Note: Just before posting this review I saw another review with a very different take on artshowreviews. I suggest you read them both for the different perspectives.
We had wanted to do the Rehoboth Beach show this weekend but didn’t get in. I went looking for an alternative and came up with the Lewiston Art Festival in Lewiston, NY.
It turned out I was wrong about this one. In an earlier comment on Connie’s “What are you doing this weekend?” discussion, I said we applied to Lewiston because the $5,000 in prize money implied to me quality artists with quality art. I should have dug a little deeper.
The $5,000 is spread over 4 awards in each of 9 categories plus Best in Show and Best Booth. No one got a lot of money. So there was no chance that big money would draw quality.
It also turns out that I overheard two local artists talk about the number of times they had each won at Lewiston (six for one, four for the other). Draw your own conclusions.
In case you think this is sour grapes, it is not. It was a case of selecting a show with incomplete information and inadequate research. I have always wondered about people who post on AFI that they just got accepted to a show and could anyone tell them whether it was a good show or not. What a backwards way of applying to shows, I’ve thought. Well, I was susceptible to that same sloppy thinking.
Here are the details. The show is set up along the main street through Lewiston, NY, which is a delightful village about 6 miles north of Niagara Falls. The street is very wide with one of those center turn lanes. Set-up and tear town were very easy.
We followed show directions and arrived about 5:00AM Saturday morning. We were practically the only ones there. Others started drifting in with most exhibitors arriving between 7 and 8. One of our neighbors showed up at 10 as the show was opening.
There was tons of storage behind our booth but it was luck of the draw. Some booths had telephone/utility poles behind them; others had big shade trees. Worst case would probably be that you would have to ask a neighbor if you could stick a bin or two with their stuff.
Artist parking (for our location) was in a shopping plaza right behind the booth. There was a wall between the lot and the street so you still had to walk a short distance to reach the van that was only 6 feet away on the rhumb line. No big deal.
Port-a-Potties were also in that lot (and in many other locations throughout the show). They were expertly serviced on Saturday after show hours so they never got in super gross condition.
One of the show’s major sponsors was a waste disposal/management company who touted their “green” programs but it seemed like the frequently mentioned recycling cans were pretty thinly spread out.
Security was provided overnight but this village looked so quaint that it was hard to imagine there would be any big problems. (As we drove away Monday morning we did see an overturned port-a-potty so maybe there was the potential for a little miscreant activity after all.)
Food was the usual festival food truck fare but prices seemed a little more reasonable that what you often see.
We never saw any booth sitters (but with two of us we didn’t need them). We ended up watching a neighbors booth a few times each day so he could get some lunch, etc.
There was an artist breakfast/awards ceremony at a local restaurant on Sunday morning but we didn’t go so I can’t comment.
The weather was perfect and the crowd was very strong between 11AM and 4PM. The show ran until 6PM each day, which was probably an hour longer than necessary. The prospectus claims 30,000 people over the weekend and that‘s probably pretty close.
Was there high quality art here? Yes there was. There was also a lot of junk and some buy/sell. Also, Hudson River Inlay was in the show program. I assume that one of the “Jeff Nelsons” was there but I never saw their “production” works.
Here is a booth selling “Hotel Bamboo Pillows” (made in China) by the pallet load. The also had some plastic gewgaws that the kids found amusing. Not good for artists.
Also, the rule of art show decorum were frequently violated. Here is an artist a few booths away who migrated his space well out into the street making it impossible for patrons to walk a straight line down the tent row. He also thought we should all have to listen to talk radio and music on his boom box; the operative word being “boom”.
Another artist (bow ties) thought it would be cool to mark the length of the street with bow ties and arrows pointing to his booth. When I called him on it, he said “Don’t worry. It’s only chalk spray and it’ll be gone with the next rain.” I think he missed the point.
The Lewiston Council on the Arts has a strong Kids program and an emerging artist program and overall, they put on a highly organized event but one that seemed weakly juried. Having said that, they obviously know the community and delivered what the community wanted,
Our challenge was price point. We had plenty of great compliments but a glance at the price tag caused people to scurry out of the tent.
We were next to an artist with very clever functional ceramic work. Among his other pieces he had bowls that were priced around $20. On more than a few occasions when he told the enquiring shopper that the bowls were $20, the response was “Each??” followed by quick booth departure. At the same time, he did end up having a very good show because his work was clever and unique and because most of his price points were below $45
Bottom line, craft worked best here and the less expensive the better. We managed a few hard earned sales but inexpensive wearables, quilted bags, gimmicky wood carvings, SOS, etc., etc.owned the day. I suspect some jewelers did pretty well too. However, If you were 2D wall or sculpture with most price points over $50, you probably had a tough time. I know we did. (Of course there are sure to be some who did okay. In contrast to the other review, I did not see much 2d other than matted prints being carried out)
We ended up calling this a “vacation” show. Staci had never been to Niagara Falls before and we had a great time doing all the touristy stuff.
