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Well, Howard Alan Events has done it again..produced a successful art show in the coolest tri-state area in the country.Saturday was chock full of art show enthusiasts- people that appreciate the arts and have the "means" to spend.Maybe it's because we have spent so much time elsewhere this summer, that we loved the show so much- or maybe it is because we missed the D.C. area, the energy, and the good karma that surrounds us when we do shows with Howard, Debbie and Darrin..they bring in our crowd at all their shows and we are pleased.As mentioned, Saturday was the busier, more crowded day-but only because the weather was perfect! Sunday got a late start because of the dreary, rainy morning.Some thought it put a damper on the entire day because the energy was lacking- but things picked up later in the day- and we sold two large pieces.
Just to put things in perspective- a close artist friend of ours said that Alexandria 2010 was his last show for the near future- a brutal year where bills did not easily get paid..he had a "rockin" show- and is probably re- thinking his career move.Anyway- we had a GREAT show- sold many large and medium sized pieces and numerous smaller ones too.This show makes our juices flow, can't wait until next year.
OKAY- now for the vodka report- Bob loves the crab cakes at "The Wharf"- he waits all year to eat them and says they are the best in the country..so Saturday night we went...of course, we ordered our "Patti- thing"- Belvedere chilled up with a float of cointreau..I had soft shell crab(yum) and by the time we were through with dinner...we had three martinis each..one too many if you want to remember how tasty the dinner was...Sunday, after break down and a delivery, back to "the Wharf."..dinner and two martinis each....basta!
I have a lot of 8x10 matboard drops, free if you dont mind paying for the freight and pacaging. Have a great day. Bevin
The remains of Hermine threatened on Friday, but all we had was some misting Friday night. Saturday was cloudy, but the sun came out for good by 2PM, and the rest of the weekend was beautiful.
This is one of those shows you feel you've won the lottery when you get accepted. Organization is top notch, the public really appreciates the artists being there, and there's usually a lot of good buying energy from the crowd.
So how was it? For me, I was down about 1/3 from last year, and I heard this from a couple of other artists as well. But very respectable numbers, in any case. The difference, for me, at least, was that last year I sold 16 framed pieces, while this year, it was only 5. But, the artist behind me, with great mixed media work, nearly sold out. She went home with only 2 pieces left in her booth. Neighbor on another side sold a large piece late Sunday, but I don't think did much otherwise. I did much better in the evenings than in the daytime. Night crowds are very lively and energetic.
Overall, though sales may have been down some, a great show to do! Now, what are the chances I can make it 3 years in a row??? Hey, I can dream, can't I?
All in all, I heard a tremendous amount of grumbling about sales being off, and the observation was that no one was seen carrying around bags for purchases and goodies- not even food. On the plus side, one of my customers said the parking was great for a change because there wasn't anyone there!
Personally, I would have been more than satisfied with my sales if it had been a small, inexpensive show, but for Penrod, they were pretty miserable. But I fared way better than my neighbor who didn't even cover her entry fee.
The volunteers looked like they were working hard, and my husband and I were really happy a couple of times to hitch a ride on one of the golf carts they zoom around on. If you've never been to the IMA grounds, they are not only beautiful, they are enormous, and exhibitor parking is a couple miles from your booth location, no matter which section you're in. There are shuttle buses, but I never saw one when I needed it.
I'll probably try again next year, just like Pollyanna. It can't get rained out 2 years in a row, can it?
The set up at this location is challenging, given the narrow streets, little parking and a lot of congestion. We arrived at about 8:00 pm on Friday evening, to find the set up in full-swing on the street. We were able to maneuver to our booth location with little problem. We got the tent and walls set up. They were predicting rain over night, so we make sure everything was tight and make our way back to the hotel.
Saturday morning, greeted us with rain. We were able to set up and remain reasonably dry. The show offered a hot breakfast, which was a welcome sight, with the weather outside. Because of the rain, there was little traffic in the morning. The rain stopped about 12-noon and people started to show up. Our first little sale was at 12:30. But we only sold 2 small art pieces on Saturday.
Sunday held promise for larger crowds. And it was busier day than Saturday, for some reason. However, the sales were not there, to support the thousands of people walking the street. It seems that many people just come to walk the street, not to check out art. Many were not looking or stopping at any booths. I did not see a lot of bags full of art in the attendees hands.
I am beginning to feel that all the effort and money involved in running a booth in Chicago is not worth my time. Its too bad. I want Chicago to work for us. But it seems we are better off in other locations.
This show is organized in part with Erin Melloy. She and the many volunteers do a good job in running the s
Just 2 years old, the September Art Fair at Mellwood Art Center has a lot going for it. They began with the distinct advantage of replacing a well-established and respected art fair that closed. On the strength of that, they attracted some very good artists and filled upwards of 150 spaces at their first-ever event in 2009.
They advertise, promote, and draw good crowds. They have a GREAT venue on the grounds of an existing arts center, with both indoor and outdoor spaces, a huge parking lot, air conditioning, and INDOOR bathrooms!!!
