The Alpine Art Affair was held in Winter Park, CO July 19-20 in a small city park. This was the 41st year for the show. Show hours were 9-5 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday. Winter Park is primarily a ski resort about an hour and a half west of Denver. During the summer, cycling, extreme mountain biking along with fishing, hiking and camping are popular activities. A jazz festival is held the same weekend as the art show and this brings a lot of people from Denver into town. The drive to Winter Park is pretty easy on I-70 and US 24. The latter is a typical mountain highway with switchbacks and steep grades to the summit of Berthoud Pass and down the Fraser River side. The uphill sides have passing lanes. Going down the Fraser Valley are the towns of Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash and Granby. Granby is the gateway to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Nuts and bolts about this show are given in Art Show Reviews on this site.
well-organized and managed show! The crowds were smaller than previous years and not exceptionally large. I estimate less than 3000, but there were buyers among them. The quality of the work was high and there was no buy\sell. There was also a good mix of art without a dominance of jewelry. Hawk Quest, a couple nonprofits, and a kid’s art experience were included. Food vendors were at opposite ends of the show. The Lions had an all you can eat pancake breakfast for $6, and complimentary coffee for artists.
This was the fourth consecutive year I have done this show and in prior years, sales have systematically declined from around $3K to a little less than my minimum of $2K this year, dropping about $150, $200 and $700 each year. It is time to alternate this show with another. I had several repeat clients who bought more stuff but others just looked. Belts were the best seller with but without the usual two or three larger $200-$400 sales of personal leather, horse tack or gun Leathers. As usual, I had lots of leads for special order work which may or may not develop over the winter.
Some artists complain about the annual $60 city business license required by the show, however; when combined with the jury fee ($20) and booth fee ($150), the $290total is less than most other resort area shows.
Booth sitters are available and there is a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception Saturday after the show. Awards of $50 are given for each medium and there is a $150 BOS award.
OTHER STUFF. We rented a house with a hot tub in the Rendezvous development with our daughter and family. The guys went fishing and we got to spend time with grandkids. The BNSF railroad runs past the park and it is always neat to see the freight trains and Amtrak. A young USFS timber cruiser bought a belt and I had the opportunity to talk with him about the fire abatement and beetle kill timber removal going on in the area. This is a major problem in Colorado. It is fascinating how they are using computers for forest management.
Advice for other artists: Motels and restaurants in the resort areas are expensive. I have found condos or rental houses to be more economical (around $100/night) and relaxing, and making healthier meals available by eating in. Steve Appel can advise you about hostels and other options in the resort areas.
Comments
Richard, it sounds like the place you rented sort of turned your weekend into a nice little working vacation.
Thanks for your review and the photos.
Hi Steve.. yes the wood chips are horrible.. very dusty during set up.. everyone was coughing.!!! would be nice if they wet it down before our arrival. At tear down we had a rain.. which dampened the chips, only dust was inside of booth, where water did not reach. Show wasn't bad for me.. but I am only 120 miles away.. The tunnel traffic on way home was awful.. LOL but Cheryl the gal who runs it is a nice gal.. very pleasant, she does this for the love of art.. bless her heart!!!
In response to richard's review, i found set up to be difficult cause of the wood chips all over the small park, heard it is there to absorb water when it rains. My booth is on casters and it is very difficult to maneuver metal cabinets in a wood chip base. I did show last year and did twice what i did this year. It does not meet my min. so will probably not return. I saw one questionable booth at the show, since they have done other shows i have been in and know the work. otherwise the art was very professional. Cheryl is easy to work with, she had helpers to help us setup and teardown. Sat. the crowds were heavy at times, but Sunday there were not that many people walking around or buying. Mother nature gave us a great weekend weather wise except for the last hour when the sky's opened up. As far as returning, for me it was not worth driving 500 miles to do the show so i would probably not return. As far as where to stay the hostel went out of business so i tried airbnb. i am sure most of them are very nice but the place i stayed had 9 guests in 3 days, it was run like a hostel with the owner not present. so where i stayed i would not recommend. Sharing a bathroom that is not maintained is not a good sign, last day in the place i stayed ran out of TP
CORREECTION: $230 combined costs. I'm tired.