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Scarsdale Festival of the Arts (Paragon) - formerly Westchester Festival o.t. Arts

Posted by Ellen Gordon on January 27, 2015 at 4:16pm in Art Show Information and Discussions

Anybody have experience with this show? It's in its 7th year, but I can't find much on it. 

The only figures I've found so far show that the vendor count dropped from around 95 in 2010 and 2011 to around 56 in 2013. Don't know if that's a function of the economy or a reflection on the show, and it makes me REAL nervous!

Any input appreciated - thanks!

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  • Diane Wright April 16, 2015 at 3:17pm
    I must have done the show the same year you did, Mark. It rained for the whole show. The show is (was) a show for 2D art primarily. I saw many very expensive paintings being sold. I have middle of the road Sterling and copper jewelry and did not do all that well. I made money but not enough to go back. It was mostly painters and that was in my opinion what people came to see and buy. Of course, the weather that year didn't help.
  • Loren Fisher April 14, 2015 at 3:17pm

    I just got a notice that Bill Kinney cancelled this year's show due to lack of artists.

    • Manduh Nichole > Loren Fisher April 14, 2015 at 3:48pm

      I got the cancellation notice too...I read it as though the city wouldn't let them have as many artists as they needed to make the show profitable. My reading of it is based partly on the fact that I was on the wait list (why have a wait list if not enough artists applied, you know?), but maybe I read it wrong. 

      Either way, it's sad to see a show cancelled. Hopefully it's back next year?

      • Loren Fisher > Manduh Nichole April 15, 2015 at 8:25am

        I read it more carefully, and it isn't extremely clear, but it may be that he couldn't get enough space to have as many artists as he wants. Sorry for any confusion.

        • Ellen Gordon > Loren Fisher April 15, 2015 at 12:04pm

          This is really such a shame. And very confusing. I wonder if that's it for this festival, or if it can be made successful in future years. Really wish I knew the whole story - it's right in my back yard, and it would be nice to have a major show so nearby.

      • Ellen Gordon > Manduh Nichole April 14, 2015 at 5:03pm

        What a shame! Hope you have a full schedule otherwise, to make up for it.

    • Ellen Gordon > Loren Fisher April 14, 2015 at 3:22pm

      OH, NO! What is going on with the crafts show scene? Is it that there are just too many shows competing for a limited number of artists? I feel like the whole landscape of the craft show world has changed so much lately.

      Anyway, thank you so much for letting me know. I'd decided not to do it this year, but had definitely planned to go visit, so I appreciate the heads-up!

      Best to you,

      Ellen

  • Mark MacKinnon February 3, 2015 at 10:24pm
    I did the show a couple years ago.. It rained, so hard to judge.. It's an isolated very wealthy town, in Westchester county. Set up was on Sat morning, middle of town.. easybenough. I didn't make many sales at the show, but a follow up from an architectural firm bought 2 large pieces, $6000. Being a small community, traffic will be light. You will Need expensive items to do well here. I'm less than an hour away for me, but not really on my radar.. May conflict with other options.
    • Ellen Gordon > Mark MacKinnon February 4, 2015 at 6:57am

      Thank you, Mark - this is very helpful! I appreciate the input . . .

  • Loren Fisher February 1, 2015 at 10:15pm

    I did it last year and had an OK show. I know two photographers had $7,000+ shows, they were selling huge pieces, and some artists said it was the worst show they'd done. I asked a lot of people how they heard of it and most said they were just walking by. My biggest sale came from a woman who was out grocery shopping, saw the show and wandered over.

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