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Blue Water Art Fair, Port Huron, MI

Posted by Connie Mettler on July 19, 2010 at 5:30pm

This first time art fair was held on the streets of Port Huron, MI, as a part of a larger festival the Blue

Water Fest. It also featured restaurant booths, four stages, vendors, kids activities and a carnival. It was held in conjunction with the Bayview Yacht Club's Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race. The Boat Race has been around since the 1920's. The city fathers and tourism bureau hired Jon Witz & Associates (home of Arts, Beats & Eats, Detroit's River Days and the Motown Winter Blast) to see if he and his staff could work some magic here. Boat Week has always been celebrated with lots of parties, the Black River is lined with yachts and people come to town to have a good time. Port Huron wanted an event that would encourage the visitors to stay longer, eat in their restaurants and stay in the hotels.

As it turned out that part worked very well. All area hotels were full for three nights, the restaurants ran out of food and the stages were enjoyed by thousands into the wee hours. But the city wanted something more than partyers so we brought the more civilizing activities of a nighttime lighted Boat Parade, children's activities (interactive stage performances, art activities and the carnival) and an art fair.

The Blue Water Fest opened on Thursday to horrid weather and 70 mph winds around 6 pm and lots of

rain. There was much destruction. Luckily the art fair didn't start until Friday, but we were out in the pouring rain marking the streets in the dark for the morning arrivals. (We had some cool spray paint that did the job well.)

Painter Kathleen Spellman makes a really big sale!

Load in: piece of cake, drive up to booth
Load out: pretty easy, everyone worked well together to make it easy for all
Parking: just around the corner in a reserved area
PR: billboards on the outlying freeways; 2 1/2 hours of TV spots on the local Fox affiliate (out of Detroit, I think), TV and radio interviews with artists, stories in local papers. Pretty good outreach.

Although the Boat Race was the feature of the weekend everywhere I saw gave the art fair equal billing(!) on the billboards, buses, other print media and we only had 42 artists, perfect for a new event.

Attendance: to my eye it was thin-ish on Friday (11 am to 9 pm), the weather was really hot and

humid and uncomfortable. I saw few packages go by. Even though they had electricity and had been encouraged to stay open past 9 pm, most artists closed up at that time. The crowds were getting heavy for the evening's entertainment, and, as many of you know a few heavy drinkers can make for some fun, but a whole street full is not an artist's dream.

Woodworker Don Lake makes an early sale

Awards: We turned this on its head and asked the artists to choose the award winners. They turned in their ballots and here are the winners: Finest Art: painter Larry Smith, Funkiest Art: Steve & Lynn Cebula; First Place, Tom Michael (glass); Second Place, Charles Bingham (wood); Third Place, Maria Pfropper (painting). Also, Serena David (jewelry), Rick Dery (photo), Candiss Cole (fiber), Anne Jenkins (painting), Susan Lane (painting), Fran Mangino (painting), Angela Sample (ceramics) and Sheila LaFave received the pink ribbon for the pinkest booth. The ribbons were recycled from our 30 year collection of art fair prizes.

Saturday dawned hot and humid again. The boats start the race in the early morning and then the

crowd disburses, but some of them came to the art fair. The Saturday crowd seemed more affluent and interested in the offerings and seemed to have seen the advertising. Things were going along pretty well when suddenly the weather took a turn for the worst and we asked artists to close their booths and then we shut down the show and told everyone to take cover in the nearest buildings. There were terrible storms on the radar and we'd already been through this on Thursday. Luckily the storms skirted the downtown and we all came back out to play.

Workers & artists taking shelter from the wind. Do you see Rick Dery & Ruth Heginbottom?

But you know what happens when everyone is told to go away. Many of them just don't come back. Artists who were skittish about their work continued to pack and some of them left early. The rest of the day we just didn't regain the momentum of earlier. Too bad. This was an eclectic mix of artists from very fine to very funky with a wide variety of price points.

So the good news is nothing got hurt, but the bad news is that we just barely got started. Like any other show some did not make booth fee, some did well and many fell somewhere along that continuum.

Tequila report -- I was so tired on Saturday evening that when I was offered a pina colada smoothie w/liquor of my choice I couldn't remember that rum was the correct answer. Ever had a tequila pina colada? There was excellent food to be had. Just around the corner from the show was the Black River Cafe with mussels that almost had you licking your plate and amazing sushi. Sunday morning I found a Bistro near the St. Clair River with a fabulous brunch, way beyond bacon, eggs and waffles!

