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  geri a. wegner February 15, 2013 at 12:23pm

  I'm glad it worked out for you Greg.  The one aspect about this event that seems a little fairer than a silent auction is that the price of an object is not devalued, it is more like a raffle.

  Sorry you didn't get in this year.
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  Greg Little February 15, 2013 at 11:49am

  I was at Bayou city Memorial park last year and donated a sculpted box to the auction held on sunday at the show during the day. The person who purchased my piece came by my booth after the auction and was very appreciative and said he and his wife had been eyeing the piece and were so glad to have got it. A repeat customer..

  I also had another person come by my booth that saw my work at the auction. He ended up  purchasing two pieces of my work at my booth and bought another box a few months later that I shipped to him. I viewed the auction as a great promotional tool and it was worth it for me.

   

  Bayou City Memorial park was a very successful show for my wife and I and I therefore decided to make another donation at this years show....but unfortunately I was not accepted this year.

   

   
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  Gregg Rasmusson February 13, 2013 at 11:07pm

  I am with that camp that thinks anytime artists are asked to "donate" their art it is ill conceived.
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  Barry Bernstein February 13, 2013 at 9:24pm

  David Bjorstrom seems to be sticking his neck out on this one. Perhaps he could post here.
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  Jim Parker February 13, 2013 at 7:46pm

  They've done this the past couple of years. The Memorial Park event happens in conjunction with the show, because it gets damn dark in the park after 5, and there isn't an easy way to hold it offsite and still generate some interest in the artist's work. It's the whole concept of the "Art Heist" that is so off-putting. It's not an auction, either, but a chance to grab some art. If you buy in at the highest level (emerald) you have a pretty good shot at your pick of the work displayed. If you buy in at the next level, you have a one on four shot at winning a dash for the cash.

  The artist do get some value in return for the donation, though. Priority load in ahead of the crowd on Wednesday and Thursday, which at the downtown show is priceless. Two tickets to attend the party, which at the downtown show is at night, so it's not a bad deal But it's hard to attend the afternoon event, since we're all working, and in effect competing with the event.

  Both Kelly Kindred and Laura Veale (the artist relations manager) responded to separate FB postings with the following boilerplate:

  appreciate your concerns, and will do my best to address them. First, let me reassure you that this event is a marketing event to bring MORE patrons to the festival, not take them away from the artists. Specifically, an upwardly mobile, socially active group of just 400 individuals with expendable income that normally would be attending other society events in Houston. For example, there is a Champagne Brunch for an organization right before our heist. Attendees will be looking to "keep the party going" but would probably not go out to the festival dressed for a champagne brunch. But they would go to the festival for a garden party for which they are already dressed. Each year, we choose honorees who are prominent Houston citizens and supporters of the festival, whose presence will bring further attendees and attention to the festival itself as well as the heist. We have held the art heist during the show hours for the past two years, and it is a way to get more people to the show on Sunday. There is a demonstrated history of heist patrons leaving the event and buying more art in the last hours of the festival. The way the heist works, artists donate pieces, and the ticket holders at a certain ticket level have a 1 in 4 chance to "win" art via drawing. Not everyone walks away with art, and more often then not, the piece someone really wants gets snatched. People go and seek out those artists and purchase directly from them. We consider the heist more of a "taste" of the art - a gateway drug, if you will. I can think of 5 people off the top of my head who ran out of the spring heist last year to buy a piece. We even have the emcee remind people to go buy more art both after the heist portion is over (4 p.m.). I have personally also drug patrons straight from the heist to several artists booths to introduce them. Unlike the fall heist, which is an after hours event, the artists really have the opportunity to capitalize on the excitement of the event. The patrons don't have to return to the event the next day because they are already there. For those that win art at the heist, the winning piece often sparks the beginning of a collection. Again, I can think of at least 5 people off the top of my head for which this is the case, including our director's sister. The heist is another opportunity for a specific class of patron to see an artist's work in a less "artistically noisy" environment. Donated pieces tend to really stand out, as they are the focal point of the entire event. People sip mimosas and really concentrate on the art. We would NEVER do something that would detract from the artists in the festival. As you can see from the above, there is a strong, proven theory behind the event from an event marketing standpoint, and it actually does benefit the artists. Additionally, some of the money goes to a Festival Artist Relief fund, which allows us to scholarship artists into the festival that can't afford the booth fee (and in some cases the hotel or travel expenses) due to extreme financial need caused by an emergency of some sort. As Artist Relations Manager, I am even more sensitive to the plight of the artists. I do my very best to make sure we act in your best interest. I know how collaborative this business is, how much producers rely on the artists for the success of their events and how much you rely on producers for sales success. I see the you as a major stakeholder in our events. I hope this helps address some of your concerns. All my best, Laura Veale Artist Relations Manager Bayou City Art Festival

  Kelly's response was identical, except for some minor wording. Obviously the show has thought about the comments they've been fielding, and have taken down all the negative comments on the Event page itself, which is here:

  https://www.facebook.com/events/119504058229605/

  Donors also get pushed in social media (on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook). It may be some help, but as with most social media, it's not measurable in terms of sales. It's very rare that a patron will say that they saw your work in conjunction with the show's publicity, Laura's comments notwithstanding.

  Many of the artists on the AFR page have said they will not donate this year. But out of 300 artists, it's unlikely that 100% will boycott, as there is some benefit to doing so.

  The concept of the Art Heist is flawed, the timing is bad, and the positioning is awkward. It may be too late to do anything about the format of this particular party, but I'd bet you'll see some changes next year, maybe even starting with the Downtown show in fall. Both shows do draw huge crowds, but they do not focus solely on the art. Like Arts, Beats & Eats, these events are more about the party, the music and entertainment, the art, and the food. It's a full-featured event, and that is not likely to change. (See my post on the stilt-walker last spring).
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  geri a. wegner February 13, 2013 at 3:40pm

  Bill, according to the director of the show, this is supposed to add to a buyer's enthusiasm.  They have done these at nite (last year's fall show) but the 'enthusiasm' died down by the next day.

  If what the director says is true, holding this as a breakfast would give these enthusiastic patrons several hours to wander through the festival, seeing ALL the artists and buy lots of things.  

  I still question the timing of the event, not the event itself.  

  Larry, the same way that artists are afraid of being blackballed from an event for comments made so they don't comment, the same is probably true about the donations.  
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  Bill Sargent February 13, 2013 at 3:23pm

    Is this something that hasn't been done before?  If so, nobody knows what the effect will be on sales.  It will be interesting to see what artists say about it after the show.  
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  Elle Heiligenstein February 13, 2013 at 3:13pm

  This is an arrogant, selfish, stupid thing to do.  Taking serious buyers away from artists is reason enough for me to "blacklist" this show and never apply to it.  Consider it done.  I have no problem with charity fund raisers at art fairs and I happily donate a piece whenever asked, but even the name of this one is off-putting in my opinion.  Hold the silent auction after the show closes or do it online.  This is simply insane and artists need to stop it before it becomes a trend.
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  Alison Thomas February 13, 2013 at 2:35pm

  I hate it when shows do this sort of thing, making us compete with ourselves.  The sad thing is it is usually a worthy cause that I would be glad to donate, but not if the auction is run at the same time as the show.  
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  Larry Berman February 13, 2013 at 2:29pm

  The artists should all refuse to donate their work at the last minute. And stand together about it. That'll make them change their plans.
  
  Larry Berman