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I've done the BAM show several years running in the past, but was juried out in 2015.  The last time I did it was 2014 and the energy, especially in the evening, was way down.  They don't sell beer and wine for customers to walk around with and the music they provided was inexplicably placed inside the shopping mall with chairs for people to sit in there and listen to the music!  This was, of course, of no benefit to the artists.  

I just received my acceptance for 2016 and would love to have some feedback from any of you in 2D in particular, who might have done the show last year in 2015 - before I hand over that big wad of cash for a booth.  I do have collectors in the area and even though it's a 2 1/2 day drive for me I've always found it a pleasant one.  I'm weighing my options and would love for you to weigh in.

Thanks!

The last three years, I've spent several months and thousands of dollars chasing migrating birds and art festivals across the Northeast shore venues in hope of finding subjects and buyers, respectively, for my avian photography (also called "bird photography", but you can't charge as much if you call it that. ;-) 

This year, thanks to a generous offer from the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor NJ (a prime spring migration spot), I was able to stay on-site for three weeks and let the migrating birds come to me. Then I drove back to Florida for a month to work up the best images before heading north for shows August through September.  Rebranded as "Geoff Coe's Wild Images" instead of "Wild Images Florida", I'm now armed with a strong set of pix to sell to a wider range of Northeast buyers, rather than relying primarily on selling to Florida snowbirds in their summer homes. 

At least, that's the plan.  Two weeks in to the experiment, how's it going? 

Petri Dish #1 was the Ocean City Boardwalk show on August 2-3-4.  Run by the Ocean City Art Association, this show has been a summer staple for 51 years.  And the consensus among the artists and customers I spoke with about the show's history, it's seen better days.  Buy/sell, booths chock-full of manufactured beach trinkets and cheap jewelry compete with a few painters and an unbelievable number of photographers for the attention of passers-by who may--or may not--have had any awareness of the show before they began flip-flopping their way down the boardwalk. 

Make no mistake, this show is a marathon: 7 AM Friday morning setup, followed by show hours of 10-8 Fri. and Sat.  Sunday kicks off at 10 as well, but you could begin breaking down at 4 PM if you wished.  ( I pounced on that deal.) 

It's an inexpensive show to do (under $200), which helps to counterbalance the high hotel costs (I stayed in Vineland, NJ, an easy 45-minute drive away).  The early-Friday-morning setup is difficult--pull up to the base of the boardwalk, dump your trailer contents on the curb, park ($15/day in one of the outdoor lots), then dolly 'til you drop, dodging throngs of bikers, joggers, and early-bird boardwalk strollers as you go.  The show folks advise that you can start the process at 7 AM, but some folks were halfway set up by the time I arrived at 7:10. 

In keeping with the mid-'90s appearance of the show's website, there's no email communication at all--everything is snail mailed, even though the application asks for your email address, and even though I specifically advised on the application that I'd be on the road, so email, please.  As a result, I had no idea where my booth was when I got there. Unfortunately, I had no idea where any show organizers were, either.  So I walked a block along the boardwalk until I got to the foot of the show and called loudly for an organizer.  Some confusion ensued, since--as is usual--there is a craft show run by another group under the nearby portico.  One of their organizers responded, bless her heart, but couldn't help me. 
A couple of minutes later, an apologetic assistant organizer from MY show gave me my booth number--I was a long block away--and eventually I got set up in my space.   It was a half-hour after the official 10 am opening time, but it didn't matter. No heat for my tardiness came from the show organizers.  In fact, I didn't see a show official or volunteer all weekend. 

There were three judges, and I'll give them credit: they worked hard, communicated with each other to discuss the merits of what they saw, and made a point to greet the artists and ask questions.  The prize money wasn't big-time (in the two- and low three-digit range) but the check amounts were in keeping with the low booth fee. 

There was also an artist dinner on Friday night in the boardwalk municipal building, immediately following the 8 PM zip-up.  Most artists had finished eating by 8:25, but inexplicably, the awards ceremony hadn't started at 8:45.  Having arisen at 5 AM, I gave up and left for my drive back to the hotel. 

Was this show worth the aggravation?  Well, maybe.  I had developed a bit of a client base from my participation two years ago (you can read about that show, and the famous parking fiasco, here).  Most of them came by, and a few of them bought. And enough new visitors came by to eke out a reasonable profit--a few hundred more than I made in 2012.  But it was barely enough for 3 days of work. 

This is a "filler show" at best: not one I'd travel a significant distance to do, but at least it put some bucks in the bank after doing only three shows since the end of April. 

Week two (8/10-11), by comparision, was an artist's paradise, at the exceedingly well-run Rehoboth Beach Art League show. Go od to great sales for most artists, and quality off the charts on weekend one of this two-weekend show.  I'll chime in next week with a full report. 

The storm the night before as it approached Ocean City travelling north to south. Note the clear skies behind it and on the left. To the right, the sky was black....Also note the trailing thing-ees under the wall cloud...

Saturday, June 15, 2013..... The day dawned bright, crisp and cool, as only a beach town show can. The weather had cleared out less than an hour after the wind squall which took out 7 or more tents the previous evening. While we were salvaging the painter's inventory whose tent got nailed, we both noticed that the moon and stars had shone through the few remaining clouds... Today, the sky was clear.

My wife, Carol, and I arrived on site at approximately 6 AM to get set up and to put the top back on the canopy frame. Putting the top back on took all of five minutes... My wife later alluded to her fears that we would have to drop the tent legs to get the top on as everything was still zip-tied together...an onerous task she felt would take over an hour. Since this park site is open to the public, we knew there would be potential early shoppers and didn't want to miss out on any opportunities.

So, we got busy. Once the top was back on and the sides of the tent rolled up, Carol got right to work on hanging the paintings. We had taken several images of the booth set-up and hanging scheme at the sodden and muddy (but surprisingly sales worthy) Annapolis Arts Crafts and Wine Festival....so we had a guide to setting the art. We used to draw a diagram at the end of each sales day when I was using the steel frame and peg board hanging system, but it was a whole lot quicker to shoot a couple of images with the IPhone camera... So she was able to place the hook and loop hangers on the panels relatively quickly in the right places.

At the same time, I worked to get the deep cycle LED lighting set-up prepared. One problem I have noted with using the pro-panels and their light bars is that if you are using their stabilizer bars, you end up having to pull the hook and loop closure off the top post of the panel - thereby losing the easy anchor post to hold one end of the hook and loop while trying to join the panels together. This is b/c the light bar post takes over one panel post while the 2 in 1 stabilizer bar takes over the other. If there was a bigger sewn loop in the hook and loop strips, one could then get the closure over either stabilizer bar end or light bar end and not lose the easy way to bind the two panels together. The way it is set up currently, you have to pull the strip off the post, install the bars and then bind the assembly back together. If you use a 3 light bar set up, this happens three times.... Could be easier.... Hope someone at Pro Panel is listening and is going to send me 4 or five for beta testing.. You know my name and address folks.....

So anyway, got the light bars up, track light strips installed and cord plug end pieces screwed together to the track sections. Next came setting the LED floodlights on the tracks and adjusting their set off from the panels in order to assure even lighting coverage. After this, I got the two marine deep cycle batteries in place behind the panels in their little wagon, hooked them in parallel with cables, wing nuts and lock washers, and clamped in the voltage inverter. Then plugged in the track light cords to the surge strip and the strip into the inverter.... Ready, Set, Lights On?.... well, 6 of 9 were on... Say what??

Carol in the meantime had the art more or less roughly hung and was setting the price cards in place on the frame corners... Time was passing quickly and now I had to troubleshoot the track which wasn't lighting. I figured it was either the power connector or the track conductors which were not making contact as these Pro Panel-supplied tracks are not very well made... So I fiddled with these two items for about 20 minutes to no avail... That meant that power wasn't getting to the track despite solid connections between connector and conductors... OK... Pulled the connector from the track and took the two screws out which hide the wiring connections from cord to connector... Wish I had a picture to share... Neither line cord wire end was in contact with the screws of track power supply connector.... NEITHER ONE!!!

The connectors have been used a grand total of six times and the wires came loose..... REALLY?????

The wires appeared to have not been well connected to the terminal screws...i.e. loose screws - which equals shock and fire hazard in my book. Not a very good advertisement for your products Pro Panel.. You might want to check these items in the future before they ship to customers... I had to strip the wires back a bit further and make the connections and dog the terminal screws back down and re-assemble the connector access cover plates. Hit the switch on the power supply and all the lights lit. And just in time, too as the customers were starting to converge on the exhibitor tents.