As for the show, how does that line go? “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars…”
Off to Mt. Gretna!
Comments
I have to agree with Wendy on this one. I think the use of the chalk to draw attention to his booth was a creative idea and suddle enough were it doesn't look like it would have distracted the booths next to him. Much unlike the booth with the display out in the street, that's just being obnoxious!
I have been to Lewiston once, as part of a trip to Niagara Falls, and was charmed by this community along the river. Nonetheless, it sounds like another learning experience for you (and frankly, don't you get tired of those?)
I posted the list of prizewinners on Colleen's review of the show. There were a lot of them and I only recognized a few names.
The more talk we do about HRI the better. I'd bet the committee will hear more about this and they will not be there next year. The bamboo pillows on a pallet? Makes you really wonder what the jury images looked like, doesn't it?
We didn't do a lot of shows in western NY, but our very favorite was the Chautauqua Craft Alliance shows at the Chautauqua Institution, held in early July and again in August. Very sophisticated buyers who know what they are looking at and value quality. It is held in a gated community. Pat Sorbini has done a number of reviews of it on this site, Bill.
Going to Mt. Gretna for the first time?
I agree with some of your comments in regards to doing our research before we apply for shows. I have been burned on a few that I either didn't research or that looked good from the outside but once there were not good for a number of reasons.
Kelsey Merkle is my daughter, and she was in the emerging artists area known as college alley. So that was our booth. I understand your points. I agree with you on the guy who put his stuff way out into the street as per your picture, and I agree on the buy and sell with regards to the bamboo pillows. I am not familiar with HRI. However, the guy who used chalk paint to point to his stand of bow-ties was clever and I am one to pick my battles. That just wouldn't be one I would choose.
We did quite well at this show, and it is known for moving a fair amount of 2D art. I noticed a lot of paintings and prints walking around with the customers.... more so than any other show this year. I find that this show keeps to the spirit of what you are looking for more than any other except maybe Allentown in this area of NY. So I imagine the Bamboo pillows will be gone next year.
It is a shame you did not attend the awards breakfast. It is where this show shines. The members of the Art Council are introduced and this would be the time and place to voice your concerns. The artists typically bring their pieces and it is a lovely breakfast at a local restaurant. I do agree that the local shows need to change their judges every year. I think often organizers get comfortable with a judge and simply keep them and it is a very poor idea. However I have long come to the understanding that judging and face time at art shows is not going to be fair. I simply dodge, weave, adapt and flex to fit the situation.
My criticisms should be things that should bother you as well. Every artist at the show is competing for face time among the patrons. Most good shows establish rules that make that completion fair. Those rules usually don't include permitting people to extend their exhibit beyond the 10x10 you've rented. Neither do those rules typically say that one artist should be allowed to distract patrons by "painting" the street with cute little arrows. Do whatever you want within your booth but that's it.
You should also be disturbed that HRI was allowed in the show when the rules specifically indicate that production work is not allowed. Neither is work from molds, kits, etc.
My main criticism of the show was in the jurying. It's my fault that I didn't understand this market won't support higher price points.
Sorry I didn't see your booth. I did see a Kelsey Merkle I think.
I also agree with respect to the creativity of the Bow-Tie Marketing. I enjoy watching how people draw traffic to their respective booths. For me personally I have decided not to enter a show unless I have attended in the past because it always works against me. Lewiston and Allentown are the two big 2D selling shows in WNY. Most locals who do 2D work will only attend those two shows. The low price point is more indicative of the blue collar market in Western NY.
The Hotel Bamboo Pillows bugged me too. Typically this does not happen at this show.
Honestly, if you didn't like this show I am going to go back and read all your reviews and see which ones you DID like, because I thought Lewiston Art Festival this year was pretty good for 2D work.
Hi Bill,
Wasn't the Bow-tie booth a hoot?...I thought he was clever and didn't begrudge his ingenuity especially since there was a chalk contest in the show and they supplied us with chalk in our packets to write our booth numbers in front. Notwithstanding that, I think we are on the same page in many respects. Price points were low and 3D would seem to do better since there appeared to be more competition in the fine art. Since I am a 3D artist, I always look to see when the big paintings are moving...it's always greener on the other side, right?. It worked for me this year...sorry that you didn't fare well but am glad to hear that you had a great time otherwise. Good luck at Mt. Gretna.