So what's not to like? Booth space, at $260/$275, is a tad pricey. And although the fair is supposedly juried, I have seen no evidence of any selectivity. Instead, the organizers seem to be going for quantity over quality, which is sad. I'm a jewelry artist - a metalsmith working in sterling and gemstones, mostly at a mid-range price point - and I was infuriated that the booth right next to me was a "designer" stringing beads and assembling earrings out of garish purchased components. And it gets worse: further down the same aisle was a booth featuring cheap glassware painted with tacky slogans such as "Yes, they're real!" Imagine the feelings of the serious artists who got placed next to that!
I heard a lot of grumbling from artists in 2009, and a number of them did not come back this year. I gave the show another chance because I think it has so much potential, and I would really like to see it succeed. But unless the organizers learn to "just say no," I'm afraid they're going to alienate the serious artists, and turn this promising young event into something more like a flea market than an art fair.
Those of us who grew up in the Northeast and summered at one of the shore resorts know that September is the best time of the year to visit: school's back in session and vacation crowds have been replaced by homeowners who come down to enjoy the warm ocean, pleasant late-summer sun, and spend a little of the cash they've earned from three months of rentals. For artists, it's a great opportunity to sell to homeowners instead of vacationers, and this venerable one-day show fills that niche nicely. I was especially happy to be accepted, as it gave me an excuse to escape Florida humidity. Besides, I vacationed here with my family years ago and love the area.
Like most beachside shows, sales vary directly with the weather, and this year it couldn't have been better: blue skies, low humidity, and temperatures in the mid-70s by noontime. Crowds came early, in droves, and flowed steadily through my booth all day. I posted my second-best festival sales of the year...and did I mention this one a one-day show? (As in past years, Sunday is reserved as a rain date, and artists are requested to keep both days available. But this year, at least, it wasn't needed. Other artists I spoke to, including the aforementioned show veterans, also said sales were well up from last year and 2008 (a victim of bad weather).
Of course, one-day shows mean a same-day setup and teardown. And at Bethany Beach, that's not made easier by the site logistics. Bethany's boardwalk is short, and access is tightly controlled by volunteers and the town's police force. Setup didn't begin until 7 AM (maybe that's typical up north, but it sure seemed late for me, since most Florida shows start much earlier). There's load-in space directly in front of the boardwalk for 3-4 vehicles at a time, and plenty of angled parking next to that....but a series of three tiered platforms lie between street level and the boardwalk, which makes dollying difficult or impossible. After I made two trips, I belatedly realized that there just had to be a wheelchair ramp around somewhere, so I asked, and learned it was about 50 feet to the south, on the other side of a building. It's a steep one, tough to see from the street, but smooth enough to navigate once you know it's there. I suggested to the show organizers that they let the artists know about that in advance in the future.
Overall, it's a long, brutal setup and teardown for someone working solo.
Artists with 10x10 spaces were set up in an unusual, more or less square configuration on the wide bandstand at the center of the boardwalk, There wasn't any back-to-back: (each booth had 7.5 foot aisles for showgoers on all sides) and no back-side storage area, which made for a clean-looking show. Spaces were neatly laid on with blue masking tape, and you could set up your storefront facing any way you wanted...helpful if you didn't want the rising or setting sun in your eyes. As one of the show board members told me, "It's different, but it works!". (I think that outside of the bandstand, some of the booths were arranged more traditionally along the boardwalk, but frankly I was too busy to check that out.)
Artists (mostly crafters) who purchased smaller spaces (at reduced prices) were set up along the main street leading to the boardwalk. I didn't speak at length to any of them about their sales, but surely their setup/teardown was far easier than for those of us on the boardwalk. Artist parking was ample, well-controlled, and only three blocks away.
The organizers and volunteers couldn't have been more helpful. The show organizer personally booth-sat for me at 2 PM, and another board member found space to store some of my packing material to save me a trip back to my vehicle. Both pre-show and game-day communication was outstanding. Although I heard several veteran artists grumbling about the need to follow the rules ;-), most everyone had great sales and a good experience overall. Maybe I was the beneficiary of "beginner's luck" on my first out-of-Florida show, but this is one I'll definitely do again.
We just finished doing Septemberfest in Schaumberg IL. We do black and white photography and must say that this was a great show for us. There was a lot of traffic and the people were shopping.
The show organizers have a unique way of doing the set up, but it works just fine. It does get a little hectic, but what show does not get that way when you are trying to set up.
Overall we were pleased with the show and the week end.
Bill and Cindy
Images by David Kay, Ltd
I just finished doing my second Yellow Daisy Festival. Last year was great, this year was just hard work, and I didn't do nearly as well, with a much better location and new displays. There was a lot of buy/sell.....again, after the show committee promised to stop allowing it in!
I happened to win the drawing for the"Grand Prize"......which allows the winner not to have to jury into next year's show. I thank God that I didn't say something I would live to regret, and took the prize, thinking that maybe it would keep one buy/sell out.
This is an expensive and physically difficult show to do, and given the buy/sell, I doubt I would consider doing it again.
Truly pleased with the whole experience~can't wait until next year!