Show Time

As usual, the traffic seemed to center on the booths featuring women's apparel. Given the typical customer mix is more female than male, this seems unsurprising to many artists and craftspeople. It's also why there are so many jewelers and wearable vendors in many of the events I jury into. It's an exhibit institutional issue and it hurts everyone. More 'jewelers' means more jewelry sales, since women will often spend 20$-50$ on something to wear before they will buy fine art or craft. However, since it is spread across many more jewelers than in times past, it often results in fewer sales per 'jeweler'.  But it also hurts the fine artists due to the potential spending budget amount limits of the female customer. Perhaps there should be a movement to limit fine jewelry and 'jewelers' to those who work in precious metals and precious and semi-precious gems.

Anyway, I am sure that I just cheesed off a substantial number of board members and for that I have a bit of regret since it usually results in the need to wear Nomex tighty whities...they itch and are confining...

The event moved towards noon with a couple of small sales and lots of lookers, kids in strollers, dogs on retractable leashes (which weren't retracted often enough for some), cyclists, joggers, and people totally oblivious to the art show, but wondering why 'their' normally quiet and uncrowded park was so full of people...

The judges started their loop of the vendors at noon and took several hours to cover all the exhibitors. There were three judges I saw and they actually spent time with each exhibitor to look at their work and often to ask questions about process and materials. They spoke with me and asked about my works. I had to give two quick explanations b/c I was showing my two signature styles and the process and materials differ. But, to their credit, the judges listened attentively, and then stuck their small colored dot on my booth card - signifying that they had judged my exhibit - and went on about their way.... Now this is a small event, but has some very nice prize money... Best in show is worth $2500.00, while Judges Choices are worth $500.00 and the Mayors Choice is worth $250.00. There is also a peoples choice award given on Sunday - but I can't remember the prize value... These prizes are spread over about 125 exhibitors, so just by random chance there would be a 1 in 25 chance of winning an award.

We continued through the heat of the afternoon  and I started on a demonstration mixed media painting or two to pass the time and entice the customers to stop at my booth. I usually have something to work on while waiting for a nibble on a painting. So I started on some bluefish and weakfish pieces for stock. Surprisingly, many of the pieces I start on at an outdoor exhibit often sell at the very next show after they are completed... you figure that one out.

At about 3:30 or so, the judges returned to my booth.... This means you made the first cut in most shows and I fully expected to have them look again and hopefully come back....... But.... in this case.... they asked me to take one of my recently completed pieces to the artists reception room.... I won something!!!!! Wooo Hoooooo!

Now usually I go to the artists reception to hang out with a couple of other fine artists and artisans, nosh on some fine appetizers, drink some free adult beverages, and to poke fun at or puzzle at the judges choices for the awards ceremony. But this time, I was on the of people I usually puzzled about.... the horror!

So 5 PM finally arrived and we packed the art down from the booth before going to the artists reception. We never leave the paintings in the booth overnight as you never know what could happen given the limited number of security personnel, unlimited access points, and large number of booths for security to cover.... Anyway, sure enough, I received a Judges Choice Award for the painting "The Canal In Manayunk", plus some prize money!

That evening, Carol and I indulged in some steamed crabs and a pitcher of beer at Leo's - right across the street from our hotel. Back at the hotel room, I set up the charger and charged the deep cycle batteries. This took about 5 hours and one could only charge one battery at a time because too much heat was generated when trying to charge them in parallel - causing the charger thermal overloads to kick out. Carol and I did some clean-up and then Carol dozed off while I watched TV and kept an eye on the batteries.

Sunday June 16, 2013 - Well the day started a little bit later than Saturday. We checked out of the hotel after a bit of milling about in the hotel room. We arrived on site and set everything back up just like yesterday, plus added a few more paintings held in reserve.... The electrical system worked this time with no hitches.

The day was warmer than I expected, but dry, and the wind had picked up a bit over Saturday. Again, we had lots of early shoppers, but few buyers. I talked with several exhibitors over the day, and the consensus seemed to be that most of us were down in sales compared to 2012 for this event. Of course, last year, I sold a nice work which had a larger price tag compared generally to what sells out of the booth... (but still this was only 3 figures, not 4)...

We were pleased with the nearly hourly volunteer visits from the Ocean City Art League members asking if we needed booth sitting or a break.

I continued to do painting demonstrations throughout the day, but the show closed with only a couple more small sales in addition to the small number the previous day. I was thankful to have received the Judges Choice Award prize money, as this probably covered expenses and allowed for an undeserved small profit.

Carol and I tore the booth down and stowed it away in the Odyssey; saying farewells to our friends as they departed ahead of us. The drive home was uneventful except for two things. One was an intense rain squall which made it nearly impossible to see from behind the wheel. The second was riding in the rocking chair behind a group of Pagans Motorcycle Club bikers almost to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal bridge. It was dark when we rolled into the driveway. Both of us dozed off after dinner. I awoke in the wee small hours of the night and wandered down into the garage to unload the Odyssey...

After the unloading was complete and batteries set to charge, I started working on the paintings I had begun in the two previous days. As the sun started to rise, it was time for some bed.....

So, this is a very artist friendly show. It has easy load in and out, parking behind your booth, great event staff and volunteers, lots of booth sitters, a decent food concession on site and is well attended. My guess is that there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-10,000 visitors... but this includes the joggers, strollers, dog walkers and other park users. My sales were down from last year, but I saw plenty of boxes, bags and canvasses being toted about by patrons. As a fine arts painter, selling nothing but originals, I did under $1000.00 of business. However, none of my originals are over $1250.00 and my least expensive pieces are $50.00. These smaller pieces sold the best. I was interviewed and video clipped by the press on sunday. If I can find it online, I will link it. In my previous two shows, I sold over 10 pieces at each event. This show was perhaps only 6 pieces... But as my wife and I constantly tell each other, each event is a total crapshoot and you just never know what will sell. All exposure is good and each time you attend an event, you lay the groundwork for a future sale with someone...

(I've reviewed this show twice previously, and last year's show, truncated due to weather, was written about extensively.  You can get all that history here.) 

Goofy weather--cool and cloudy Saturday, sprinkles overnight, then mid-50s, clear and breezy Sunday--didn't keep the crowds away from this show at the Mercato Lifestyle Center, an uber-upscale shopping plaza and condo canyon in north Naples.  But for the 100 fine artists at the von Liebig Museum's fourth annual show, this was perplexingly a hit-or-miss affair. 

Unfortunately, I fell into the latter category, barely eking past $1K on the weekend, nearly all of it on Saturday. After the first hour or so that day, customers visited in a steady stream, praising my work to the skies, but when they bought, they bought small.  Two of my key metrics--items per sale and average spend per item--sorely lagged what I've done in less upscale venues this year. 

A few debated which large canvases they were going to buy, asked for pricing, and went off (they said) to see the rest of the show, or to measure the walls.  But even those who returned wound up not pulling the trigger. 

I didn't get the sense there there was any urgency to buy.  Being local, even when I mentioned to the business card bandits that this was my last show in Naples for 10 months, it didn't matter.  "We'll call you," they'd say, as they moved on.  Some of them actually might, of course.  But I can't help but wonder if this is a crowd that is more impressed by the "artists from afar" than the ones working in their own back yard.

This sentiment was shared by several other local artists I spoke with at the show, one of whom sardonically commented that based on the conversations he'd had, "I am thinking I'll need extra staff at my store when I open up on Tuesday morning to handle the crush of people."

Numbers don't lie.  And the truth is that my average gross from Naples shows in 2010 (when I began exhibiting at shows there) was more than TWICE what it's been the last ten months.  And, if I cast the net even closer to home, to the Howard Alan and HotWorks shows I do in Estero, the trend is similar: down by nearly half. 

Did I benefit, in 2010, from being the new kid on the block (which, to show-goers, might be nearly as attractive as being an unfamiliar artist-from-afar?)

It is concerning to me that of my five best-grossing shows from the last 12 months, four are out-of-towners and only three are in Florida:
* Rehoboth Beach, DE (Art League Members' Show)

* Sanibel, FL (Lions Club show)
* Norfolk, VA (Stockley Gardens)

* St. Pete, FL (Mainsail)

*  Jupiter, FL (ArtiGras 2012)

Several possible courses of action present themselves:

1)  As one long-time glass artist suggested to me:  Travel more, and raise my prices to cover the higher expenses.

2)  Keep the local vs. distant show mix as-is, but do different shows within the local area: Swap in Bonita Springs for Naples; Sanibel for Estero; Sullivan Boulderbrook shows for Hotworks, etc., etc.

3)  Do the same shows you have been, but market more heavily to the locals.

4) Move to smaller, lower-priced items.  Embrace the middle class.

5) Screw the middle class. Move to larger, higher-priced items (which I did already, last year.  Not the "screw the middle class" part, but you get my point).

6)  Just ride it out.

