Posted by Ginny Herzog on April 24, 2009 at 10:30am
We have a late night setup for Art City Austin tonight. Artists load in from 7:30 until midnight, with only 45 minutes to unload. This will be a challenge. But hoping the rest of the show will be less stressful and successful!http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=238664http://www.austin.com/content/view/1504/278/
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Here is another bellwether art festival - the six day long art festival in Oklahoma City taking place this week. My hope is that the good art fair news from Texas spills over to Oklahoma City.
"What more could you ask for? Beautiful weather, gorgeous art and delicious food. But still some festival goers have a complaint- the high prices.
I saw a lamp down there that was 3, 500 bucks...." read the rest of this story and see the video from the streets of downtown Oklahoma CityRead more…
September 25-27 Kansas City, Missouri On the beautiful and historic Country Club Plaza 230 artists Deadline: 5/2/09 Please note: earlier deadline this year! Ranked #6 Fine Arts event in the 2008 Art Fair SourceBook The Plaza Art Fair marks the beginning of autumn for all Kansas Citians, and attracts art enthusiasts from all over the nation. This annual celebration is located on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo., recognized as the oldest shopping center in the country and a beloved destination in Kansas City. The Plaza Art Fair exhibits have grown in quality and creativity over seven decades to become a nationally recognized fine art and fine craft event. The three-day celebration of the arts allows visitors to experience the personalities and diverse talents of world-class artists firsthand. Beyond the colorful collections of art, this extraordinary event offers even more. With delicious food, magnificent music and interactive art experiences for all ages, there is something new around every corner.
carved wooden bags by Kimberly Chalos POINTS OF INTEREST: * 300,000 art enthusiasts attend * $10,000 in cash awards * Individual Artist Electricity * Artist Breakfast, booth sitters, hospitality area * Free Parking Join us as the Plaza Art Fair tradition continues... Applications available at:
www.zapplication.org CONTACT INFORMATION: Director: Kara Breitenstein Phone - 816.753.0100; Fax - 816.960.6215
www.countryclubplaza.com E-mail:
info@countryclubplaza.comRead more…
This past weekend the last of the big Florida art fairs of the spring season took place in St. Petersburg. Mainsail Festival of the Arts is very popular with artists with the ability to win prize money. The Best of Show award and $10,000 went to mixed media artist Rocky Bridges. Then there are 9 Awards of Excellence for $1500, let alone the 10 Awards of Distinction for $1000, and even more. Read the story at: TambaBay.com and make plans to apply yourself next year.
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Posted by Ginny Herzog on April 21, 2009 at 2:00pm
I did MSFW eight and nine years ago - the years are fresh in my mind as my first year was when the tornado swept Main St. only days before the event and they moved the event to the Cultural Center, but returned to Main St. the following year. I had a miserable experience back then. It wasn't my crowd of art lovers and buyers, but rather, young, drunks with stacking empty beer cups, chomping on turkey legs. With a booth spot near the Karaoke stage of awful singers and only one big sale, it felt like the longest show of my life. I did not reapply until this year after setting my sights on TX, instead of FL. For me, doing the TX shows is an attempt to establish a new market for my work. Only a handful of people here are familiar with my architectural collage on panels. Although I feel my work has been well received here, sales for me were slow. I had one large sale and a couple of smaller ones with the possibility of a couple of big commissions. Talking with other artists in all medias, most returnees said sales were down from previous years but better than they thought they would be in this recession. Smaller works sold better but some were able to move a few larger ones, as well. As Mark Zurek reported, they delivered a huge crowd on Sat. and Sun. and we were told that Thursday was record breaking, as well. We were grateful that the torrential rains came only in the morning on Friday and they quit by noon. Jay Downey