chilly, so the public turnout, from artists who had done the show before, was down a bit.

Sat. and Sun.: temps in the low 50s, with a windchill factor near freezing from 15-25 mph gusts and almost non-stop drizzle (when it blows horizontal most of the day, everything and everyone gets wet) really reduced the size of the crowd.  From the artists I talked to, sales were from down a little to down a lot.  BTW, Fri. night is patrons' night, Sat. seems to be for folks coming from St. Louis and Sun. is when the local towns come to the show.

The forecast for the show?  I don't think anyone will hesitate to apply again next year.  According to Patty Gregory, over the years, the average temp for the show is 77F. - always a good temp!  I didn't do well, but I'll be sending in that jury fee next year!  How could I not, what with treatment like I received.  Now, I just have to lose that weight....

This is the second year for this show.  I capitolized the craft part because it seeems that many artist get this show confused with the Chastain Arts Festival in the Fall.  The crowds, booths, vendors, advertising and time of year are not the same as Chastain Arts Festival.  This is the Buckhead Spring Arts and Crafts Festival.  Other then that lots of things are the same.  Same location, set up, amenities and great team that put the show on.   As I have said many times, I love working with Patrick and his team.  They are all great.

 The pics above are from my booth.  The first is the view from the back of my booth.  Second is a pic of the view across from my booth, then the other two are either side of me.  The crowds were about this size most of the time.  Sometimes more, sometimes less, but this was about average. 

Set up is from noon til 8pm on Friday.   I live about 15 minutes away from the show location with out traffic.  You go to your spot, unload, park in an assigned parking lot or on the street, then go back and set up.  It seemed like they got rid of the few spots that did not have back storage to the booths this year.  As we were setting up we were all told that hail and high winds were expected over night, so batton down and if you can wait till morning to set up, do.  I decided to set up most of my booth, but did leave some till morning just incase.  I went home and attended a Bard in The Yard that was also watching for bad weather, but we all lucked out.  No wind, hail or rain over night.  When I arrived to my tent in the morning I was suprised becasue all my walls were wonky and looked like it had been hit by high wind.  Well it was hit, but not by wind but with a cargo van ;(  My booth neighbor came over right away and let me know what happened.  None of my work was damaged, and luckily trimeline tent poles are easily replaced.  My neighbor offered to take care of it, and the directors of the show said they would split the cost and I know they will follow up with me to make sure this will be taken care of.   I think the replacement cost will be less then $50 so everyone else seemed more upset about it then me. 

So great way to start off the show!!!  Saturday we were supose to get lots of rain.  ATL was really hot last week, but a cold front moved in.  I wasn't expecting much for Saturday because of the forcast.  Some how we lucked out and didn't get any rain or bad weather.  It was a great day to be in the park, but not many people came to the park.  Suprisingly I had mainly 2d art around me.  Almost no jewlers and I like to have a jewler near by so I can use their mirror to make sure my mascara isn't running down my face part way through the day.   I had plenty of time to chat with the other artist around me.  All great people and work.  None of us did much of anything Saturday.  Some small prints here or there.  Some made expenses (around $200)  some made lunch money.  Who did do well was the booth you can see in the pics with the excellent beer drinking chairs.  I bought 4 myself.  He had a great show both days.  He had to restock a couple times.  Sunday started off really slow and I didnn't make a big sale until after 3pm.   I also had a few deliviers to make at the end of the show.  It seemed that most of the people I talked to made a paycheck but not a lot.  The booth next to me did zero, but he is new to art fairs and didn't pull out the right type of work for this show until late in the day on Sunday.  Break down, put everything to the side, get a pass, go get your car, park in your space, load, leave.  I like to go smooth and slow.  Break down started at 6pm.  By 6:45 I went to get my car with no problem and drove out with no problem.  This is a one way in and one way out show, so if not done right it can be a nightmare.  I am always out with out any hassle in about an hour.  Those that want to get out in 30 minutes have a harder time. 

This area has LOTS of money.    The contacts you make at this show are solid.  You have to work your contacts and make new ones if you want to do well at this show.  I met a few other artist that have experienced the same thing with this location.  Your sales from this show are not finished on Sunday.  Many people don't like to work this way, and if you don't live in the area then it can be harder to work the contacts.   I often deliver my work, and do custom work, so I visit many of the homes in the area all year.  These people have real money and very big homes.  I love my 99 Plymouth Grand Voyager, but it is sort of embarassing pulling it up to these homes sometimes.  This is also a great show for a local artist that is starting out because the booth fees are not very high, and the promoters are very artist friendly.  It is a good place to learn.   I always get to meet great new artist, many AFIers and see old friends.  Now if they can just get me a trailer potty it would be perfect. 

RIVERFRONT EVENTS ACQUIRES ARTISTIC FLARE
The Riverfront Art Festival will receive new direction this year with the guidance of former producer
 
(COLUMBUS) – Riverfront Events is proud to announce the acquisition of Columbus’ Riverfront Art Festival as the event enters its sixth year. The organization is looking forward to bringing a new flavor and dynamic to the festival, while maintaining its tradition of excellence in artistry.
 
Former festival producer Jay Snyder is pleased to see his legacy is in good hands. “After founding this event and seeing it through its formative stages, I can think of no organization better equipped to build upon our achievements,” said Snyder. “I am confident that Riverfront Events will carry on our traditions and offer an exceptional experience to artisans, collectors and fans alike.” Although Snyder will no longer oversee the day-to-day details of the event, he will stay on in an advisory role in coordination with Riverfront Events, the event owner and producer, to ensure the show’s transition into new ownership is a seamless one.
 