7) Start drinking Scotch. Keep going until you come up with either an Option #8 even more palatable than the Scotch, or a new career.

Hmmm. I'll think those over. But in the meantime, there's a show review to finish.  So let's trudge on. . .

This might just not have been my weekend.  A few folks, including the aforementioned long-time glass artist, had  killer shows.  Several of my neighbors, and a reasonably high percentage of others I spoke with during loadout, were happy they came.  They didn't share numbers, but said they were satisfied and would return. 

So draw your own conclusions.

I can say with certainty that the show was well run by show director Marianne Megela and the museum staff and volunteers.  Setup, which started at 3 AM Saturday, was a snap, especially for the well-caffeinated.  Teardown, the same.  There was an artist breakfast, ample booth-sitters, and very good promotion through traditional and social media, as well as to the museum's burgeoning mailing list. 

And the art mix was diverse, the quality uniformly high (though no awards).

Bottom line:  Despite the hit to MY bottom line, for many other artists, Mercato seems to be as decent a show as there is in Naples.  The problem is:  given the trend in the numbers, that isn't the high praise it used to be. 

Cape Coral Festival of the Arts, located just across the ($2 toll) bridge from my S. Fort Myers home, is probably the easiest show I do all year, and it's certainly one of the most community-oriented.  Except for 2010, which featured bone-chilling cold and the never-before-experienced thrill of seeing ice fall off my flaps when I unzipped on Sunday morning, the crowds always turn out for this Rotary Club show along Cape Coral Parkway.

But are they here for the art, the food vendors, or just a couple hours' stroll in the sunshine?  As is often the case with this show, results were mixed.  Among the 15 or so artists I spoke with late on Sunday, nearly everyone  said their sales were down from 2012.  For the most part, the declines weren't catastrophic--most folks still made money--but shoppers were definitely not buying big.

My sales were near $2K, not great but a decent enough paycheck given the low booth fee ($276.80, if memory serves) and my ten-minute commute.  Crowds were pretty steady both days under warm, humid skies buffered occasionally by cool breezes.  But it can be a tough show to sell because of its large size (over 300 artists) and long end-to-end layout, which creates a long walk for the aging populace.  Entry points are at one end of Cape Coral Parkway or the other, and if you're located just inside one, as I am every year, you'll get lots of raves, but few sales, from folks who have just arrived and want to see everything else first.  "I'll see you again on the way out" is the phrase of the weekend--and although a few customers were true to their word, there weren't enough of 'em to make this the big payday it was in 2012. 

This is the third show in a row where sales lagged last year. And although it's tempting to say, "well, sales are going to suck in 2013", I'm gonna pass on that conclusion, for now.

First off: Jeez, it's early yet!  Two or three shows don't make a trend, let's at least wait 'til March before we push the panic button

That said, I suspect that this long-running show might be showing a few cracks in the foundation.  The fine folks at Rotary raise a lot of money from booth fees, and it's in their best interest to have the show be a big one.  That takes a toll on the show quality, which is several notches below the likes of Coconut Point, Estero (Miromar Outlets), and, most importantly, Bonita Springs, taking place on the same weekend a half-hour to the south.  A number of artists, particularly jewelers, commented on all the buy-sell lining the streets.  There was a very high percentage of photographers, including several whose work, IMHO, wasn't up to even a minimal professional standard. Other 2-D artists seemed to be under-represented. 

I think this would be a better show if it were smaller--maybe 200 artists--and more tightly juried.  That would make it easier on its customers and give the exhibitor list a needed pruning. But I don't think that's gonna happen.

Other notes:

* Logistics are well managed.  Setup, in particular, is surprisingly easy for such a large show.  It's a late-Friday setup, advertised to begin at 8 PM. You pick up your packet in a shopping center one block north of the show center and hang a colored tag on your dash, depending on whether your booth is on the north or south side of the median-divided parkway. When all is ready on the parkway (which turned out to be 45 minutes early this year), the barriers part, and you drive right to your space and set up with your back to the median.  There's minimal room for storage, but most of the parkway has a well-trimmed, woody hedge that will support empty boxes and bags with no worries.

* The show doesn't give artists their booth assignment until they arrive on Friday night, which even in these times of Twitter, doesn't give you much time to inform your fans, followers, and past customers.  On the other hand, the show has lots of repeat artists from year to year, and you'll usually get the same, or nearly the same, booth location.  So net/net, it's pretty easy for past customers to find you.

* Artist parking is located in two grassy lots adjacent to the parkway.  It's a tight space, but manageable.  It's pretty easy to stage your vehicle near your booth an hour or so before the show ends, too, which helps with tear-down. 

* Speaking of which, the show tells you that the parkway reopens at 7 PM, only 2 hours after show close.  That's cutting it tight for many of us. (When the Rotarians came by with a friendly "25 minute warning", I took stock of my situation and decided I wouldn't quite make it.  So I hauled my neatly-stacked stuff  across the street to a sidewalk, moved the van to a parking lot, then hauled my stuff yet again down- and up-hill through a drainage ditch to the van.   Imagine my irritation when I finally got everything packed at 7:25 and saw that the parkway was still closed.  Next year I'll tell them I'll need 10 more minutes, thenkyewveddymuch.)

* The food vendors are plentiful, so you won't go hungry.  But best of all, there are a plethora of fine Mom and Pop restaurants of every ethnic variety you can imagine lining the parkway, and a Perkins that's a favorite pre-show breakfast spot. 

I like this community a lot. Compared to the golf-centered, gated-community sameness of much of Southwest Florida, it's refreshingly independent, unpretentious, and multicultural.  Given the large number of artists that live in and around the area, it would be really cool if this show could develop a vibe to match. 

A mid-week show can be a nice bonus paycheck, assuming that it doesn't prevent you from doing shows on the weekends fore and aft.  So when I heard about this small (100-artist) show in Currituck, on the Outer Banks of NC, on June 20-21 (Wed.-Thurs.), I figured it was worth a shot, even when I couldn't book a show on the following weekend that made logistical sense.  There is lots of money in the Outer Banks, where hotel rooms can, and do, fetch upwards of $175 a night in season. 

Unfortunately, the show was perfectly timed to catch near-record heat along the Eastern seaboard, which slowed attendance to a crawl and sent most artists packing with near-empty pockets. Which is a darn shame, because the organizers do as good a job running a show as you could hope for. 

The show is held at the grounds of the Whalehead Club, one of many duck hunting clubs that sprang up in the early 1900s to cater to the wealthy who had the means (pre-roadway) to get there.  ("Currituck Duck" was a real delicacy at finer restaurants in your daddy's day).  The club itself is a 25,000 sq foot, five story home overlooking Currituck Sound--not really a club anymore, but I spent several hours taking a house tour the day after the show, and it was fascinating and educational.  As for the surrounding grounds: Beautiful, with sprawling live oak trees, dock and waterfront views, and pathways throughout to keep visitors from getting lost.  

Artists were arranged around the pathways, with some lucky ones getting spaces under the shade of the live oaks.  Others, like myself, weren't so lucky--we were in  3-4 rows in the center of the show that received direct sun all day long (10-6 Wednesday, 10-5 Thursday).  Some of us had battery operated fans.  I used two all day Wednesday and they were overmatched by the sweltering heat.  On Thursday, I dragged out my the Honda generator and powered two larger fans, which helped some:  I made about $400 in sales on day 2; as for day 1: don't ask!  Overall, my take was barely enough to cover my gas, meals, and booth fee. 

Although I had thought that the show would attract local residents as much as vacationers, that wasn't the case:  I'd say one in five visitors to my booth were from the Outer Banks; most were visitors from NC, VA, and (surprisingly!) a heavy representation of folks from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. (A local Chamber of Commerce director confirmed to me the next day that that mix sounded about right.) 

Hotels on the Outer Banks are pricey, but I stayed about 30 miles away  (50 minutes' drive) in Jarvisburg, on the mainland, for about $50 a night.  It was a hotel that caters mostly to duck hunters during season, with threadbare carpeting and minimal amenities, but it was scrupulously clean and you couldn't beat the price!  Several artists who zeroed (or came close) mentioned ruefully that they wish they'd known about it before they booked a stay along the coast. 

So, amenities:  Artist breakfast both days, a catered dinner on Day 1 where checks were handed out for five top winners (prize monies ranging from $1000 to Best in Show to $100 for 5th place; there were no categories).  Boothsitters. Very friendly staff and volunteers. A low booth fee ($150 for a single booth), and those with trailers could stay for free on the grounds of the Club from Tuesday setup through the evening after the show.  The Club directors even arranged for free house tours for the artists for those not too hot and exhausted to take advantage. 

When I posted a query about this show several months ago, I was advised that it could be a good show, but attendance was heavily dependent upon the weather.  "Don't do it unless you have another show in the area on one of the weekends," she counseled.  That advice stands.  But at least I got some good photographs en route, and they'll help make up the hit to the pocketbook I took in the short run. 