did an admirable job of directing this event, which was very well organized and promoted. His staff and the block captains were great and we felt there were always ears to hear of any issue we may have had during the show. In addition he had artist advisors circulating the show to get feedback from the artists about any suggestions or issues. At the artist reception on the eve of setup day, Jay made sure that he greeted each and everyone of the exhibitors at our tables, welcoming us to the show. I feel that this is very important as it is becoming increasingly rare to have any interaction with show directors during the show, anymore. If the show directors are unable to meet the artists, at least the artist relations chair, should. I feel that MSFW is a show headed in the right direction in TX. This year I did not notice a single stack of empty beer cups. I've been told that Jay did away with these a couple of years ago. Instead they are selling cans, which are much more difficult to balance in the heavy crowds. :- ) The karaoke stage is gone, and NOT missed. Music, for the most part was at a more comfortable decible level than the past with a more appropriate music genres for art browsing. Load in went very well, except for artists needing to cram their booths into the skimpy tents, which saved us in the heavy rain and ever present gusts. Artists need to be advised to bring their tent tops, in addition to the sides. My biggest issue with the show was about tear down. The plan was to close the artists booths and stages at the N. end of Main at 6 to funnel the crowds to the Main stage at the S. end of the show, so the artists could tear down. Music at the S. stage did not end until 8. Therefore, the crowds seemed unaware that the art festival was over and continued to walk in the streets and sidewalks until after 8. This did NOT WORK at all - at least from my vantage point in the 700 block. I heard that the closing of the art fair was reported in the paper to be at 8, instead of 6. Many of us were parked 4-7 blocks from our booths and with gusty winds, it is near impossible to hand carry large paintings and panels for any great distance. We also risked having our dolly loads attacked by winds, as well. The crowds of families with strollers and toddlers scurrying around were oblivious to the danger they were putting themselves in as we were dismantling our booths. My normal two hour takedown, instead, took four and I was exhausted. If MSFW makes just one improvement of this event, I hope it will be the load out plan. End all of the concessions and entertainment at the 6 pm closing time. Thank the crowd for coming and ask them to leave Main St. so that the artists may load up. At LEAST get them off the street where we are trying to dismantle and load.Particularly, when Main St. has the prevalent gusty winds that can cause unexpected and dangerous situations when your booth is least stable. Kudos to Downey and staff and the friendly people of Dallas and Fort Worth.
Monday morning: I was planning on blogging daily about the setup and the activities at this newly reorganized art fair, but it has been much too interesting participating to sit here and write about it. So here is the Great Lakes Art Fair report:
"Group shopping at the Great Lakes Art Fair" The fair was held in a new expo hall in an affluent area of metro Detroit, replacing an older event promoted by Sugarloaf Festivals. The owner of the
Rock Financial Showplace, Blair Bowman, wanted to continue the tradition of having art fairs in the lineup of the events held there so he utilized his staff, PR connections, local sponsors and community good will to bring it into fruition as the Great Lakes Art Fair, with the mission of developing it into a destination regional event to take place spring and fall that would showcase the quality work for which Michigan shows are known. In that spirit there was a partnership with
Detroit Public TV and
NPR radio stations and the nonprofit
Michigan ArtServe. Landscape partners created a beautiful garden entry way and created garden areas in other areas of the show floor. Good affordable catered food was available. There were demonstrations and representatives from the art departments from area schools from elementary through the fine
Cranbrook Institution.
Advertising and PR covered a wide geographic area, at least as far away as Lansing. It was heavily promoted on radio and television.