Geez, I should have copied the menu for all you foodies out there. Next time!

Highlights for the weekend: meeting some new artists, helping newbies learn the ropes, spending money with Serena David (earrings for me), Barb Quenneville (earrings for my daughter-in-law), recycled journals from Butch Cash, a treasure box for another daughter-in-law from Ruth Heginbottom and a mahogany jewelry box from Don Lake, a member here (good to meet you Don). Also, Lisa and I enjoyed the Saturday night Parade of Lights (the boat parade) and on Sunday I got to rollerblade along the Blue Water coastline. Don't you love a Friday and Saturday show when you can take Sunday off to enjoy the local scene?

I give Larry Smith the Finest Art award -- he says he got the purple ribbon for "the best use of purple."

Many thanks to the intrepid artists who took a chance on this new art fair. You did all of us a favor. Art fairs come and go, some lose their steam, committees change, and we always need new ones coming along. If no one tries the new ones we lose our livelihood. I encourage all of you to help your regional events with advice and your presence. Keep art fairs alive.

What canopy should I purchase?

Posted by Pat Falk on July 19, 2010 at 11:27am

My 14 year old Lite Dome sustained considerable damage in a severe storm this Sat. All 4 corner pieces were broken off and many other frame parts were bent. Now my dilema, as many of you have probably faced at some time in your art fair career, is - do I spend megabucks on replacement parts or do I purchase a new tent??? I know the weaknesses of my Lite Dome in wind. I do not have the lower stabilizing bars or the upper corner stabilizers. Also I wonder about the durability of the plastic or cast(instead of my aluminum tubing) top upright corner. Should I purchase another brand tent? Please everyone...share your experience with other brands of tents that are available for purchase today. All advice is appreciated! Yes, I have a show this coming weekend so this is urgent! Thanks all!!!

Can it be too hot for an art festival? Buffalo Grove, IL Amdur Show

Posted by geri a. wegner on July 18, 2010 at 10:41pm

I bring frozen tea to every art show. It was so hot this morning that half the bottle melted in the short time I was there. It was in the high 80's at 10 am. My friend and I figured if the artists could be there, so could we.

This is one of Amy's smaller shows. There were 3 or 4 new artists, the usual artists at every Amdur show and several of the artists that only do a few of her shows. Didn't notice a lot of bags although I know of one jeweler who is very happy. It was just too hot to spend a lot of time there, especially when you knew there would be another Amdur show next week and you stood a good chance of seeing these artists again.

So in a year where weather seems to play as big a role as the economy, I have discovered it can be too cold for a festival (Beaux Arts in Miami) and too hot for a festival (Buffalo Grove,IL). I am beginning to appreciate indoor festivals!

In MI where are your customers from?

Posted by Michael Peychich on July 18, 2010 at 6:13pm

I have found that most of my customers in the Michigan shows are from out of state. Some examples in Muskegon 70% of buyers were from FL, NC, VA, DE, South Africa & Canada. This weekend in Elk Rapids 80% of dollars came from Canada, Washington DC, WI and Georgia. I sell mostly landscape photography from Hawaii and Michigan (a lot of waterfalls and lighthouses). Is this common for other artist out there of is it perhaps due to my media and subject matter? I have always done best in Michigan shows that are close to the coastline.

WHERE ARE REVIEWS FOR JULY 4th CHERRY CREEK ; PARAGON HAMPTONS and any others????

Posted by Bill and Jon Slade on July 17, 2010 at 10:55am

Someone out there must have something to report// as these shows were so highly voted on by our fellow artists to place them in the "TOP 100"

Call for Artists: Northville (MI) Christmas Market

Posted by Connie Mettler on July 16, 2010 at 1:00pm

November 19-21, 2010

Downtown
80 Exhibitors
Deadline: September 15

Mark Loeb of Integrity Shows has a surprise announcement to make:

Artists have been asking for quality November and December shows for years. I finally have something to satisfy them, though not what they might expect at first. The Northville Christmas Market .

This show is outside on Main Street in Downtown Northville. Outside? You better believe it. All across Europe Christmas Markets pop up for the season in every city small and large. In the last years large month long markets have appeared in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. Loeb says, "The first thing artists say when I mention the new show is that I am crazy. Then after a few moments of thought, they ask me for an application."