After a six-week homestand doing shows in and around Fort Myers, my winter schedule finally kicked me out of the house and sent me three hours east to Hobe Sound, on Florida's so-called "Treasure Coast."  Couldn't be a better place for a show than that, right? 

This was a very good, but not great, show for me last year, with good crowds and lots of buyers of smaller bird photographs (only one wall canvas, but lots of 8x10 and 11x14 mat sizes).  My hope was that the crowds would return and be undeterred by the larger sizes and lack of 8x10 mats that I was bringing with me for this year's show. 

Well, some dreams came true: Despite some iffy morning weather both days, and potential competition from Super Bowl parties, crowds returned in full force all weekend.  But sales (for me, at least) were spotty: Folks bought small again this year on Saturday.  Then, on Sunday, they browsed but hardly bought at all.  I wound up with just over half the sales total I had last year. 

But my results might not have been typical. Among my neighbors, a 2-D artist who zeroed at last year's show sold at least two pieces at $800 to $1000 price points.  Another mixed-media artist sold a $2400 piece.  Longtime friends on the American Craft Endeavors circuit who sell fun furniture fashioned from white shutters nearly sold out their stock.  Jewelers I spoke with briefly (the crowds were too big to walk the show for long) did OK to well. The photographers I spoke with weren't quite so pleased. 

Setup/teardown logistics were as easy as it gets.  As I reported on Friday, there was an "unofficial" Friday setup (Howard Alan explained to me that that had to do with jurisdiction issues along this particular stretch of road.)  Security wasn't provided on Friday, so many artists just chose to set up their tents and display furnishings and bring their artwork on Saturday morning.  The show venue is a  narrow two-lane road flanked by a grassy berm and railroad (on the east) and a sidewalk and service road (on the west).  Tents were arranged pole-to-pole, along each side of the road, rather than back-to-back, giving the many patrons just enough room to walk the show. There was lots of storage space behind each tent.

Artists on the west side could park in diagonal parking spots right behind the tents during setup/breakdown.  East-side artists could drive onto the grassy meridian separating the show from railroad tracks for tear-down parking.  (Shockingly, one despicable artist wasn't satisfied with that, and actually spit at the show manager--thankfully, missing his target--when she refused to let him in early on Sunday.  Surely we won't see him again at a Howard Alan show. Hopefully, we won't see him at any other, either.)

If you do this show, note that there aren't any chain hotels in Hobe Sound. The dot-com hotel sites will find you plenty of places in Stuart (about 10 miles due north along US Route 1) or Port St. Lucie (about 15 miles).  A number of us stayed at the Best Western "Plus" in Stuart, with recently-modernized rooms, a flat-screen HD TV for Super Bowl watching, and one of the most sumptuous free breakfast buffets I have ever experienced.  Several of the restaurants right behind the show were gracious hosts for the artists, and there are lots of good restaurant choices in Stuart, too. 

Though I was disappointed in my own sales, I gave out a bazillion business cards to folks (you'll be asked often if you're doing upcoming shows in Stuart and Jupiter--among them, Alan's Stuart show in two weeks, his Jupiter-by-the-Sea in March, ArtFest Stuart, and ArtiGras in Jupiter. Yow, it's almost like Naples!). Interestingly, most of the folks I spoke with were year-long local residents;  to the best of my knowledge I didn't speak with a single resident of deep-pocketed Jupiter Island.  So I'm crossing my fingers that I'll see many of my be-backs over the next month on my return trips. 

There was some good news:

* I was invited to have a large one-man show at the nearby Jonathan Dickinson State Park, which has hosted wildlife art shows from some very well known artists and at least one National Geographic photographer.  So that gives me something to shoot for (pun regrettable but intentional).  I'll be back in two weeks for ArtiGras, and stay the week to photograph in and around the park, then wrap up my Treasure Coast swing with Alan's show in Stuart.  

* And I can't write this post without sharing a wonderful moment: On Saturday morning I was visited by a young lady, 10 years old, and her mom.  The youngster rattled off the name of every bird on my wall as she looked at my canvases, and spent about 20 minutes chatting with me about her new camera as she browsed through my matted prints with fascination. At times, her mother helped her ID any unfamiliar birds (of which there were darn few).  I offered her my child's discount on a photograph.  With her mom's approval, she pulled out her own coin purse and handed me cash for the purchase (her mom supportively chipped in $5 to make up the shortfall). 

That made my day on Saturday.  Then, imagine my surprise when she returned on Sunday to hand me an 8x10 photograph of a Blue Jay that she'd snapped at her bird feeder on Saturday afternoon--perfectly captured, carefully printed, signed in the bottom right corner with a felt-tip pen, and sealed carefully in a plastic bag!

I've given child discounts to many youngsters over the last four years, I told her, but never have I received such a gift in return. It's already framed (in an 8x10 frame I bought last week, without really knowing why) and hanging on the wall next to me as I write this. 

What a great reminder that sales may be great or small, but every visitor represents an opportunity to touch a life...and have ours touched in return.  Thanks to young Jenna and her mom for delivering the message!

Well, I was going to start this post with the time-honored "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." opening, but in my journalism days, that lead would get your copy shredded faster than a mushroom in a lawn mower.

But if I COULD bring myself to write that, it would be an appropriate way to describe this most schizoid of shows.  Impeccably organized, with amenities galore for both artists and show-goers alike: Great entertainment, a robust food court, a huge and hard-working volunteer stafff, artist breakfasts, artist lunches, a constant stream of golf carts to carry artwork for patron pickup.  Whew! But this 3-day event had more twists and turns than a Swedish body massage.

Setup was on Friday, and at least on Central Ave., a breeze.  You checked in at a specific gate, depending on your booth location, showed your ID, and got your packet, stuffed with discount coupons for local eateries, full-color map, and more.  (The most thoughtful touch, to me, was the inclusion of three "Free Monday" passes that you could hand out strategically to be-backs who had bought $10 single-day admission tickets.  This would give them a way to return on Monday and buy from you after measuring their wall space [or whatever]). 

The show is laid out in the shape of a cross:  Most artists were aligned, face to face, north-south along Central Avenue for about 1/3 mile.  Artist parking was plentiful at the north entrance, and it was an easy walk to your booth. 

Tents are tightly packed pole-to-pole, but there are sidewalks behind the east-facing artists and lots of grassy areas behind the west-facing folks, so storage was ample.  A smaller quantity of artists were set up along University Ave., the east-west street, which seemed to be the main entrance for patrons, and also housed the young artists' tent, show sponsors, vendors, entertainment stage, and food court. (Artists and "vendors" were not commingled, but I'd invite some of you other AFI'ers to comment on whether the music got in the way of your ability to talk with customers; I was too far away to tell.)

Central Ave. is almost perfectly designed for a show: wide enough for two rows of tents and booth-side parking of even the widest RV for unloading, while still allowing a lane for other artists to get by.  I was in and out in two hours, looking forward to the start of the show. 

Saturday morning was a bit muggy, but fortified by the fine artist breakfast as well as the muffins I'd scarfed at my hotel, I was ready for action. 

To this first-timer, it looked like Art Show Nirvana.  Day 1 brought large, well-heeled crowds through the gates, and by day's end I was two-thirds of the way toward my sales goal for the weekend, with a take that nearly touched my sales from the previous weekend's (successful) show.  Not a lot of sales, but the ones that bought, bought big. As the show closed at 6 PM Saturday, I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the show that bankrolled my summer trip up north, all by itself. 

I got to the show a bit late on Sunday (the first time that's ever happened), having gotten caught in traffic due to an early-morning fatal crash on I-95.  I had one of my neighbors' business cards with me, so I called them to let them know I was running late in case anyone asked.  Thanks to their gracious offer to help me unzip and move my back stock out of the booth when I arrived, I was ready by the time the first customers came by from the main entrance at 10:15.

Sunday's weather was tropically muggy and increasingly breezy, conditions you see here more often in mid-May than in February.  The crowds came out in force, but few came in to browse and chat, preferring to stand at tent's edge and hand me compliments instead of credit cards.  As we watched the crowds stream by, my neighbors and I agreed that for the most part, the experience was like setting up a lemonade stand on the median of nearby I-95: people might see you, and they might even like lemonade, but it wasn't worth the risk of pulling over to actually buy a glass.    I eked out two decent sales, but the other five purchases were small items. Considering the thousands of people that had strolled by over the first two days, my customer count was surprisingly low. 

"Ah, well," I rationalized as I headed wearily back to my hotel room 20 miles south in Boynton Beach. "At least  I hit my sales goal for the weekend.  So on Monday, I'm playing with house money."

