Artstreet 2014, Green Bay, Wisconsin

I was looking forward to this show. Coming in from MA, I'd planned to take a brief vacation taking in a few of Chicago's museums and this show was on the right weekend to do so. The event was held Friday, August 22nd (evening hours, art show only open from 4-8 pm with performances to 10), Saturday, 8/23 (10-10, with the art show going to 6) and Sunday, 8/24 (10-5). About half of the 200 or so exhibitors are able to participate on Friday (for a small increase in booth fee). I only exhibited on the weekend.

I hadn't been to Green Bay in years but Artstreet had always been a strong show for me; unfortunately, my expectations weren't met this year. The show is located in downtown Green Bay-small, Midwestern appearance-over a several block area. Saturday morning's set-up begins at 6 am but I'd gotten there about a half-hour earlier to get the lay of the land, as the map of the show looked different from years ago. It is a very casual show to do, as I was able to locate my booth number to unload and check-in later. The street I was located on (Jefferson) was wide and the booth spaces were extremely generous with several feet on either side to play with. With parking lots all over the place (free), set-up could not be any easier (on Jefferson-one of the quieter locations). A few of the other streets looked tighter.

All roads led to the "art raffle" where donated works by participating artists were placed in a large tent with small boxes for the raffle tickets, in front of them...a free T-shirt for a donation. This seemed to be the center hub of the show. The artists booths lined nearly two full city blocks plus a community/non-profit row of booths, a guild/demonstrating artists row of booths, a parking lot filled with kid's activities and a super large parking lot with "edible arts" (food trucks and a few local restaurants' stalls) and a music stage to complete the show's offerings.

During Saturday's set-up, a generous supply of Texas-sized, yummy donuts and coffee were offered. (I needed the sugar buzz.) The day was humid and overcast...not too bad. The crowds started to build before 10 am and I promptly made my first sale at my booth's opening. This is what I'd remembered from year's back...busy the day through, only this time, the next sale was a half-hour later. Not great. It was a slow trickle into the booth, despite a lot of walkers passing by. Still, not what I'd remembered which was so many people that the streets were packed. By 1 pm, the rain came and cleared about 80% of the street. In no way was it a storm but enough to send 'em home. Another group came in around 3:30 or so for the evening's festivities. Few sales were made after the 1 pm rain. At the end of the day, I was down 50-60% of what I'd normally have done and my neighbors seemed less optimistic about Sunday. I told them "Sunday's going to be great....I'd done one of my best days ever on a Sunday here, after a washout of a Saturday".

Sunday's weather was lovely, albeit windy. Some booths suffered damage but they weren't well weighted. Sadly, I saw a repeat of Saturday with few passersby holding anything. I talked with my neighbors (a lovely WI couple) who said it had been nothing like this last year and even the attendance looked "off". Apparently it had been packed the year before (80,000 estimated) and sales-wise, it had been very good. So, maybe it was just an "OFF" year. At the end of the day, I did have a better Sunday but still 50% down from my last participation there. About 85% of my sales were for jewelry (porcelain) and 15% were in ceramics, though the ceramics sales were of higher value than the jewelry. I'd overheard at the bathrooms that "no-one was touching anything near $100"...and I would concur. My highest single item sale was only $60, so overwhelmingly, a price-conscious crowd from my point-of-view and more conservative than other parts of WI. Most of my sales were only single item sales.

We did notice that other things were different, too. The quality of the art was all over the place. Some fine work and some horrible. Some booths within the artists' rows looked more like they were part of a merchant's sidewalk sale and several of the artists took note of that. Jurying needs some tightening! However, the awarding judge's selections seemed appropriate, IMHO. There was an artists' award reception at 7 pm on Saturday evening, which I did not attend, as it takes me a long time to break down for the night. Other than the one judge, no one else from the show management ever came by my booth, as far as I know. 

I'd give it a try if you are in the region, have a range of prices and your work appeals to a wide audience...and hope for the best.

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  • Thanks for your sentiments, Margaret and Jacki. I think people have weather concerns, wondering when the next disaster will be coming into their own backyards. That is what our gallery customers have been saying to us. We run a small gallery in MA and our attendance has been cut by half. Sales are way down, too, but funny enough the pieces that sell are the oversized ones or those artists that have been professionally positioning themselves in front of the public for years...those sales have literally been years in the making. The low-priced work isn't moving at all yet at the shows, that's what is moving!

    I had a good time in Chicago and was glad to be inside (high 90's outside) but find that I need two days per museum (Field and Art Institute) to be satisfied!

  • And I had thought things were making an up turn.  It must be a regional thing.  This year has sure been strange.

    Colleen, did you at least have a good time at the Chicago Museums?

  • The low budget buying trend is one I am totally aware of. Wonder what is happening in the economy that most of us are feeling the pinch? Interesting times. Hope it doesn't stay that way. Sorry Colleen, it sucks to come all that way for a not great show.....

  • I'm certain it will, Tina. Thanks for your comment. You live in a lovely state and I have many great memories from all of the Artstreets I'd done prior!

  • As a resident of Green Bay I had intentions of making it down Sunday but the weather was darned muggy which is a turnoff with my asthma. I was curious with the addition of my new company's corp office at the corner of Washington and main if that would change any of the layouts. I believe it's just becoming a big challenge to pick that "right" event. Hope Wisconsin serves you better in the future
  • Hey Colin, that's good to know. Just be thankful you aren't based in the Northeast...with only a few exceptions, it's been a hard go. I fared much better than Haddonfield (NJ) this year over the last but that's the only "up" in a season of many "downs", regarding my annual shows.

    Let's hope that better times are ahead and/or that we can evolve quickly to figure it out!

  • It seems to be an "off year" throughout the Midwest. We did not do Art Street. But your story of Green Bay has been the story of our sales all summer. I don't understand what is happening this year. This will be our first "down" year in sales, since we started shows 9 years ago. 

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