Northville, Michigan, is an upscale metro Detroit suburb that retains a small-town atmosphere with stately Victorian era architecture in its Historic District and well-kept older homes built before the 1930s.

Integrity Shows has never followed the traditional cookie cutter approach to events. One show features only Clay, Glass and Metal art. Another is aimed at Funky. This show may skew a bit traditional, maybe even a tad sentimental. If your work appeals to young families through retirees this show should be right for you.

Fine Art and Craft is the focus. A Children's Village, Christmas Parade and Green's Market will help to make it a great experience for the whole family. The market winds through the downtown area, Specialty foods and acoustic caroling. Truly an event to remember.

As with all Integrity Shows events, accepted artists are grandfathered in for three years. Loeb explains, "Why shouldn't you get the opportunity to plan your schedule? Three years give you time to create collectors, while still assuring enough new art each year to keep the audiences interest.

For more information please go to MichiganChristmasMarket.com.
Apply on line at Zapplication.org.
Email mark@integrityshows.com with any questions.

Cedar Key Shrimp Festival v.s. Cedar Key Art Festival

Posted by Lynda Marie Keen on July 14, 2010 at 6:48am

Wondered if anyone was familiar with the Cedar Key Shrimp Festival? I am aware of the Art Show in April, although I don't know how it went this last spring. They have a Shrimp Festival in October in this sleepy little Florida town. I'd like to try it because I'm tired of the central Florida shows and want to do something fun. Most of the shows on the coast have been recovering and doing o.k. from what I've heard from others. I plan to do the new Amelia Island show in October because I've done well there in the past. The very next weekend is the Shrimp Festival in Cedar Key so I'll have to do some scrambling to get ready. Then I'll have a break til Hallifax the first of November. It sounded like fun and we could use a get-a-way weekend, but thought I'd better have a recommendation. By the by, The Atlantic Beach Art in the Park went really well. I'd complained about it last winter with the way they processed $ and artist acceptance. I made recommendations to the committe as other did and hopefully this little show that out-grew itself will have some policies in place for next year. I hope so because, I'd like to do it again. Stay cool in July. Florida has been incredibly hot!

Krasl Art Fair

Posted by Jenzen on July 13, 2010 at 11:33pm

What a beautiful location! St Joseph is a small community located on the bluff of Lake Michigan. Has the small town feel of Fairhope or Bar Harbor, but not as commercialized.
I am not alone when I say this show is expertly run. Artists seem to be top priority among the staff and volunteers. Amenities were great... this is the first show Jim and I actually used a booth sitter. They kept coming by and offering and we finally said Yeah, we'll go get some lunch (PROVIDED, in an air-conditioned room) .
But we all know location and amenities are no match for SALES. Which, for us, were disappointing. Jim and I think it is because of our price point. He is going to try and create some smaller pieces -- not sacrifice quality -- but to have on hand some lower priced items to add to the security of doing a show that has no big buyers. Several other artists we talked to said they'd done quite well, and some said they did about half what they did last year.
The Sunday morning dialog with artists and staff was interesting and a great way to include the artists in helping to make the show better every year.
We'd already decided we'd try this show again next year, the Best in Sculpture award they gave to Jim made that a definite.

Entry Thingy vs. Zapplication

Posted by Kristina Jones on July 13, 2010 at 3:57pm

After 3 shows of fighting to get what has been promised, we decided to use Entry Thingy instead of Zapplication for our entries for the Fall 2010 Great Lakes Art Fair. So far, we have had very little complaints about the software, as long as the person has some sense of how to work a computer. There have been a few drawbacks on the Administrator side, but not enough to detract from the positives that we are seeing - decreased fees, ability to customize every aspect of the entry form, integrated gallery widget for our website that includes all images and descriptions just to name a few.