Monday dawned at least 10 degrees cooler than the previous two days, as a front moved through overnight: Perfect show weather, I thought.  But the holiday crowd was lighter, a mix of elder retirees and young parents who brought their children to an art show on their day off.  It was fun talking with kids about photography and birds and wildlife, but not profitable.  My average sale per customer dropped from the $200 level down to $25 (!) on day 3.  The fact that I don't normally have a $25 price point should tell you how many of my customers were youngsters getting my student discounts.

So, although this well-known show was nicely profitable (three days' hotel expenses notwithstanding), and it brought in the promised huge crowds, it was certainly not the Naples National.  Like most shows, artists around me reported varied success.  Jewelers mostly seemed happy, though the first-timers next to me weren't selling in line with their expectations.  There were several artists around me who had items with low price points (i.e., handbags, hats, and "ribbon designs"--colorful hand-made chokers, bracelets, and necklaces) who were busy all three days.  I saw a reasonable amount of 2-D art walking to the exits on the first two days, but if I had to guess, more of it was large-scale photography than paintings, acrylics and the like. Several traditional 2-D artists near me either zeroed, or sold only reproductions. (Another told me she did pretty darn well.)

Speaking of which, this show, in my opinion, does everything humanly possible to keep buy-sell and schlock art out of the show, including very specific rules on the type of work that can be shown (i.e., no t-shirts, work that includes celebrity likenesses, well-known artwork, etc., etc.  You need to display a "Process Statement" that describes how you make your work.  There are also rules about the quantity and labeling of reproductions for traditional 2D artists. Lots has been said about these topics in these forums, of course, but it would be interesting to hear from others about whether you think these rules were effective here. 

The consensus gleaned from the conversations I had with neighbors and friends were:  Decent show, exceptionally well organized and run.  Still lots of high quality work, but "not what it used to be." 

I didn't talk with the show organizers, and as noted, this was my first visit.  But I wouldn't be surprised if the perceived drop in quality might be a conscious effort to provide a wider range of price points to visitors.  It would be great if some of the AFI veterans of this show (Nels, of course; Steve Vaughn, and others who I wished I had had time to meet with and visit) could weigh in below with their perspectives. 

Some tips for participation in this show (take from them what you will):

* Book your hotel room early.  This is the busiest holiday weekend of the snowbird season.

* Bring your ID and process statement, and set your booth up with work representative of what you submitted to the jury.  They check.

* Wear comfortable shoes. 3 days is a grind!

* Get a business card from a neighbor or two during setup.  It might come in handy in an emergency.

* Spiff up your booth display so it entices attention.  You've gotta be seen!

* Bring your fans, even if the forecast suggests you won't need them.

* If you're on the west side of Central Avenue, the grass is thick and spongy.  You won't need your rug. Likewise, there's a six-inch curb along that side of the street. If you're a jeweler or someone else with a display case that you normally put in the very front of your booth, consider it moving it toward the back of the booth a foot or more.  Otherwise, your customers may barely have enough room to stand and view your merchandise!

* Make sure you have lower price point items for Monday.

* Read all the artist information provided to you and take advantage of the coupons and patron passes. Despite its large size, this is a show that really does try to help you find your slice of the pie.

After week after week of insanely hot and therefore only moderately profitable shows in MD and NJ,  I was really looking forward to spending three days on the family-friendly Ocean City (NJ) Boardwalk, hoping that the sea breeze would kick in to cool off patrons without putting a damper on sales.  And for the most part, it worked out.

When I began booking my August shows last May, this calendar slot presented a toss-up between two unknowns: OC, or an equally long-running arts and crafts festival in Stone Harbor NJ.  The latter show has a bit higher profile, with an ad most months in Sunshine Artist and a location that pulls patrons from the somewhat tonier shore towns of Stone Harbor and Avalon.  So I did my homework, checking reviews, soliciting opinions for AFI veterans, and (once I got up north in June) asking artists I met on the northeast show circuit.  Although both shows had pluses and minuses, I was somewhat surprised to hear the OC show judged more favorably.  So here I was at 7 AM Friday morning, at the base of the boardwalk on 9th St.: gaze shifting uneasily between my humble hand truck, my overflowing van, and the steep ramp up to a seemingly endless stretch of wooden planks and seaside merchants,  wondering if I'd make enough money in 3 days to pay for the chiropractor.

For the setup is brutal, no two ways about it. It took a dozen (!) trips and more than an hour before booth building could finally begin. Ocean City also allows bikes and runners on the boardwalk every morning, adding an exciting element of danger to the load-in. (There's something about the proximity of the beach that makes people absolutely oblivious to their surroundings.)   At the show's official start time (10 AM), I had only a couple wall pieces hung, but I hadn't poleaxed anyone yet, either, so overall things were going well.  And already, folks were stopping to gaze and ask questions. 

By noon, with the bikers banished, there were already a couple of sales in the till, and the crowd was steady if not spectacular all day.  Most of the booth visitors were year-round or seasonal residents; many told me that they avoid the boardwalk during the weekends.  The early evening, though, was a different story, as weekend visitors poured in to the vicinity.  According to veteran artists of the show, it used to end at 6 PM on Friday and Saturday, but artists continued to stay open to work the early-evening crowds anyway, so the event was extended an extra two hours this year.

It wasn't worth it, at least not for me.  The boardwalk demographic definitely skews younger after 5 PM, and visitors to the booth dropped dramatically. 

Saturday was a good weather day with a moderate sea breeze, and one of the best sales days I've had all summer. Lots of buyers, particularly of my small (8x10 mat) photos, but enough large pieces went out the door to keep me happy.  A line of heavy thunderstorms were predicted for Saturday night, so artists lashed their tents to the boardwalk railing and hoped for the best. 

I had nearly finished my 70-minute drive back to Mt. Laurel when I realized that I hadn't lowered the vent flap on my Trimline.  Without any friends in the area I could call at 11 PM, I called the Ocean City boardwalk police, gave them my tent location, and, as I discovered the next morning, they did just what they said they'd do and lowered them for me.  Luckily, the storm wasn't as bad as predicted. But it ushered in near100% humidity, and apparently, ushered out the buyers, too.  Used to doing two-day shows, I figured anything I got on Day 3 would be gravy.  But I haven't had so little gravy since I was last in line at the Thanksgiving buffet. The few people who stopped in the booth had mild buying interest, at best, and I made one $22 sale all day.

The show closed at 6 PM Sunday, and load-out was a tedious nightmare.  Because of a communication breakdown between show officials and the local police, the parking passes that artists received for loading out weren't worth the paper they were written on because the police said they didn't know about them. My neighbor, who was doing her first art show, parked at the foot of the boardwalk, came back to her booth to begin load-out, and found a cop writing a parking ticket.  When asked about the parking pass in her dashboard, the officer replied that he "hadn't gotten any memo about it", but that he'd "let her off this time."  Imagine her surprise and anguish when she found a ticket on her car after her second trip--this one written by the parking meter police (a separate jurisdictional entity). 

If other artists at other loading areas encountered the same scenario, this was going to be an unpleasant situation. So I fetched the police phone number from my iPhone and dialed them up to explain the snafu.  When the dispatcher wasn't helpful (I'm not sure if the call was dropped, or if he hung up on me), I found one of the bike officers, who promised to call his supervisor, who arrived to talk to me ten minutes later. "Regardless of whether a permit was filed, or if it wasn't, the artists shouldn't be penalized for doing exactly what they were told to do by the show," I explained.    He listened thoughtfully, took a few notes, said he'd look into it, and then report back to me.  And...he did! Not only that, he talked to each of the persons known to have gotten a ticket to make sure they knew who to talk with to get it cancelled.

That crisis resolved, at least for the moment, I was free to resume load-out...this time, through a boardwalk teeming with families, toddlers in tow, and 'tweeners who were texting, heads down, as they walked. Ten trips later, I was done--again, without casualties or other collateral damage.  I noted the time as I drove off: Nine forty-five.  The post-show adrenaline hung on just long enough to get me home by 11. 

Postscript to the parking crisis:  I followed up with the Ocean City Art League, leaving a message that night and the next morning.  They did, in fact, file the necessary permit, and as we spoke Monday had already scheduled a meeting with the police chief to discuss the breakdown.  And there was, they said, at least one person on site Sunday night: They had provided artists with a contact phone number with the information packet they'd supplied, but unfortunately mine had blown away in Saturday's overnight storm so I didn't have it available.  To my suggestion that it would be a good idea to have trained volunteers or show officials at each of the load-out locations, they agreed, but noted "we never have enough volunteers."

