This is my first show and my first review.I felt as prepared as a novice can be thanks to all the reading I’ve done on this site, (though I was still apprehensive.) I was accepted into the juried show in June and I spent most of the summer painting and acquiring what I needed for my booth. I knew I’d be indoors, so I found a used Graphic Display system that set up easily and beautifully in my space. My indoor booth also had electricity so it was fairly easy to set up my lighting. I was fortunate that my booth had 3 large windows and plenty of natural light.
Let me share a brief background about the area and the show: Atalaya is a beautiful Moorish revival style “castle” that was the winter home of industrialist and philanthropist Archer M. Huntington and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, located near the Atlantic coast inMurrells Inlet, SC. The “castle” portion of the grounds house about half the artists while the remainder set up in the outdoor courtyard. This is the 38th Annual Festival, and it’s operated by the SC State Parks. It ran so smoothly. After I’d checked in Thursday afternoon, I was able to set up the booth with my husband and was ready to greet the public Friday morning. The park staff was available throughout the event, and park rangers were a visible presence throughout the three day festival. A hospitality room was set up with coffee, tea, and water, and a restroom facility was set aside just for artists. The facility had to be closed unfortunately Saturday morning due to the large crowd that came Friday and overloaded the system, but it was back in order Sunday morning. We were able to drive in and unload close to our space and there was ample parking reserved for the artists each day. I should also say that the show was marketed well to the local public through the State Parks website. I was also sent postcards to distribute as I liked.
So The Show: Friday was CROWDED. People walked through my booth all day long. That’s the great thing about this show: the customers want to see everything. (I know because I’ve been going to it as a patron off and on for 20 years.)The customers were mostly retirees that day. I met a lot of interesting people and enjoyed talking with them, but I had ZERO sales. Other artisans said it was their best day, especially the glass blowers in the room adjacent to me and the beaded jewelry artist nearby. I’m a painter, and although I believe I priced my work very reasonably, I think it was perceived as too expensive and too contemporary for Friday’s crowd.
Saturday I fared better and sold a couple paintings—to younger patrons. I made my booth fee, so I was happy. Still I was surprised not to sell any prints. I’d thought my offering of the less expensive giclees would appeal to people. The crowds were surprisingly less than the preceeding day. Most of the experienced artists I spoke to said business was slow for them. The less expensive work was selling well though. A potter nearly sold out of her ceramic mugs, and those glass ornaments next to me were flying off the shelves. There was a lovely dinner for the artists and families catered by a local restaurant at a reasonable price on Saturday evening after the show closed. During that time, the two judges spoke and awarded monetary prizes to their top 6 and ribbons to 9 Honorable Mention winners.
Sunday; however, was MY big day. I sold six paintings, so I made enough money to pay for my panels! The crowd was a mix of young families, professional people, tourists, and retirees. Many of them told me they liked seeing some contemporary work in thie show. They asked many questions about my techniques and subject matter, and they told me all about themselves as well. I included brief “stories” about my paintings on my tags, and that caught my buyers’ interest. Still, I only sold two prints.
One of the park rangers told us they were happy with the numbers this year—around 10,000. I thought there were more people in previous years, but other artists told me this is a smaller more laid back show. I feel like it was a perfect start for me.
Two other things I did that were helpful: I took my portable easel and painted—the crowd seemed taken with that process! The second thing was I played music from my laptop. I liked it, and many patrons commented on it too.
One negative: cell phone coverage is weak in the area. We used the Square Card reader and had to move around the space and out the windows to connect.
We were able to pack up and get on the road an hour after the show closed Sunday afternoon. We were blessed with beautiful weather all weekend, too. I went to the show hoping to sell more than I did but mentally prepared to not sell anything, so I’m happy with the result I got somewhere in the middle there. I’d definitely apply again next year even though it seemed to lean more toward fine crafts. I’m grateful for the advice and encouragement I received from other artists. Great first experience!
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