The biggest issue we are having is not being able to be on the huge Call for Entries list that Zapplication puts out weekly or to be searched in Zapplication. Granted, the call for entry emails are one of the things that ZAPP kept leaving us off of, so it may not have a large effect. For those of you that do not use Zapplication, how do you get the word out? Also, if you want to try Entry Thingy for yourself, you can always apply for the Great Lakes Art Fair *wink*! :)

Back to the Future--The KRASL Art Fair review

Posted by Barry Bernstein on July 13, 2010 at 11:39am

The trend in Art Fairs seems to be that there is an ever increasing disconnect between artists and the people who are running the shows. This is not a positive thing because the artists I talk to at shows feel like they are being treated like carnival workers. I have seen open hostility and outright anger between show personnel and artists at every show. So, I'm happy to report that the KRASL Art Fair was a wonderful experience. It was just like the old days. In fact, everyone who did this show was gushing with praise for Sara Shambarger and her cadre of helpers who tirelessly made sure that the artists felt welcome and that their needs were met. This is the new(old) standard on how to run a show(are you listening Gasparilla)!!!

The amazing thing about this show is that Sara and her crew worked out every last detail in an intelligent manner. The show layout was superb. The show was laid out in pretty much a straight line with booths facing each other with plenty of space in front of and between booths. There was not a bad spot in the show. The food booths were away from the artists, but, easily accessible to everyone. The music stage was away from the artists, yet, everyone could hear the music if they chose to. The volunteers and the booth sitters were always in sight and available. And, they were extremely warm and friendly. They were happy and grateful that we were there. There was water available to artists and strategically placed so that it took less than a minute to get water if you needed it. There were x amount of tickets for water, but, no one collected the tickets making it easy for every artists to keep hydrated. This was important because it was hot and sunny. Setup was almost all day on Friday and was extremely easy. There was enough room for everyone's vehicle even if everyone showed up at the same time. Thus, breakdown was also easy. And, there were volunteers to help unload if you wanted them. There was an artist party on Friday night, and there was a really good breakfast on Saturday morning and a lesser one on Sunday. If you sent in the form, there was also a box lunch brought to you during the show.

The show was the standard 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday and the weather was perfect-- 80-85 degrees and no wind or rain. Here's the best part: Sales on Saturday were excellent for everyone I talked to. For me, it was just like the days when things were great. I, actually, had people standing in line holding their pieces waiting for me to finish wrapping. For a two hour period, I couldn't keep up with it. That hasn't happened in a long, long time. I did more the first day than I was expecting to do in two days. It wasn't just me. Knowing I was going to write this review, I asked as many people as I could, so I could get a proper perspective. Everyone I talked to had the same experience that I did. Unfortunately, the second day was as bad as the first day was good. The crowds were way down and so were the sales. That was the only bad thing about the show. I talked to Sara about this and she said that was pretty much the same for everyone. Believe me, though, she's already working on finding a way to make Sunday as good as Saturday was, next year. To me, Saturday was so good that it didn't matter, too much, that Sunday was light.

One last thing, the KRASL Art Fair sponsored a concert in the park near the beach. This year, the artist was nationally known contemporary jazz sax player, Mindi Abair. She is a personal favorite of mine and after the show on Saturday I made my way down to the beach to listen to her fine sound even though I could hardly keep my eyes open. Thanks Sara for bringing her to St Joseph, MI.

Hopefully, I'll be invited back next year because after you read this review and talk to people who did the show, it will be harder to get into. I noticed that the quality of the art was better than last year. Also, this is the kind of show that you need to do a few times. All my customers from last year came back including those who wished they had purchased something and I made a lot of new contacts for next year. This show has a loyal following that come back year after year. So, if you are reading this, Sara, I need to do it next year, too. LOL!!!

Call for Artists: Ohio Mart

Posted by Connie Mettler on July 13, 2010 at 6:30am

September 30 - October 3
Akron, Ohio
140 Exhibitors
Presented by the Hywet Hall & Gardens,
a Historic House Museum and Country Estate
Sponsored by the Woman's Auxiliary Board of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
An outdoor event held under large tents

Deadline: August 1

Searching for a new venue that is accessible to a great number of shoppers hungry for creative, one of a kind, hand crafted items? Ohio Mart is held on the grounds of the country estate of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron and is in its 44th year of being the premier Arts and Crafts festival in the state of Ohio. Ohio Mart is centrally located for the 15,000 shoppers that come from Cleveland, Columbus and Pittsburgh.

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

714 North Portage Path

Akron, Ohio 44303

Phone toll free 1 888 836-5533

Ohio Mart is a juried show and will accept only handmade original art. Plan to display your art at Ohio Mart in the fall. Cost for a 10 x 10 space is $450-$525. Jury fee $25.00. Tented and outside spaces available.