Anita Spencer with long time customersCons: 1. Michigan economy 2. Fabulous weather - sunny and 70 degree temperatures Friday and Saturday. For those of you who don't live in the upper Midwest these were our first beautiful Spring days after a cold and very snowy winter. 3. Closing of the adjacent freeway from Telegraph Road to Novi Road from Friday through Monday morning for highway construction. No easy access from the affluent eastern side of the city. A call to the Governor's office did not get the desired result. 4. Not quite as important - but the World Champion Red Wings played Saturday evening - drawing shoppers away early from the show. Pros: 1. By April people really are looking for ways to get out of the house and have an activity to
look forward to. 2. Held in just the right affluent neighborhood with excellent demographics for an art fair, beautiful homes surround the Rock Financial Showplace for miles around. As I drove to the show I saw no for sale signs and even some new homes being built. 3. A good partnership with Detroit Public TV and the NPR stations and Michigan ArtServe, enabling us to get our message about the fair out to a specifically targeted audience. 3. This new event had piggybacked on the Sugarloaf Art Fair held on these dates in prior years, bringing an already built in audience of patrons. Some of the exhibitors were part of the Sugarloaf show and they used their extensive mailing lists to bring these people back. 4. The new positioning of the event as a Marketplace of fine art, fine food, and live entertainment, partnering with local schools to present student art from elementary to university levels.
The report: Thursday was a busy day. Two large landscaping companies built a beautiful gardens, worthy of any flower show, throughout the show floor. A large central plaza featured a spa for many relaxing activities and excellent catered food (not concession food) with umbrella tables set around in the gardens. A children's activity area, artist demonstrations and a bar all helped to keep the patrons in the building longer. The staff at the Rock Financial Showplace really know how to load exhibitors into the arena. Load in was smooth and convenient. Most artists were able to drive up to their spaces. No long lines or waiting for an assigned time that may be inconvenient to you. There was steady traffic on Friday and Saturday, but the best attendance seemed to be on Sunday. The numbers were higher than they had been in previous years. Sales, as usual at an art fair, ranged from dismal to wonderful with lots in between. Artists who had mailing lists profited
Friday night there was a reception for the artists with food and drinks and a gallery set up of artist's best pieces. Mary Strope, Vice President of
www.WholesaleCrafts.com and manager of the
American Craft Retailer Expo in Las Vegas, juried the work for awards. It was great to hang out with friends in this welcoming atmosphere. What is this, you say? A cocktail party for the artists?? Pretty cool.
Patrons were very pleased to see the facility and the improved quality of the show. I talked to several who had planned to come to just see a favorite artist but wound up spending hours there, shopping and enjoying the upscale ambiance. Blair told me Sunday afternoon that he will often get emails from people after attending an event complaining about some aspect (we all know the complainers are the noisiest), but instead he had six to eight of praise. Here are a few we received:
I just got home from the Rock Financial Showplace and the Great Lakes Art Fair. What a wonderful look and feel that new show has! I hope you are able to keep it going and growing, as it has all the earmarks of a stupendously successful show. The quality of the work is phenomenal, the atmosphere is classy and the artists are saying great things about the coordination, management and detail handling of the people putting it on. What a great way to start a new show! I want to exhibit in the show in the fall. Hope I'm good enough to get in!!! -- Mardi Chapman
Dear Connie, I really enjoyed the art fair and came away with some wonderful treasures, as well as meeting some great artists. The margaritas and jazz band were the icing on the cake. Again, thank you for the tickets! -- June Lang
Just wanted to comment that this show was soooooooo much better than the Sugarloaf Art Fair it replaced. THIS was an ART Show while Sugarloaf had decayed in recent years to a craft fair. We look forward to a repeat performance next year! Thanks--Paul and Jade Jozefiak No matter how much advertising you do, or PR placement, nothing works to build an event like word-of-mouth. Patrons were very pleased with the show and plan to tell their friends and return in the fall. Attendance will be even better. Also, artists will have postcards for their summer shows to pass out, generating traffic for the fall event. My thanks to everyone who helped pull this together, especially, the fabulous
Erin Woody, RFSP's event manager, who did all the work with a graciousness and maturity that belies her years, and all my artist friends new and old, especially
Tom Hale and
Bonnie Blandford, who were supportive at every step. P.S. Read more about the fair at:
www.bblandford.com, Bonnie's blog, and join us on October 17-19 at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, MI. Applications will be available online soon. To add your name to the email list visit:
www.greatlakesartfair.comRead more…
Once the weather issues were dealt with, the crowds came in force. Thursday and Friday (tho a shortened Friday) were our "expense" days (Booth fee Friday X2).Saturday was shoulder to shoulder, heel to toe until after 9pm. Make for a long day, but sales for us were brisk. The big animal sculpter dude even did well.