I'm not sure what the bottom line for this show is.  Like so many other shows in this down economy, it's struggling to make ends meet.  Show officials are well intentioned but understaffed, and an aging population isn't able to provide the volunteer support they might have 10 or 15 years ago.  Municipalities that host shows don't drop their fees because, after all, their coffers are nearly bare and they need the revenue themselves to pay for police presence, cleanup, and all the nuts and bolts they're responsible for. 

To the OC Art League's credit, they are keeping show fees incredibly low (only $125 for a single booth at a three-day show) to help artists offset the high costs for parking ($16/day in the municipal lot I chose over the "incessantly-feed-the-meter" alternative) and lodging (over $140/night and up). Despite the low fees, they still offer an awards program (I was fortunate enough to win an "Award of Excellence" and a nice check). And from what I saw, there's still a surprising amount of community interest in the show. 

The Ocean City show definitely has some work to do: updating the content and presentation of a '90s-era website and show brochure, and determining whether it is better off as a two-day show, with or without extended hours, just for openers. The post-show survey we artists received suggests that all these options are in play for the future. 

Despite all the hassles, I like this show and the people who host it.  I'm hopeful that they'll come back stronger in 2012. As for me, if I return it'll be with a Caterpillar-sized hand truck and some 20-year-old muscle in tow.

Okay, so I didn't really offer a free bag of ice with every purchase at the Long Beach Island Crafts and Fine Arts Festival this past weekend.  But it wouldn't have been a bad idea.

Loveladies is a casual but moneyed town at the north end of Long Beach Island, a popular barrier island off the Jersey coast.  There were record high temperatures along the Jersey shore, like everywhere else:  The high on site was 101 degrees on Saturday (this, only one block from the beach!), and surprisingly it wasn't as humid as advertised:  relative humidities were in the 30-35% range all afternoon.  It was a dry, searing heat, and the clear skies and white-gravel parking lot made it a blinding heat, as well.  I had two fans running for much of the day but it helped only a little.   Luckily, the host venue (The Long Beach Island Center for the Arts & Sciences) made their air-conditioned building available for a number of high-end artists and artisans, so I could take an occasional respite from the parking lot, get a towel soaked in cold water to wrap around my neck, and change out of sweat-soaked clothing.  It was a four-shirt day, for sure!

Traffic was moderate in the building most of the day, near as I could tell.  But out in the parking lot?  As they say in these parts: fuhgeddabout it.  Hardly anyone ventured down the rows of 100 or so outdoor tents, and you could hardly blame them for staying away.  I pitched a shutout for the first time ever, and counted only 30 folks in my booth all day.  There was genuine interest, but most folks said it was "too hot to think", didn't linger long enough to make a buying decision, and said they'd come back tomorrow.  So I made the easy 55-mile drive back to my Mount Laurel, NJ hotel hoping that a promised cool front would materialize and produce a Sunday miracle. 

Which, it did!  Sunday dawned a skosh more humid, but about 10 degrees cooler, and the traffic picked up considerably.  And, as if to answer my muttered prayers, every be-back returned, and all but one bought large.  Only five sales on the day, but four were big-ticket items. 

Based on the folks I spoke with, results were all over the board.  A fine jeweler across from me was very happy with her sales; several purveyors of fine crafts (baskets, fabrics, and the like) didn't fare so well but were philosophical about the heat and will try again next year.  It would be interesting to see how big the crowd would be in more typical summer temperatures.

Other observations:

* For my wallet, anyway, the booth fee is very affordable: $275 for an outdoor spot (corners, of course, are  extra).  Indoor spots vary in size and are $375, but, as already noted, are tough to get.  The area motels, mostly Mom and Pops, are quite expensive, however, and they don't subscribe to the likes of Priceline.  So plan on camping, if that's your style, staying with friends, or driving an hour or more from an inland motel.
* Setup was Friday from 5-9 PM, or Saturday beginning at 7 (a tight time frame, given that the show opened at 9 on Saturday).  Promoters Barbara and Marcy Boroff (of Renaissance Craftables) expect you to know what you're doing, find your spot, and set up; there's no formal check-in.  Same was true of breakdown: The show closed at 4 on Sunday, and radar showed a a line of thunderstorms with Loveladies in the crosshairs, so folks hustled to get out.  For awhile, the lot looked like a Manhattan rush hour, but everyone cooperated, and by 6 PM the lot was nearly empty.

* There are facilities inside, including a water fountain, but no restaurants within walking distance and, so far as I saw, only an Italian Ice vendor on premises.  So bring our own food and beverages. 

* An on-premises lot is reserved for artist parking, but it filled rapidly.  However, there were plenty of spots along the road, particularly on Saturday, due to the heat.  The local police did a great job managing traffic in and out of the site. 

* There was a visitor admission charge; I heard variously that it was $3 or $8. Probably not a deterrent to residents, given the local demographics, but it may shoo away the "looky-loos."   

* The show quality was mixed, though one could also say accurately "there is something for everybody."   The indoor spots are given to very high-end artists and artisans and those artists, according to reports, return year after year. Some of the fine craft and painting I saw in the parking lot was stunning.  Although the show bills itself as a "juried fine arts and crafts show," there were kits and buy/sell in evidence in the parking lot. 

Overall: A good demographic, fair booth fees, and a casual but well-run show by promoters who know what they're doing, and, as noted, provide "something for everybody."  Heat notwithstanding, I liked this show, and will plan to do it again. 

After a number of weeks playing out the string in the Sunshine State with craft fairs (with mostly small to mid-sized, sweltering crowds) and a "play weekend" at my college reunion with fun that would do Nels proud--not that I'm going to blog about any of THAT!-- I've finally arrived in the Northeast for the summer. 

First up: Art's Alive in Ocean City, MD, a show that I visited last year at the end of a "shooting vacation" in the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia peninsula.  It's a modest-sized show--fewer than 100 artists--in a pretty setting, a wide-open, well-maintained city park with wide walkways weaving through athletic fields and a lagoon. But, as several show veterans warned me last year, sales results are heavily influenced by the weather, and that seemed to be the case this year. 

Setup was anytime after noon on Friday, or early morning on Saturday.  And although nearly all artists opted for the day-before option--a logical choice given the show's early 9 a.m. start--in hindsight there were a few that wished they had waited.  The reason?  A series of strong thunderstorms blew in at 9 pm Friday, and a small but violent downburst, with 50 mph gusts followed about three hours later, toppling not only a few E-Z Ups but even a Craft Hut.  Troupers all, the artists affected did what they could to salvage the day on Saturday: Several were selling al fresco from under beach umbrellas in the near-record heat , another--shades of the Sixties!--leaned their work against a chain link fence.  But with rain in the forecast for Sunday, all of them left at the end of Day One, I was told.

Show director John Sullivan said that his security crew immediately responded when the storm hit, gathering work and supplies that had been scattered by the winds.  But none of the artists said they got a phone call, and all were shocked when they arrived and saw the damage. I suspect we haven't heard the last about that. . .

And for the crowds?  If not for the absence of palm trees, I would have thought I was back in Florida.  Perhaps due to the 93-degree heat on Saturday, crowds were sparse all day.  I had a few buyers of my Florida wildlife photography but all cash, and all small.  Sunday featured moderate rain to start the morning, but temps were 15 degrees cooler. By 11 a.m. or so the rains let up, and a few more folks came to visit.  Crowds in the afternoon were up slightly, compared with Saturday.  And for me, anyway, they were buying: in contrast with Day One, NO sales in cash, and all over $150. Go figure. Disappointingly,  both of my neighbors were 'way down from Saturday, and generally other artists I spoke with reported that this was an off year.

In addition to the weather, theories abounded:  This is the time of year when vacation home owners typically come down for long weekends or vacations before the July 4-Labor Day rental season commences.  And yet there are lots of vacation homes down here that are in foreclosure and/or undergoing "short sales" (I stayed for the weekend with a Realtor who specializes in them, so I know this for certain).  Then, too, Saturday is "flip day," when one weekly rental ends and another begins.  First-day arrivees, the theory goes, won't spend Day One at an art festival when it's searingly hot and the beaches beckon.

The quality of work was, in my view, fairly middle-of-the-road.  Lots of beach-themed 2-D, as you might expect, some very nice functional art--glass bowls, pottery, and such--and about 30% jewelry.  The show seemed to have a lot of photography, too, which I'm told is pretty common in Northeast shows. (I'll be up here all summer, so we'll see!)

I can't let this review go without huge kudos for the artist amenities.  Although personally, I never consider them when opting whether or not to apply to a show, the fact remains that you can't do them better than the folks in Ocean City.  The Saturday night artist party was in a large, air-conditioned room--how great is THAT, given the heat?-- and featured catered hors d'oueuvres, veggie trays, wine, beer, and sodas.  Artist awards ($500) were given to the top winners in each category.  Volunteers offered booth-sitting throughout the weekend.  In what had to be an art-show first for me, I returned from a 20-minute lunch break to find that a be-back had actually returned and promised the booth-sitter that they'd return to purchase one of my $350 canvases.  And they did!  (So what's the protocol here?  Does she get a tip?)