Benefits include:

Assistance the day of set-up and the evening of take-down
Booth sitters for breaks, morning coffee
Free accessible parking for vehicle
Booth space tented

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Visit www.stanhywet.org - Ohio Mart to download an application or see additional information.

Further information:

Applications: postmark by August 1
After deadline applications accepted where space is available/waiting list
Acceptance notification - receipt of application
Exhibitor Contracts paid in full by August 1, 2010

More Art Fair History: Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

Posted by Connie Mettler on July 12, 2010 at 11:46am

The CPFA, lovingly known as "State College", has been flourishing since l967, on the campus and downtown streets of this sweet college town in the heart of Happy Valley. I can't imagine how many artists have participated over the years. In the interest of letting the newbies be informed about the cultural history of our "industry" I'm linking to an article in the Daily Collegian that appeared on July 11 detailing fundraising, riots, festival workers strikes and, of course, artists hung work on fences, not booths.

It is good reading and puts lots of what is going on today at art festivals into perspective.

This festival is a bit of a 'grandfather' to the multi-faceted festivals that you find today that have contributed so much to growth of the arts in our country. Rick Bryant, the director, told me he hosted the folks from the Oklahoma Festival of the Arts this weekend. Hope they had a good time as this is a very cool event.

Any artist who wants to get a good look at a successful event and pick up tips on how to sell and display, as well as an art fair organizers needs to visit State College. You'll get a crash course in the art fair business.

Here's the story: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2010/07/11/arts_fest_history_revisited.aspx

Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff, St. Joseph, MI

Posted by Leo Charette on July 12, 2010 at 11:00am

The Krasil Art Fair on the Bluff was a very good show for me... especially Saturday. What a fabulous venue... you look out on to the sandy beaches of lake Michigan and water that stretches as far as the eye can see.

Sara Shambarger and the 400 volunteers deserve all the credit and I am very appreciative. This is a committee and staff that is dedicated to making this show the artists' favorite (their words) and they are right up there with the best! The artists amenities at this show were substantial: Grassy location with trees and gorgeous view of Lake Michigan; curb-side loading and unloading; roomy booths (12X12) with plenty of storage space; Friday evening opening reception and an artist hospitality room with free breakfast and lunches, booth sitters and roving volunteers, artist-only off-street parking close to fair during show; and most important, lots of visiting patrons from several distant locations including Chicago. Sales were very strong for my work, $4000-5999K (see artists survey) and purchases covered my full range of price points. The show conducts an extensive artists survey and distributes the result back to the artist.

As an aside: I had made it to number 2 on the wait list but no further... so close. In an email exchange with Sara, I learned that last year there were no late cancellations, but I decided to take my chances anyway and make the 4 1/2 hour drive on Thursday evening to St Joseph's. Hell, what's the worst that could happen, my wife and I would enjoy a gorgeous weekend at a resort on looking the spectacular view of Lake Michigan? On Friday I was up early to get my name first on the list in hopes of a last minute cancellation. To my good fortune there was only one last minute cancellation and I got the nod.

Well, you can imagine my surprise at Sunday morning's awards breakfast, when they handed me the biggest colorful ribbon I have ever seen... I had won best in Photography with an automatic invite into next year's show... Oh yeah, I'm going back. I wouldn't miss celebrating the 50th anniversary of this top ranked show!!!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Posted by geri a. wegner on July 12, 2010 at 12:01am

There were 4 art festivals in the Chicago area this weekend and I made it to three of them.

Weather for all the festivals was very hot. Humidity wasn't too bad but without much breeze, it made for uncomfortable conditions. Textile artists probably get hurt the most. Who wants to try anything on when you are already hot and sweaty?

Oak Brook- this is a fine craft festival. It is held in a wonderful mall southwest of Chicago. There is plenty of parking so getting there early is not necessary to find a space. I hadn't been there in a long time and it used to be wonderful. There were supposed to be around 150 artists and if there were, I don't think we found all of them. The layout for this was very confusing. This is an independent festival so there were a lot of artists I had never seen before. The quality was very uneven and it was an unsatisfactory show. It wasn't worth the drive.

Glencoe- This is an Amdur show so you know there will be good quality, a fairly organized layout and lots of dogs. (last year, Glencoe had as many dogs as artists or so it seemed. this year, there were a lot also) This show had several artists I had never seen before and they did not disappoint. I thought I saw a b/s but it wasn't crummy stuff and there was one booth where the work was so awful, we thought it was a joke. Almost as if there was a no-show and this person had set up a booth with the ugliest ceramic things that were below the level of nursery school artists. It was a nice festival though,overall.

