Today was an unusual day in the Chicagoland area, there was an art festival that was simply that, an art festival.
And what a good festival it was.
The quality was very good, there was no more than one or two questionable booths and no one medium seemed to overwhelm. Ok, I have one complaint, there wasn't enough blown glass.
And what else wasn't at the show? There was no NY Times salesman yelling at everyone walking by, no Verizon, no window companies. There wasn't any music, no food smells, just a lot of people walking around enjoying the art. You could have a conversation with the artists without having to talk over outside interference.
Getting back to the quality--I saw artists that I have seen at Coconut Grove, Port Clinton, Krasl and other shows. These artists were not slouches. And, the most fun is seeing artists we rarely see or have never seen before. The show itself is held in an affluent suburb west of Chicago. I don't pay that much attention to bags but if crowded booths mean anything, people were buying.
The artists we talked to were all very happy with how the festival was run.
My pARTner in crime and cousin, Audrey and I do not usually venture south of Evanston so Geneva is out of our geographic comfort zone. We got lost coming and going (and I got some great clothes at great prices at the mall we turned around at) but it was definitely worth the trip.
A big thanks to Erin Melloy, the promoter for concentrating on the important thing--The Art.
Comments
Glad to hear this positive review of the Geneva Show....I would have applied if the dates had worked for me. Will try for this one next year!
Holly, it all depends on what the organizer is looking for. In the case of a promoter event they are needing to pay their bills with the net proceeds from the event. In the case of a retail district of Chamber of Commerce they are interested in bringing people in to see their cool shops and downtown areas and parks. Maybe these people will return and buy a house, go to a restaurant, etc. Or, as in the case of AA, they want to turn their inventory and keep their businesses running during the doldrums of summer. A difference is putting money aside for a child's education, e.g., a promoter might have that idea, whereas a commercial district is happy for the traffic and the PR.
Here are photos from the Geneva Art Fair, including a fine one of AFI member Patti Stern enrapturing her customers: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120730/news/707309901/photos/
Good to hear Kathleen! This is only my second year of doing art fairs. I use to own a large art gallery, and I have had my work in other galleries for several years now, but with the slower economy, I decided to try doing a few fairs last year and this year a few more. So far this summer has been GREAT, so I am also hoping that Lakefront will be good for us...it is a new show, so it might be slower than the repeat shows I have done up until now. I will definitely make a note to look for your booth!
Hi Diane. I'll be there, too. I make wire-wrapped and metal clay jewelry and our booth is lime green and black. I'll look forward to looking you up. We were there last year and in spite of the rain, had a really good show, so we're looking forward to the same this year. (with crossed fingers of course ;-) ).
Thanks Geri! Just to let folks know, I am fairly new as far as making comments to this site. But I learned a TON from many artist's posts and to me this has become the best way to learn what is truly happening from real artists! I just told a small town art fair organizer that she needed to be reading the posts on this site, she was a nice gal and she had tons of good intentions, but that isn't enough when it comes to organizing something like an art fair! It is so wonderful to be able to read about folks that really do understand what is needed and what works for artists! Thank you to everyone who posts on this site!!!
P.S. I will be at the Lakefront Art Festival in Michigan City in a few weeks, so if anyone reading this is there, please stop by and introduce yourself!!! Or send me a message and I will try to get to your booth! Diane Overmyer
Geri, thanks for this wonderful post. We didn't have a show this weekend, and it was nice to be off the road; and we don't venture to the Chicago area very often; but it's always good to hear about high-quality shows that would be worth looking into in the future. Thanks again. ~Emily
Sounds like it was wonderful Geri! Thanks for letting us know the more "pure" version still exists out there!
I don't know who is responsible for the lack of noise and vendors at the event but Erin definitely does not compromise on the quality of the artists.
While I didn't get to Northbrook this year (a little show Krasl was the same weekend ;^) ) I do know that she turned the quality of art at that festival around in one year.
I spoke with an artist who had been at Coconut Grove this year. One of the first things he said was the Grove was more about partying and there were other festivals that same weekend where he could make the same money for less expense. That is a cautionary tale for all shows.
Connie, who makes the decisions regarding food and music? Do you have any idea if the contractors make a set fee for the shows or a per centage of the profit?
Awesome Geri! Thanx for sharing. I like the idea of art without all the other distractions. Sounds nice:)
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