Anyway, it was that kind of weekend.  I was happy that Day 2 sales saved my weekend, and I learned that many homeowners here also have homes in Florida (and some of them had seen me before).  So that's good news.  I'll plan on doing this show again next year, based on my personal results, but I'll be hoping for better weather, an improving economy, bigger crowds, and--as they say along the harbor--that a rising tide will float all boats. 

Well, we art show exhibitors quickly learn about how to deal with the vagaries of Mother Nature. Rain, cold, heat, high winds...I've seen 'em all...or so I thought.  But I never expected to have to deal with swarms of "Love Bugs".  And while it's important to keep things in perspective, given the ravages of tornadoes through Alabama this past week, there's no doubt that these amorous insects put the kibosh on festivities--and sales--this past weekend. 

For those of you who don't live in the South, "love bugs" are medium sized insects--a little bigger than fireflies (which they sort of resemble), and 'way smaller than locusts (which also travel in hordes).   What makes them unique is that...hmmm, how to put this, exactly?...once they get it on, they can't get it out.  So they live the rest of their lives (up to a week or so) oddly conjoined, splattering on auto windshields and everything else in their path. 

According to my Internet sources, they're attracted most by four things:

1) White surfaces

2) Asphalt

3) Heat

4) Nectar

All of which made the unfortunate artists and patrons of Howard Alan Events' Siesta Fiesta this weekend pretty much Ground Zero for the little #%*(@s.  Although both days dawned with surprisingly cool temperatures and low humidity for this time of year in Florida, temperatures heated up quickly both days, and by 11 a.m. the bugs started coming in waves.  Although a few of the artists I spoke with eked out a decent Saturday, most did not...and by early afternoon bugs outnumbered customers by, oh, several orders of magnitude. 

At the end of a long, long day--this is perhaps the toughest setup in the HAE stable of shows, with tents back-to-back along the center of a single long, narrow street, necessitating long, repeated dollys--we scraped bug residue off our vehicles and headed wearily to our hotel rooms, hoping that stiff breezes and clouds would  miraculously save our Sunday. 

Alas, Day 2 brought both more of the same (sun, bugs) and less of the same (sales).  For whatever reason, the critters seemed especially dense in my area most of the day, but no one was immune. By lunchtime bugs were rampant--on jewelry, on artwork, crawling in the browse bins, and shrouding the seas of white canopies.  Customers and artists valiantly tried to conduct business, but it was pretty much futile. Artists were surrendering their tents to the flying armies, and customers (if they entered the tents at all)  wouldn't browse the bins.   When I did make a sale, I had to sweep them off my invoice pad to write up the order. In mid-afternoon I was spotting handkerchiefs tied around faces to keep the bugs from getting swallowed. 

Never was 5 PM more eagerly anticipated.  Breakdown was surprisingly cheerful and efficient, given the extra work everyone had to clear the intruders off their artwork and canopies.  (The bugs are acidic--so as to be distateful to birds that would otherwise munch 'em--and it's important to get that glop removed as soon as possible.) 

We were about halfway through breakdown when Mother Nature had one more surprise in store--a pretty strong, but thankfully brief, dust devil that swirled up from nowhere and targeted my tent and about a half-dozen others nearby, flipping my neighbor's E-Z Up into the air and capsizing my canvases stacked on browse bins, pinwheeling my blue 10x10 tarp to parts unknown, and scattering some jewelry and artwork in at least two other tents.   Folks reacted quickly to hold down what they could, and luckily, there didn't seem to be any damage.  And as I finished packing, I thought about last week's Tuscaloosa twisters and decided to count my blessings. 

Yes, the show was an ill-timed financial disaster, and I'll be scrambling to get the mortgage and insurance paid this week.  But the tent and the vehicle will be clean again by Monday night, and  I've still got a home and a livelihood.   And as I drove home, I was really proud to be an outdoor artist, and prouder still of everyone else at the show, who just did what they could, and what they had to do, with a minimum of complaining and a lot of humor. 
(Check out the jewelry counter and the canopy behind my neighbor Brenda)

(By midday on Sunday they were all over the browse bins.  If only I'd used black
mats, I might have avoided this problem!) 

(I'm not sure if my neighbor Dave is ducking to get out of their way, or
attempting to clean them off the white pole)

(The final straw--they were attracted by the citrus in
my unopened bottle of Gatorade!)

Well, any show that starts with a fellow artist, stressed about having to set up all by herself, driving her Volvo, kaTHUMPkaTHUMP, right over your tent poles at daybreak, doesn't figure to go well. 

She hopped out of the van and started unpacking as though nothing unusual had happened, while I picked up my jaw from the asphalt and checked for damage.  Miraculously, there wasn't any (though there is surely a Trimline testimonial in my future).  I spoke to the artist a bit later and she hadn't seen the poles or noticed the lurching as she passed over them, and apologized profusely.  Turned out, in fact, to be a really cool lady (though not one I think I'd ever drive with willingly) .  And, in perhaps the biggest good news of all, this small (69-booth) show in tony Ponte Vedra Beach turned out to be a reasonable money-maker for me. 

The show has been around about 17 years--run for a time by Howard Alan Events, but more recently by Venues Event Planning.  Robin Conte and her partner Susan are young, personable, and really work hard to produce an artist-friendly show.  If you like artist amenities, this is the place for you: Volunteers wheeled cold water around twice each day, and provided brown-bag lunch (chicken wraps, orange, chips--not at all bad), and booth-sat if you needed one.  (No awards, though.)

The event site is just off A1A (which runs right along the Atlantic Ocean).  It's a fairly small shopping center, with a Publix, big-box pharmacy and an ABC Liquors (which was right behind my booth, how cool is that?).  Kinda upscale, but with an odd design: it's surrounded by swales, kinda like a sandtrap (this IS the home of the Professional Golfers Association; in fact, their offices are in the center).  It's odd, in that you can't see the Publix or the big-box pharmacy from the show site, even though they're technically in the same center.

So visibility is a problem. Nary a white-topped tent could  be seen from A1A, and zoning allowed only a couple of banners to promote the show.  Accordingly, attendance was (my guess) in the 2500-5000 range, at best, despite moderate temps and low humidity--probably the best show weather I've seen all season, and certainly far better than you'd expect in Florida by this time of year. And there were a fair proportion of BUYERS in the crowd.  My sales were higher than I expected, given the attendance.  My neighbor, a high-end jeweler, was happy with her sales, and a nearby acrylic artist sold a piece in the five-figure range.  Others didn't fare quite so well, but no one grumbled about the artist treatment or the load-in/out, which was a cinch (tent poles notwithstanding). 

Most of the artists were local (Jacksonville, St. Augustine), but some came from further south on Florida's east coast or from southern Georgia (the state border is only a few miles away). 

By next year, if public hearings go well, the center parking lot may be redesigned to "open up" traffic flow and visibility from the high-volume grocery, which might help attendance a bit.  Although Robin and Susan aren't intending to ever make this a huge event, they are working hard to make it successful.    They've got a companion show in the fall (October 15-16, 2011), and they'll be moving the Spring, 2012 event to sometime in April to capitalize on northern and midwestern artists who are migrating back from the winter circuit. 

As for me, this was a nice "paycheck show" to do as I photographed spring nesting season at St. Augustine's Alligator Farm.  As a bonus, there was even an Osprey family nesting in the corner of the artist parking lot!  So it's quite likely I'll return, and if you are going to be passing through the area--or if you're lucky enough to live in the vicinity--this is a show you might want to follow.

After a Saturday of nice weather and light but steady crowds at this promising second-year show, the Sunday forecast was dire: clouds, gusty winds, and showers throughout the day, topped off by a 60% chance of thunderstorms at tear-down.  

But the rain stopped just before the show opened, and as the weather improved, so did attendance.  Sunday turned out to be the best day of the weekend, as weather was a bit cool for the beach but perfect for an art show. 

This show is the Naples Art Association's followup to the Naples National event downtown.  Ranked #75 by Sunshine Artist readers in its first year (2010), it looked even better this year.  Well-advertised and with a high caliber of artists, attendees were knowledgeable and, for the most part, buying.  I spoke with about 10 artists in my vicinity, and all were at least satisfied with their sales...as was I.

The show was very well managed.  Show director Marianne Megela and her staff provides all the information you need in advance via email and website, and expects you to know what you're doing.  But in contrast with last year's inaugural, the staff had a much more relaxed (but still thoroughly professional) vibe. 