Northbrook- Last year there weren't even 60 artists at this festival so I was happy to see the artist list was above 100 this year. This show had the most disorganized layout of any I have been to. It was completely on grass so thank goodness it didn't rain or it would have been a mess. We almost missed a row of artists because the backs of booths were on one side and the front of booths on the other. Quality was uneven, mostly on the low side.

It was a discouraging weekend. Even if I don't find anything to add to my collections, I enjoy seeing beautiful work and with a few exceptions, I didn't even see that.

Tubac Festival of the Arts

Posted by PEGGY MARTIN on July 11, 2010 at 2:49pm

Has anyone had experience with Tubac Festival of the Arts in Tuba, AZ?

SHOW REPORT - Muskegon Art in the Park- Muskegon MI- July 2 thru 4, 2010

Posted by Linda Anderson on July 11, 2010 at 12:00am

This was my first year attending this art fair held over the July 4th weekend at lovely Muskegon Hackley Park. The art fair is actually held the last three days of Muskegon's "Summer Celebration" - a huge draw from all areas of Michigan. The prior weekend began with musical performances by ZZ Top and others. Sure wish I could have seen them. The entire week consisted of various top named groups and the carnival type area. This appears to be for this area of Michigan similar to Milwaukee's Summer Fest. My overall thoughts are - Way to go Muskegon! Get high attendance all week and save the art venue for the last weekend. I tried to book a hotel more than 3 months in advance and could find nothing in a close proximity to Muskegon. Booked all the way past Holland. I then tried the campgrounds and, oh God, ended up at a KOA (ugh - I never do them). Granted, it was 4th of July weekend and there are other things to do in the area, but the crowds were definately there all three days. Sunday night's fireworks over the lake were spectacular!

The Organization - $235 show fee. Well juried event - Wonderful artwork in all mediums and nicely balanced.Each artist received a very nice t-shirt. Check in went well and all volunteers were helpful and friendly. Entry forms and images are submitted on paper via USPS. Show runs from 10 to 6 on Friday and Saturday and 10 to 4 on Sunday. Setup allowed on Thursday but we began unloading & setup on Friday at 6am and found no problem finding a streetside parking area to unload. Parking for unloading was on the street and all had to be dollied in. Vehicles had to be removed by 9am and the streets surrounding the block had no parking. Each morning coffee and goodies were available near the center statue.

The Layout - The various venues are spread throughout Muskegon with a festival area including music stages and rides etc down by the lake. A block away is street for fine crafters and in the fourth block, is historical Hackley Park. At the center of the park - one square block - is a large historical statue. Artists are situated on both sides of the sidewalk parimeter of the block and along the four diagonal sidewalks leading to the center statue. Approximately 190 fine artists participated. I very much enjoyed the distinct separation of the venues. The street between the fine crafters and the block dedicated to fine artists was a street filled with a large variety of food vendors. I was fortunate to get a great corner location. Artists given a generous 12x12 space with tons of space behind each tent.

The Weather - A tad on the hot hot hot side but most tents are under huge trees. My corner was in full sun, but since we were given so much space, a few tent adaptations gave us shelter from the sun. A nice breeze most of the day helped.

The Crowd - Kinda covered above but a few more notes necessary. This was a great crowd. There were few lulls each day and for the most part we were busy enough that neither Neil or I strayed away from our booth. Since the festival areas were so well divided, the ones at the Art in the Park area were looking for fine art, just as the ones a block down were looking for fine crafts.

The $$$$ - I typically do well when the event is on a Great Lake. Friday went very well, Saturday seemed to have more out of towners who came in for the weekend and sales, while steady, were under Friday's tally. Sunday was slower than both previous days in the beginning, but about an hour prior to closing we were bombarded with those who saw something earlier and came back to purchase. The art show ended at 4, but we did not begin teardown until 5. I did not have much time to talk with other artists except a couple of my long time friends so I'm not sure how others did. The fine craft area was too far away and I did not get over to the other side of the park to see the other fine art at all but I did notice people carrying bags through out the weekend.

The Food - Most of the food was typical of any festival but there was a huge variety (two blocks on both sides) This food area was for those attending either the fine craft or the fine art booths. Since the main festival was quite a distance away, they had their own food setup.

