Check out Lori Kay's blog about this show from a jewelers point of view. She was among the lucky few.
OK, first off, here is the "meat" about this show. If you don't know that term then you better start reading more of my blogs.
This is traditionally a very good show to do on the end of April in Florida. Big crowds, generous prize money (first place in each category was $1200), and a solid patron purchase award program. This year about $38,000 pledged, down from previous years of $50K or better. For a little beach town on the East Coast of Florida they do a hell of a job.
Easy Friday setup with space behind for storage and room for work on the sides, what a concept, too bad St. Louis has not caught onto that concept. Booths go against the curb down Main Street, side blocks are also filled. Most artists come back every year and go home happy campers.
That said. Not this year for most, especially in 2-D. Three reasons: Easter hurt crowd attendance, sorry to dispute Lori, but those were weak crowds going down Main Street on Sunday. I have done the show for more than 20 years. Second, big layoffs in the Space Program at the Cape, slightly north, have affected people's spending big time. This year I had Patron after Patron come in with their badges and necklaces affixed, and watched them complement me on my new work, and then walk out with nothing. This is the first time in my history of that show that I did not get a single ribbon with cash--boo hoo! The third reason for slim sales is the ongoing Recession in Florida, especially as it affects property sales. People are hurting and they have cut back on their spending, although you would never know that when you see the numbers in the bars and restaurants doing $7.00 shots.
OK so much for the "meat", now comes the Insider info, isn't that what you come for at this site? I have an earful with unique insights from Webbie my favorite Art Show Patron who shows up all over the country. He knows all the artists, intimately, and is a keen observer of the human spirit--plus he drinks his share of them. My kind of guy. So fasten your seatbelts buckaroos, its liftoff time!
Well early Saturday morn at the beginning of the show who comes waltzing up to my booth, adorned in his best Jimmy Buffet shirt-- Webbie. With a new adornment. A crazed orange cat was perched on his shoulder, with an eye out for errant Robins.
He saw me first. "Hey, hey Nelsie, long time no see, what's happening dude?" The last I had heard, Webbie was doing active rehab at the Hemingway Clinic in Key West, it is located right behind the stage in Sloppy Joes.
I gave him a big hug and noticed he was looking a little slimmer than his usual 300-pound girth."Where you been Webbie, and what's with the strange cat?"
"Oh the cat is Munks cat. Met him while I was in a workout clinic with Munks in his igloo up in Des Moines. Cool place, dripping paintings hanging all over the place. I learned a new karma with the dude, and his cat taught me a new trick. It is a real winner, it has helped me slim down a lot. So I took the cat with me on a road trip, Munks will get him back--eventually. He rolled his eyes big time."
"So tell me about the new trick?
"Its a killer man, absolute killer. He taught me how to stare at Robins kind of cross-eyed like this." Instantly two Robins on the tree behind fell on the sidewalk with their necks cracked. "I tempura them with this garlic batter and man I have lost 30 pounds on this diet." I was impressed, more so than the two Robins.
I had to ask,"What did you teach the cat?" "Later dude", he said, "lets talk about this show because there are strange vibes that I am picking up already at 9:30 in the morning. I mean when did Melbourne let people walk down Main Street with beers in the cooler cup?
"Well, I replied," It seems they have wet-zoned this whole art show for the weekend. You got over 30 bars down here, and you can drink anywhere and act stupid, and they won't even ticket you. This is as crazy as where I live in Ybor City on the Weekend."
Webbie grinned bigtime,"I am heading for Matts Casbah pronto man, going to start the tequila shots. Oh, by the way, the trick I have taught Munks cat is a killer man. He can suck up tequila shooters. He whips his tail around the glass and inhales Patron in a nanosecond."
So, I asked Webbie, "What do you think of the show?
"Well first off, I see Steve Vaughn (longtime exhibitor and top-selling photographer) isn't here, What's up with that? He usually has 30 Patron Ribbons on his booth by 10."
"Oh, I replied, " I guess you missed all the big news about Coconut Grove Art Show this year. They now allow Cake Decorating in as an artist booth, probably Additive Sculpture, or Addictive. So Steve took the weekend off, it being Easter, and he is decorating a new style of Easter Eggs--a cross between Fabrege and Miami Vice. He's really excited about it, if he gets in, that'll give him some distance from that guy who follows him around and shoots in his tripod tracks.
Webbie beamed big time, the cat growled gastric.
Then Webbie eyed my van parked on the curb not far from my booth. "Nice blood splatter pattern on your van door Nelsie, beats the crow guano from Ft. Worth."
"Oh that." I winced a little. He really knows how to sometimes cut right to the bone.
"Last night, I guess it was knifefight at the OK Corral around here, seems two guys got into it, one with a knife. The cops hauled them away and left the blood for me. I am thinking of leaving it, kind a like showing people I really bleed for my art. What do you think Webbie?"
"Stick to Connie's Red Dots Nelsie, they look a lot more cooler."
With that he was off to Matts with the cat. Both of them were going into serious Shooter Training.
So Saturday had fair crowds with a cooling wind to keep things survivable. I sold mostly little pieces of paper out of my bins like a lot of others. Painter friends of mine killed them on Saturday, even staying around late to close a big sale, then on Sunday they barely sold anything.
Saturday night the show put on a free feed for the artists which is always appreciated.
When I asked around, most 2-D people were lucky if they broke a thousand. Several jewelers had killer days, that medium seems recession-proof. course it helps if you got hot work that sells.
I went home, full of sushi, and slept like a bear. Unfortunately, others had different intents on Saturday night--which I found out about Sunday morn.
When Lou Garofaldo and I walked down to the east end of the show early sunday morn, we came upon a sad scene. God bless her, show director Lori Emily and her able cohort were sweeping up the shattered remains of ceramic pots scattered all over the tarmac, Seems a tippler toppled into the guys booth and crashed hard bringing down a good portion of the artist's vessels and his shelves. Lori said the show was going to reimburse the artist for his loss which was a noble venture. Later, we found out there were a good number of booths with slashed tarps also. You gotta wonder about the show security, didn't these guys have a clue?
Melbourne is going to have serious problem if they continue to wet-zone like this. It is only good for the bar owners, not good for us. We will see next year if this issue is addressed and anything worthwhile is done about it.
Webbie and the cat showed up late Sunday morning looking a little worse for wear.
"I got news for you Nelsie, since you are going to chicken out of going back to East Lansing and face" Coldwater Connie" in a tequila shooter rematch, me and the cat are going to take her on. Heck, I'll look at her cross-eyed, the cat will slug Herradura shooters and Connie will fall right off her limb, she'll wake up numb in the morning with tempura batter all over her and never know what hit her."
Then as he walked away, he yelled, "Where is that show you are doing that weekend, isn't it called Artsie-Fartsie Sphere?"
"In Greenville, Webbie and it is called Artisphere."
"Sounds like your chickening out Nelsie, the cat won't even look you in the eye. Connie is going to be pissed that you didn't show up in East La-La Land."
With that, he was gone in a puff.
Sunday was slower than Saturday with mostly little sales and a sparser crowd. Maybe this just wasn't the year for Melbourne. Tell you one thing, I think I will pass on any show that is held on easter. Vaughn might have the right idea.
Next weekend, it is time to party with pirates and eat lots of shrimp at the Fernandina Beach Art Festival. Keep ya posted,adios, Nels.