Riverfront Events is excited to embark on this new journey with Snyder. The organization’s management has an extensive history of successful event production in the Columbus area and the Riverfront Art Festival will undoubtedly be no exception. “The opportunity to take a solid, standing event and build it into a cornerstone of Columbus’ event and artistry scene in the next couple of years is our plan, and definitely within our capacity,” said Mike Collins, President. “We envision this festival as being one of the pillars of Columbus’ Bicentennial Celebration in 2012.” Collins is also President of Promotions One, Columbus’ largest producer of major events.
 
“We’re pleased that the Riverfront Art Festival will continue to grow and be a significant part of the cultural landscape in Columbus,” said Jami Goldstein, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Events at the Greater Columbus Arts Council. “The festival is an excellent opportunity for Central Ohio residents to interact with high quality local and regional artists of various disciplines.”

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.

Art applications for this event area available at www.zapplication.org. Show dates are September 30-October 1.

11am-6pm

75+ artists

Deadline: May 20 

Coffman, Missouri, outside of Ste. Genevieve.  

All artists' displays will be arranged on the parking lot of the Crown Valley Winery, the crafters will display on the parking lot of the Crown Valley Brewery.  Shuttles are available to move attendees between the sites.

The Art Fair will be promoted to the entire metropolitan area via billboards, newspaper, and radio advertising, Web sites, posters, stories and interviews in the St. Louis, Southern Missouri and Illinois media areas.

This year we expect 75+ artists and crafters to exhibit at the Art Fair, at both the Winery and Brewery, which we project will be attended by approximately 5,000 visitors.

Artists Amenities and Accommodations:  

• A box lunch will be provided each artist every day.   
• You will receive a voucher for this meal at check in on Friday.   
• A  complimentary artist cocktail party will occur on Friday night at the Winery at 6p.m.   
• Several options are available for lodging.  The bed and breakfasts are available at discounted rates as are rooms at The Tradition Inn for $49/night plus tax.

For artists that like a little ambiance with their art fairs: 

Crown Valley is a drop dead gorgeous place, great accommodations, great restaurants, most importantly great wine and beers.-- Larry Weinles, organizer

Deadline: May 20. 

Entry fee: $25, electronic payment through the web site with EntryThingy

www.crownvalleyartfair.com

Larry Weinles, Director

Shaw Fine Arts & Crafts Fest

Historic Shaw Art Fair

(314)406-9112, larryweinles@aol.com 

Better than words:

If you are not acquainted with the www.Artshowreviews.com, you really need to spend a few minutes checking this site out.  You will find reviews of Art Shows from all around the country written by fellow artists just like yourself.  These reviews are intended to help artists by supplying show information from the artists view point.  Stop by and check this site out.  While you are there feel free to write a review or two yourself.

There is a very good review just added about the Hyde Park Art Fair in Tampa, Florida.  It was submitted by fellow artist John Leben.   You can check it out here - http://www.artshowreviews.com/2011/05/hyde-park-village-art-fair-reviews.html?cid=6a00e54fba8a73883301538e6d2c79970b#comment-6a00e54fba8a73883301538e6d2c79970b.

The other day when I stopped to buy some E-6000, the woman in the checkout line ahead of me was buying an armful of jewelry magazines.

As we were crawling by inches forward, she turned to me, admired my necklace and asked, "Which magazine did you find that one in?"

I was surprised at the height, breathe and depth of my indignation. I have been thinking about this moment and I have an epiphany to share with you:

People who copy from books, magazines, websites or classes are not artists!

They are copy-cats.

I have never used a book, magazine or the web for my work. Every design comes from my imagination. I have taken certification classes in a process but never a class on how to make a pair of earrings. I have a book on how to use the various PMCs which I received in my cert class, my kiln operating book, a book on the properties of natural gemstones, one on pearls and a general How To Bible of tools and techniques.

Aren't there clear instructions at Art Fairs that nothing can be made from a kit?

Well, following the step-by-step instructions (with pictures) is just like using a kit. You just go to the local bead shop and they will read your instruction set and give you everything that would have been in that kit.

Today I was back at the store and thought I would look through the lot. I could not believe the silliness, the trashiness, the lack of balance or color, the ART-LESS-NESS of the patterns in these ad filled mags. This is a business: NOT one set to build the next Artist.

I am sure Michaelangelo wasn't pausing on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, waiting for his monthy magazine for inspiration.

I had to withdraw from this Novi, MI show and have been watching to see if anyone who was there posted about it.

Have I missed the post?  Any comments?

Thanks!

Cassandra

The first event of the season is always hard to do. You wondering if you are ready after some time off. You load your van or car. You triple check your list. Closed your eyes and relax and you head to the grounds of the festival. You look forward to some sales but you always want the hit home run. At the end you are happy with any sales.

I saw and talked old friends, artist and new people. Enjoy the people that visit my tent.  The thing that make this show special was talking to my artist friends, my friends and feel the sun after a long winter in Chicago, IL.

We just received a juried acceptance letter for Piedmont Craftsmen. They want us to exhibit at their holiday show this Fall.

Do you know anything about their shows?

TIA!

Lisa