My only Beef - Parking. Those that have done this show before knew all the secrets. Since this weeklong event encompassed the entire city, parking for the weeklong Summer Celebration festivities were no where near the parking for the fine artists (thank God). Obviously planned well by groups in the city, any civic or church lot had persons offering day parking for $5.00. Nice consistency at least. We parked our utility trailer three blocks away for the entire time and arrived early each day to obtain parking in one of the closer lots, a block away. A bit confusing at first, but now I too know some of the "secrets".

I'll post my video in a couple of days.

Linda Anderson

Great Lakes Nautical & Nature Photography

http://www.andersonphotoworks.com

Ford Van for Sale in Michigan

Posted by Connie Mettler on July 10, 2010 at 10:12pm

I want to sell my Ford 94 Super Van. 351 engine. 3/4 ton. gray. Less than 100,000. always been garaged. Super condition considering age. two front seats only. carpeted. Price $3500 firm. Gil Dorer 107 Willow Ct. Chelsea, Mi. 48118. dorergj@aol.com 734 475 4300.

(We drove Ford vans to art fairs from 1980 until retiring in 2006. Ours still gets around very well with almost 170,000 miles on it. - Connie)

Cherry Creek, Lakefront Milwaukee, Rittenhouse Square Philadelphia - a trend?

Posted by R. Michael Wommack on July 9, 2010 at 8:49pm

First, I have to describe my work as 2-D, namely pastel on paper, somewhat contemporary and not for everyone. Price range $450 to $4500.

After some fabulous shows in Texas in the spring, I thought "this could be the turning point, this could be the best year for me". Having done these shows for only 3 years, I never experienced the "good old days", and I have only the recession experience under my belt.

But it seems since May all of my shows have been down from last year.

Rittenhouse Square in Philly has been a consistently good show for me. There was an earlier post about the show, so I won't repeat, but Friday and Saturday were super slow, and Sunday we broke down early for a tornado and hail watch, right in the middle of the best crowds of the weekend. Not a lot you can do about Mother Nature, but the first 2 days were not up to par.

Lakefront in Milwaukee Is a pleasure to do. It is a wonderful show in a wonderful setting. (see Nels' blog about the show last year. He covered all the details). That being said, it seemed to me that the crowd, big indeed, was holding back. I did half what I did the year before, and I saw almost no 2-D work leave the show, save for matted prints that I suspect were of a lower price point. I talked to many of my painter friends, and no one did well. The people kept telling me they wished they could afford my work. ( Is this a form of blowing smoke? Perhaps...but how do I explain Texas?).

Finally Cherry Creek - This is a truly wonderful show to do in terms of load in, load out, artist parking is the easiest and closest of any show I have done. The volunteers are everywhere with water, snacks and offers of help. The weather can be dicey, but wait 10 minutes. And the crowds were there. Only they were not buying 2-D painting or drawing least I can tell (please, someone tell me otherwise). Again, I did half what I did the year before, and none of my painting friends did well, maybe meeting expenses. Again, I saw almost no 2-D work being carried, except for matted prints, which painters, and artists such as myself, did not have available. I sold only small drawings, and people were even sensitive to that lower price.

I have been talking to my friends in the financial business, and they are not surprised by my experience. They are telling me the economy is shakier than even last year. I know some jewelers and smaller priced artists are not suffering the same fate, and this is the observation of one artist, but it seems to me that patrons are thinking twice about spending more that a thousand dollars for a piece of artwork.

Maybe when the oil well is capped?

ART FAIR HEADLINES FOR JULY 10 & 11 in OH, WI, NY, MI, FL

Posted by Connie Mettler on July 9, 2010 at 4:00pm

Here's the flavor of the events taking place this weekend - The Great American Art Fair Weekend

1. Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in St. Joe, MI -- cain-park-arts-festival_aerial-path.jpg?w=216&h=288

cain-park-arts-festival_aerial-path.jpg?w=216&h=288

http://www.wsjm.com/216-Artists-Selling-Work-at-2010-Krasl-Art-Fair/7648931

And, an excellent story with an interview with artist David Chapple: http://www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/07/08/features/1528421.txt

2. Corn Hill Art Festival in Rochester, NY -- http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100708/ENT0102/7080305/1052/ENT