Others seemed OK, but using my unofficial counts of people and packages, more beers and turkey legs than bags or framed work. Have to take a second to talk about the staff. Top shelf from top to bottom. We has a block captain (Les) who broke his skinny butt to deal with everything from cramming 10 X10 tents into a 9.5 X9.5 space, to the usual grumps and groans. Asked about the judges (4 out of 5 actually stopped to talk and ask questions).
The organization at both Bayou and Ft. Worth reflect the ability to relate to the artists needs, and the Texas friendliness reflected in the faces of the crowds. Can't tell you how many people just stop and say "thanks for coming". Kudos to Jay Downey and this fabulous staff.
Gratifying for us, is the beginning of a following. Folks from last year adding to their collection, telling friends and family. The booth seems like the family room on a holiday (or the corner bar on a weekend). Good stuff down here.
Thanks for all this info, Mark. Great to hear you had a good show!
Find more stories about Main Street at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
How about the rest of you? How do you feel about this festival?
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Over 30,000 people were present on the Inauguration Day of The Riverside Arts Market in Jacksonville on April 4th.. 30,000+ Art Lovers in Jacksonville. Who would have thought? I definitely missed the boat with that one being that I am an "emerging artist", and I was not present on inauguration day. It was not a good feeling to think that I had missed out on a great opportunity, but the possibility was inspiring.It took just about two weeks to get a booth and with much anticipation I was able to display this past Saturday..and all I want to know is what happened ?The minimized crowd was very welcoming, and thank you Jacksonville for all the love.. . but there weren't nearly as many buyers as there were spectators. Had a gotten 10% of my spectators to buy something I may have profited monetarily from this early rise work day. With items priced as low as $5.oo..Come on Jacksonville!!..Appreciate your local artists by showing support to your local artists by investing in the arts. Enjoy the opportunity that The Riverside Arts Market is sharing with our community and while remember the purpose, invest in your local artists. You never know how great of a return you may get.www.adrianpickett.com
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June 20 & 21 St. Louis, MO Sat. & Sun. 10 AM - 5 PM 150 exhibitors St. Louis now has Two Great Art Fairs!! Howard Alan Events is excited to bring a first class art fair to the City of St. Louis. The show will be hosted at the Saint Louis Galleria, located between the cities of Clayton and Ladue. This high end retail area is located in the affluent area of St. Louis and boasts perfect demographics. The show is also only a three hour drive from our Kansas City event the following weekend.
There is going to be joint marketing from Howard Alan Events, the Galleria publicity department and the local art leagues who will be part of the fair. We feel we have a great event in the making and hope to see you in St. Louis. Venue: St. Louis Galleria on Clayton & Brentwood Rd. Howard Alan Events produces multiple shows therefore they have an ongoing jury process that meets twice monthly and juries by category. SHOW DIRECTOR'S SUGGESTION: We recommend that you apply EARLY as the show and/or most categories will fill quickly.
Applications available at ArtFestival.com and/or
zapplication.org, search for "St. Louis Galleria Art Festival on Clayton Rd."
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The big deal Main Street Festival opened on Thursday in downtown Fort Worth with artists gathered from around the country to test the Texas economy. Lots of our members are there - sign in if you are one of them.
Here's an article from the Dallas/Fort Worth TV:
Vendors Optimistic About Main Street Arts Festival--hate that word "vendor" but I'll bet you know who they are talking about. Watch the video, you'll see Lewis Tardy's sculpture and see Joe Henderson talking about the show.
Here's another story that includes a nice photo album, including an image again of Lewis Tardy's sculptre and member Allan Teger's photos and some other nice looking art: Fort Worth’s Main Street Arts Festival brings quality art, music to Sundance Square for a 24th yearRead more…
This weekend (April 17-19) brings art fairs around the country to life and I know many of you will be there. I'm looking for reporters for the following events:
1. Main Street in Fort Worth, TX
Here is a recent story from Texas: Festivals dominate live music events in Dallas-Fort Worth . That one is about the music. Can't wait to hear about the art.