Before I discuss the logistics of the event, I want to say flat out that everyone was happy at this show. The city of Royal Oak was ecstatic because the turnout was huge. In fact, a few times they had to close the gates because it had reached capacity. John, Lisa, and Connie were happy because they pulled this off without any major problems. The artists were happy because the buyers really came to buy. The 3D people did ok from what I heard, and that was my experience. But, the 2D people, especially the photographers, had excellent shows. I think Jan Kaulins stayed open 24 hours a day because he kept selling, and the painter next to me was giddy. So, I assumed she did really well. As I said, I had a good show, not great, but, I did better here than Ann Arbor. The other potters and the glass people I talked to agreed with me--good but not great. Still worth it though.
For some reason, I didn't have a map and we were required to check in before setting up. When I got there, I had to ask a number of security people who were guarding the entrances where to go to check in and they had no clue. I, finally called Connie and she directed me to the church where we checked in. There was bagels, coffee, etc. for the artists, once again. Once we checked in, there was no problem getting to the booth. Setup was easy. There was plenty of room for all the artists and take down was equally painless. Parking for the artists was free and easy to get to. The music and food booths were open at 11 on the first day. The artist part started at 4PM because we couldn't set up the night before. People were actually angry that they couldn't get to the artists booths right away and they moved the time up from 4PM to 3PM. That was a good sign. Next year, artists will be able to set up on Thursday night and the art fair part will open at 11AM. Even though the show was 4 days long, it was easy to do. The crowds were large and the streets were wide enough to accommodate everyone. The people were mixed in that many were knowledgeable, but, many had no idea what they were looking at. I had to explain what Raku is many, many times. That just allowed me to pontificate about he work which I like to do. The weather for the most part was pleasant. There were some sprinkles, but, the high winds that were predicted didn't materialize. The show closed at 9:PM each night but you could stay open as long as you wanted past that time, which many artists did. You need lights for this show. My outlet didn't work but they came and fixed it within minutes. The volunteers were plentiful and excellent. They would run and get us anything we wanted so we could stay in our booths.
I only have 2 complaints: 1) Parking for attendees was $15 which I thought was excessive. I don't know whether these were municipal lots or privately owned. If you were willing to walk a quarter mile, you could park on the surrounding streets.. 2) I thought the food was overpriced and the portions were embarrassingly small. Someone needs to tell them to not be so greedy. The best deal was the Berringer and Mondavi wine booths. You could get a double portion of wine, which equaled a glass, for $2.50. I took advantage of this a few times.
In conclusion, I think John, Lisa, and our own Connie Mettler, did an excellent job. This is a show to consider doing. It's only going to get better as it gets tweaked.
From Delaware Online by Ginger Gibson:
"After half a century of ushering in the fall for Delaware residents, the festival was canceled last year because of a financial dispute between the former organizer and Brandywine Park. But this year it was back bigger than before with 235 vendors.
Barry Schlecker, 70, who organized this year's event by forming a new
corporation and a new festival, couldn't get away from the operations
tent. He had trouble even completing sentences as attendees walked up to
congratulate him.
"Everybody is raving," a vendor exclaimed as she walked by.
"This is great," saids a friend who reached out to shake his hand.
Schlecker, who was the driving force behind getting the festival back on it's feet, was a little taken aback. "Everyone is thanking me like I saved the world or cured cancer," Schlecker said. "It's just an art show."
The State of TEXAS is telling my husband and I we owe them over a $1,000 for attending a $0 sales event in San Antonio. Have any of you ever been required to file a "FRANCHISE entity tax form?
We did a show in San Antonio a couple of years ago and I applied for what I thought was a one-time sales and tax permit. They said they determined we needed a "franchise." I couldn't see why, but they said we could get a $500 a day penalty if we sold in the state. So I filled in the form and sent it in. We did the show, $0 sales -- which I reported. Then I kept getting calls about not filing out the quarterly franchise forms. I FINALLY got to talk to someone who said he closed out the franchise. Yesterday my husband got a phone call saying we owed the state something over $1,000. (He freaked and didn't get the exact amount)
Anyone else have any experiences like this? We spent money in Texas, didn't sell anything and they want this kind of cash? Its a holdup! We need help!
This summer's Salem Art Fair & Festival, the first-ever with a firm entry fee, cleared $221,000, up slightly from last year, said Sandra Burnett, executive director of the Salem Art Association.
However, the art association had counted on more income from this major fundraiser, especially from sponsorships and entry fees, Burnett said Friday.
As a result, the organization is laying off the equivalent of 1.5 staff members in an effort to balance its budget of....read the rest of this story here
Now that is sad news. We need these community organized art fairs, especially the ones put together by arts organizations. There is a discussion at another place on this site with the slant that the events are getting rich off the backs of the artists. I believe this article tells the other side of that story. As usual, the comments from the community are another thing altogether...
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Marietta Ga. September 4-6th
I did this show for the second time and was once again impressed with the smooth set up, tear down, and the way it was run. A call for a booth sitter,, and within two minutes, one was there. This show was a joy to do, and I look forward to doing it again.
My proceeds were off last year by $600, but given the economy, it was a good show. The quality of the artists was outstanding.
Andrea Olson
MoonShadow Jewelry Creations, LLC