3. Cain Park Arts Festival in Cleveland Heights, OH -- http://positivelycleveland.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/cain-park-arts-festival/, photo from Cain Park, where we usually went on this weekend to sell our goods

4. Royal Oak Art Fair in Royal Oak, MI -- http://www.detnews.com/article/20100708/ENT01/7080301/Royal-Oak-art-fair-aims-to-inspire

5. Art Fair on the Square in Madison, WI -- http://www.thedailypage.com/theguide/details.php?event=242024

6. And thinking into 2011 you might (or might not) be pleased to hear that Coconut Grove is adding 30 spaces. Read all about it: http://coconutgrovegrapevine.blogspot.com/2010/07/be-part-of-best-arts-festival-seeking.html

Call for artists (but BEWARE): West Greenville Arts Festival

Posted by Ray Mosteller on July 9, 2010 at 9:00am

Upstate Visual Arts (UVA) is accepting applications for the 2^nd annual West Greenville (S.C.) Arts Festival on September 18-19, 2010. For more information see the following link: http://www.upstatevisualarts.org/events/wgreenvillefestival.php The deadline is July 15.

This is my hometown so I have a sincere desire to exhibit here, even purchasing a double booth. I have absolutely no travel expenses and I have so much “local” work that it is the best of all worlds for me. Yet with so much desire to take advantage of this great opportunity, and with the cost of only $100 for a booth ($175 for double), I really question whether I want to even apply. I share the following points to explain.

The most recent show that UVA did was on Memorial Day weekend at Freedom Weekend Aloft. Sold to the artists as a great venue with only 25 "juried" artists, 300,000 visitors over 3 days,
tents were provided by the property owner and the booth fee was only $50. However the tents
provided DID NOT have sides; it was a mere canopy top. You were not allowed to bring your
own tent and it rained all three days. Artists were not told of the lack of tent sides until
the artists arrived for setup.
And UVA was only able to sell perhaps 6 spaces out of the 25 promoted. I was one of those
6 and it rained all three days and even had a hail storm the first day. The last day was totally
cancelled because of the weather. When asked how were we to protect our art in case of inclement weather, the UVA director said the owner had two storage PODS about 200
yards away. So when were we to grab our art and run for the PODS? When the rain started or when we see the first cloud? And then you have all artists sharing the tiny PODS together walking over and around everyone else’s art. The planning for this event was non-existent. Most artists had serious damage to their art due to lack of sides and no way to protect as the rapidly approaching thunderstorms came up much to quick. I’m sure the UVA is in a learning curve; but at “our expense.”
The 1^st annual West Greenville Arts Festival was held last year. It rained lightly both days. Crowds were perhaps 300 to 500 visitors per day; many of which were simply other artists just checking everything out. Sales were virtually non-existent for everyone I saw and talked to, although I did manage to cover my $100 expenses. There were only about 20 or 25 artists at the show last year.
I have left numerous messages and emails for the UVA festival contact over the past three weeks. Finally, yesterday I got a return phone call. I asked a lot of questions and was told about how they were trying to attact some sponsors to help with the advertising, etc. Sounds promising; but based on past performance, I will have to see it before I believe it. The setup will be in the same parking lot as last year with 4 rows of tents. Artists tents will be 10’x10’, placed side by side with no room in between and NO space for any storage or chairs whatsoever. It was clearly explained to me that EVERYTHING must fit inside your 10’x10’ tent because the tents would be side by side and the two rows in the middle would be back to back with no space in between. I measured the parking lot this morning. The boundaries are not quite in straight lines but the width ranges from 58’ to about 70’ and the parking lot is perhaps 150+’ long. So if they are putting one row of tents on the outside boundary and two rows back to back in the middle (that’s 40’ of width taken up by just the tents). And if you have two rows of traffic, that’s only 9’ between the facing tents (assuming everyone is level – which is difficult on the significantly sloping parking lot).
With this cramped setup, I predict load in and load out will be total chaos as you cannot arrive and get your space assignment until 6AM Saturday morning.

What a dilemma for me. The one show that is the best financial opportunity for me is sponsored by the most poorly organized show promoter I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m not trying to grind an ax
here. Trust me, I could continue to write volumes if I chose to. I simply want to share what I know about the event. I will undoubtedly have more conversations over the coming weeks and months and will gladly share any new information as it becomes available.

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Note: this page contains paid content.

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Note: this page contains paid content.