2. American Craft Show in St. Paul, MN
3. Great Lakes Art Fair in Novi, MI
Oh, right, I'll be reporting on tht one
4. Dogwood Festival in Atlanta, GA
5. Four Bridges Festival in Chattanooga
Read this good story about "Bridging the Business of Art"
6. Festival of the Arts in Oklahoma City, OK
To read a quick overview of this event read about this festival in the Fridaylanders.
I know someone at all of these events and you are members--let the rest of us know what we missed. Thank you in advance
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August 8 & 9 Shelby Township, MI 100 Exhibitors Deadline: April 22 Shelby Township is located in southeast Michigan, about 25 miles north of Detroit, 20 miles east of Pontiac, and about 20 miles west of Lake St. Clair. The Shelby Township Municipal Grounds are approximately 4 miles north of M-59. Locate
Shelby Township, MI Artists and fairgoers alike enjoy this juried show held outdoors on the beautiful Shelby Township Municipal Grounds. Hosted by the Shelby Township Parks, Recreation and Maintenance Department and Shelby Township Art Fair Committee Members it features original works (no buy/sell merchandise) by artists from Michigan as well as from around the United States and Canada.
Learn more about Shelby Township. Comments from Artists and Customers: "This is our favorite show! We never miss it!"
"Beautiful grounds...the atmosphere is really nice..." "This show has been our best for sales all summer!" This may be the new art fair of the season for you, especially if you live nearby. What you'll find: *long-running community sponsored event *large metro area *attendance: approximately 20,000 *shady park on a summer day *great date when there aren't many others from which to choose *very affordable booth fees, $140 for a 15 x 15 *A limited number of double booths are available for $300 Please phone 586-731-0300 or
preinhardt@shelbytwp.org to have an application mailed to you, or click the link below to download an electronic copy.
http://www.shelbyparksandrecreation.orgRead more…
With many years of training and exhibiting Robert Bridenbaugh's ethereal work well represents his life in a Great Lakes State. Anywhere you live in Michigan you are only five miles from water and its omnipresence dwells in Robert's paintings, yet the images are universal and resonate with collectors throughout the country. Whether painting in his studio or sketching and photographing in his kayak Robert's focus is on the mood, light and water of his native state. He combines impressions from actual scenes with modified sketches to make personal images that highlights the atmospheric aspect of nature. A quiet, introspective man, he participates in only a few select art fairs a year. Lucky you, if you happen to find him at one near you.
"Riverside" - oil painting by Robert Bridenbaugh Find him April 17-19 at the
Great Lakes Art Fair in Novi, MI, at the Rock Financial Showplace.
Learn more about Robert and his paintings.
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April 17-19 is really the coming out of the 2009 art fair season throughout the country so I couldn't profile only one event. Please check out the four listed below, including the inaugural Great Lakes Art Fair in Michigan, positioning itself to become the premiere indoor fine art fair in the Midwest.
In the Southwest? Then don't miss: April 16-19 Fort Worth, TX 24th Annual Main Street Arts Fest produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives 200 Artists Thurs. 10:00-10:00, Fri. & Sat. 10:00- 11:00, Sun. 10:00-8:00 The MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival hosts tens of thousands of people annually during the four-day visual arts, entertainment and culture event. MAIN ST. showcases a nationally recognized fine art and fine craft juried art fair, savory food, live concerts, performance artists and street performers on the streets of downtown Fort Worth, stretching nine blocks on Main Street from the Tarrant County Courthouse to the Fort Worth Convention Center. The net result: fun! For more info:
www.mainstreetartsfest.comIn the Midwest? Don't miss:April 17-19 - inaugural event! Novi, MI Great Lakes Art Fair Rock Financial Showplace 46100 Grand River Ave. 120 Artists
Jewelry by Bonnie Blandford Fri. and Sat. 10 to 6; Sun. 10 to 5 Friday night reception to support Detroit Public TV and ArtServe -
Buy tickets online Positioning itself an expansive new regional marketplace the Great Lakes Art Fair promises to bring a fresh energy to the artistic community of fine artists and their patrons. Imagine walking through a fashionable downtown, surrounded by amazing art displays, browsing past City Squares jam packed with action. This is the atmosphere that the Great Lakes Art Fair will be creating with its imaginative floorplan. Each City Square will offer something different. Attendees can enjoy the gardens brought to you by our landscape partners, a marketplace cafe and art demonstrations. A great indoor destination! More info:
www.greatlakesartfair.comIn the South? Don't miss: April 17-19 Atlanta, GA Dogwood Festival Piedmont Park 225 Artists Fri. 12 to 9; Sat. 10 to 9; Sun. noon to 7 (including a
Preview Party on Thursday) Spring is here and that can only mean one thing in Atlanta: the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is back! The Dogwoods are in bloom, and hundreds of artists from around the country will set up their tents for the 73rd Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival.
Painter Bill Turner In addition to the fine art for adults and art collectors, there is a Kids Village, festival food and a wide array of diverse musical offerings that will fill the springtime air throughout the weekend! For more info:
http://www.dogwood.org In the North Central Area? Don't miss: April 17-19 St. Paul, MN The American Craft Show presented by the American Craft Council St. Paul Rivercentre 240 Artists Friday (10 am - 8pm), Saturday (10 am - 6 pm), Sunday (10 am - 5 pm) $10 per person $18 for a two-day pass -
Buy Tickets Online Special Friday night offer: $5.00 at 5! Starting at 5:00pm, admission is $5.00 for the remainder of the evening (8pm).
Clothing by Candiss Cole The most distinctive fine craft show in America returns to St. Paul for the 23rd year. Over two hundred of the nation's premier, jury-selected artists will present high-quality, handmade objects including jewelry, clothing, furniture, toys, home accessories, as well as sculptural and functional works of glass, ceramics, metal, wood, paper, and decorative fiber. It's a wonderful opportunity to meet the artists and to purchase one-of-a-kind craft to fit all price points. For more info:
www.craftcouncil.org/stpaul ****************
More art fairs around the countryRead more…
June 27 & 28 On the shores of the St. Clair River St. Clair, MI Presented by the St. Clair Art Association 130 Artists Deadline: April 15 Where is St. Clair?
Click here for this beautiful show location. You can be the fresh new face at this well-managed event. St. Clair is an upscale community south of Port Huron and near Canada. Its residents live in a quiet town along the banks of the St. Clair River. Imagine spending two days in this setting. The committee puts up tents for your convenience. You have a choice of a tented space or putting up your own. Are you ready for a laid back event with all the amenities of an art fair the way they used to be? This may be the one for you. What to like about it:
* convenient site - easy in and out * large booth spaces - 10 x 15 * small enough for everyone to get a chance to be seen * community sponsored * artist friendly - you are the reason for the event Artist hospitality includes breakfast both mornings, booth sitters, postcards, early set up, electricity, professionally judged and juried with prize money. More information? Call Kris Boni at: 810-329-9576. To download an application:
http://www.stclairart.orgRead more…
We are doing the Minneapolis Uptown show show this year for the first time and would like any information or advice. Parking, hotel, booth location.... etc.THANKS!!!
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Posted by Ginny Herzog on April 11, 2009 at 12:23pm
When planning this season, I felt that TX would be a better risk than economy battered FL, which I had done for over 20 straight years. I did the Houston Bayou show two weeks ago in Memorial Park, for the first time. I also applied to Main St. Ft. Worth and Art City Austin (formerly Austin Fine Arts Festival and Laguna Gloria). Wanting to avoid a long trip home to Mpls and back a few days later, I added a new show - La Villita, in San Antonio. My thinking was that it would be a filler show that might generate a few nice sales.http://lavillita.com/index.php/Events/La-Villita-Spring-Arts-Festival-2009.htmlI won't go into the details of the location, as you may get that info from the link posted. But, suffice to say, it is a very charming area but nearly all attendees who came to the show, stumbled upon it as the only promotion we saw for it was a banner across a main street about a mile away, posters and postcards in the shops of La Villita, and a small, free blurb in the calendar for the entertainment section of the newspaper. We found the show on ZAPP and fees were modest - $200 booth fee, $25 jury fee and $50 electrical fee (optional).The website for the show, was minimal. No listing of exhibitors or links to their sites and if the show wasn't promoted, how would the public know to look at the website, anyways??!! I emailed the director in advance of the show to put up the hours of the show and the exhibitors and sent her links to other festival websites to show how other shows were promoting themselves on the internet. But all that was done was to add a postcard from the show.When we arrived for check-in, we found that parking was nearly impossible - no meters, only a few lots blocks away with a $5 minimum. Even though a two block area was barricaded at the check-in site, no one was there to let artists park there and pull out after check-in. Only two people were manning the check-in booth, the director, Janet Paduh, and a helper. It took 50 minutes for her to check-in the first dozen people in line ahead of us. We realized that she had marked off booth spaces and indicated them on the map, but had not assigned anyone until check-in! Therefore, wasting an enormous amount of time in the check-in process. There were NO artist packets with booth signs, name tags, programs, instructions or unloading passes. Nor were there any volunteers for assistance, artist hospitality etc.The quality of the 150 exhibitors in the show was weak, IMHO. I knew only three of the other exhibitors. Sales were very slow for nearly everyone I spoke to. One sculptor sold two nice pieces as he did an early exit from the show on Sunday. I doubled my only small sale at Houston Bayou, but did not make expenses.I feel that this director had no clue on how to run an art festival and have no idea why they hired her to do the job.The pluses for this experience (yes - there were several!)Load-in and out was one of the easiest. There was plenty of room on the sides of the booths. La Villita is a charming area. Security was excellent. Parking was close by. People in San Antonio are some of the nicest I've encountered anywhere!!San Antonio has become my new favorite city to visit. It is very easy to get around. Buy the daily trolley pass for $4. The trolley has four lines that go throughout downtown and you never need to wait more than 10 minutes and there is unlimited hopping on and off, with map signs at every stop. Parking can be very difficult and we preferred the trolley, when possible. San Antonio's famous River Walk is wonderful...like a canal throughout downtown, with river boat cruises.http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/There are restaurants and hotels all along the river, with many sidewalk cafes. We even had a hostess walk us three blocks away to another restaurant - Zinc - because theirs had a 2 hr. wait. Then our waitress at Zinc, walked us a couple of blocks to direct us to our parking garage.We got the Staybridge Suites, only blocks from the heart of downtown, for $55 per night on Priceline. It came with two full size beds, full kitchen w/ refrig, range, microwave and dishwasher. Free laundry facilities, fitness room, business center, outdoor pool, afternoon snacks with wine and beer, full hot breakfast buffet, movie DVD library, WiFi and high speed internet, parking....ALL FREE!San Antonio has wonderful restaurants and there is free musical entertainment throughout the River Walk, as well. I want to go back!I am considering a different show in San Antonio, however, for the future. The Fiesta Arts Fair at the Southwest School of Art & Craft is an official “kick-off event” for the renowned Fiesta® San Antonio, is held in mid-April.http://www.swschool.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64This show will conflict with Main St. Ft. Worth this year. MSFW will be my next show and I haven't done it in 8 years. I'm hoping that, perhaps, the focus of the event has improved since I last did it - when it was more about stacking empty beer cups and chomping on turkey legs while the music was blasting. Please FW, don't disappoint me. If you do, I will consider the Fiesta Arts Fair in San Antonio.
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