The show was nicely laid out, in keeping with the Mercato center's spacious design. There was ample storage room behind your booth and some welcome space on either side.  (That wasn't for storage, but it made for a nicer visual than having booths pole-to-pole.)  Show visitors (who paid $5 to attend), walked wide, brick-lined avenues; patrons of the center's shops and restaurants had ample sidewalks behind the artists' tents.  

Booth-sitters, decked out in bright yellow vests, were there when you needed them, and the parking and security teams knew what they were doing, too.  Setup and tear-down were well organized and efficient: you could drive right to your booth location to unload; the parking was in a grassy field just north of the venue, less than 5 minutes' walk from my booth. 

Breakdown procedures were communicated to each artist individually by a staff member (as opposed to being shouted out by a show official as they walked down your row).  Classy.  The staff actually checked off your name on an artist roster to make sure that they'd communicated the instructions to everyone.  I admire their thoroughness, but asking artists also to sign their name to acknowledge receipt of the instructions seems a little over the top. I'm not sure what problem it was designed to avert.

That little oddity was more than counterbalanced by the great job the parking/security staff did in courteously directing the Mercato's visitors from the streets to the sidewalks during breakdown, so they'd be out of the way of incoming vehicles and the hubbub of dollies and descending tents.  Failure to manage crowds in these situations is a pet peeve of mine: I nearly impaled a jogger a few years back who darted between my vehicle and another as I was pulling out of my space, and I've done many a show where folks stroll aimlessly, beers in hand, through the streets while carts and tent poles are moving in every direction.   It's amazing to me that most promoters and site venues don't manage this, and I give kudos to Naples Art for doing so. 

From my perspective, this is already a first-class show, in a beautiful and classy venue.  Definitely one I'll hope to attend next year. 

In another five minutes, I'd have clicked "Send" on my Zapplication for Howard Alan's Stuart (FL) show, when my cell phone rang.  On the other end of the line was Naples National show director Marianne Megela, who informed me that a spot opened up from the waitlist and did I want to be in this year's National? 

I weighed the pros and cons for about a nanosecond. Or would have, had there been any cons to consider. Then I said yes.  And as events proved out, it was the right call.

This show (#8 festival in the nation) met all expectations: Great weather, large and knowledgeable crowds, phenomenal sales, and a friendly, helpful corps of volunteers: from the parking lot attendants at Friday setup to the former furniture mover for Allied who not only took charge of my long, long dolly from site to vehicle, but inspired me with his story of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. 

The show's meticulously organized game plan is detailed on their website, and you're expected to have read it thoroughly before arrival (I did).  Setup is all day Friday, but it's organized by "zone" (which is determined by your booth number and location).  I arrived on time at 11 AM for checkin, got my "zone pass" and packet, and was quickly directed to curbside parking on the west side of Cambier Park, from which it was about a 50-yard dolly along paved pathways to my booth location in the center of the park's tree-lined main walkway.  (The park itself is just a block from Naples' 5th Avenue, which hosts a number of shows during season.)  Bright-vested volunteers, some equipped with headsets, were everywhere to help out.

Show protocol calls for you to fully unload, then drive back to the check-in/Artist Parking area and return by shuttle bus to complete setup, although I was allowed to stay curbside since things weren't yet busy.  The shuttles ran continuously (with pickup every 20 minutes) but I had mixed luck with them: Some of the drivers drove around the park as if they, themselves, had a bus to catch, and didn't look around or slow down unless you were waiting right at the curb to intercept them.  No matter: I was empty-handed, and it was only a 12-minute walk back to the lot.

Both days had near-perfect weather (in contrast to last year's cold rain and wind), and the crowds didn't let up all day Saturday.  Sunday's attendance was a bit lower, by all reports, but still heavy on buyers--my sales were actually higher on Sunday.  I was working solo so didn't have much time to interview other artists, but everyone I did speak to were satisfied..even the painter of spectacular African wildlife near me, who zeroed on Saturday, wasn't daunted: she's done the show for years and has a steady clientele in the area.

I came early on Sunday to grab some hospitality muffins and coffee and then walked as much of the show as I could.  The show's main traffic areas are 6th Ave S, on the east side of the park, and the east-west thorough of the park itself.  Some artists were set up on looping connector walkways, and I overheard a few of them talking about being in "dead zones" with lighter pedestrian traffic. 

On such a sunny, warm day--it was in the low-to-mid 80s--it was a bonus to be in the park, under trees.  The streetside booths were unshaded and artists and customers alike said it was pretty darn hot, despite gentle breezes.  The one downside of the park location: You were set up on sand and grass.  If you were on uneven terrain, the crew brought over mulch to level things out, but there was nothing you could do about the dust and grime.  The tent and rugs are going to need a long hosing this week.

As you'd expect the caliber of work was top-notch.  It was great to see so many bags being carried around, and --I gotta be honest!--especially that a fair share of them came from me.

Volunteers brought around breakdown instructions on mid-day Sunday: Basically a repeat of the Friday performance.  A number of large, generator-powered light poles were brought into to illuminate the grounds during teardown--a nice and no doubt expensive touch.  I was directed to the opposite side of the park, though, which meant a dolly of around 200 yards around curving, dark walkways.  Without the help of my volunteer from Allied, I'd probably still be dollying.  He worked his butt off to help me load, and we got everything to the van in three trips and half an hour.  Definitely worth the $30 I offered him!

The Naples Art Association has another show (Mercato) at the other end of town this coming weekend, and after a day at the beach to rewind I'll start gearing up for that one.  If you are lucky enough to do the National next year, bring plenty of inventory, a helper, cleaning supplies, and an industrial-strength dolly.  And with luck, you'll be needing that dolly to load out your cash drawer. 

All that said: I'm just one artist, and it was a big show.  How did YOU make out??

Sanibel Island is a beautiful place to visit: semi-secluded, free of big-box retailers, and filled with seasonal residents vacationers who (mostly) have deep pockets. 

The good folks of the SanCap Lions have been putting on this event at the Sanibel Community Center for over two decades, and it's been a staple for artists, crafters  and vendors (yes, vendors) who have built a repeat market for their work.  But as one long-time artist said to me as we unzipped the flaps on Day 2, "The hell of this show is that when the weather's good, the attendance sucks and we're pretty much screwed."  Which turned out to be pretty much true. The weather was a bit toasty for a show but Chamber-of-Commerce brilliant for the beach, with the result that although some exhibitors eked out decent sales, many were shaking their heads at the slim crowds (somewhere in the 2,000 range, we reckoned), hot temperatures, and dusty environs.

This was an unusual Friday-Saturday show, with setup on Thursday between 10 and 8 PM.  You were asked to drive in, unload, park, and then return to set up.  But by the time I arrived around 5 PM, many exhibitors had set up and left, so I could pull right in next to my space and park until I was done.  Easy.  You could also set up between 6 and 8 on Friday morning if you preferred.

The show's a bit unusual in that some indoor exhibitor spaces are available, too.  Although it's a bit cramped, the air conditioning works blissfully well, and you're within a few feet of the, um, facilities.  Though you'd probably want to bring your own lighting.

The show opened at 9 AM each day, which I unfortunately forgot about, so I was a bit unprepared when the gates opened and I had yet to put out my browse bins.  But it didn't matter much:  Friday's crowds were light, and after a bit of buying energy in the morning, the mercury rose, the overcast skies yielded to a bright sun, and crowds quickly disappeared. Saturday was more of the same, though without the early-morning burst of sales.  Most exhibitors I spoke with said they did better on Day 1.  Although my visitor and buying customer counts both dwindled on Day 2, I had several "be backs" and moved enough large pieces to eke out a decent sales total.  Being local (and having had 3/4 of my booth fee comped thanks to last year's award) my expenses were minimal, and that made it an OK show for the bottom line. 

One tip:  Sanibel homeowners and vacationers tend to rent by the month, and this is an end-of-the-month show.  So make sure to have shipping options available.  It'll save you some sales!

The quality of work, and mix of exhibitors, was not first class.  2-D artists were mostly purveyors of "island art": fun, appealing to a vacation/island crowd, and certainly appropriate to the venue.  There was a very high percentage of jewelers, and many were excellent: this is a great market for them.  And there was lots of manufactured buy-sell: personalized ankle bracelets, sloganed t-shrts, and art-on-a-stick. 

There were also awards:  my neighbor Gloria McAndrews, of Tennessee, won Best of Show and a $350 check for her beautiful yarn wall hangings.  Gloria has had pieces accepted by the Smithsonian Museum's Renwick Gallery, and she and her husband Jim are deserving, delightful people and know how to run a business.  Other awardees received no checks, only varying discounts on 2012 booth fees, should they choose to apply. 

The load-out was pretty much an every-artist-for themselves affair, as the Lions quickly scattered not long after the show closed.  Which is too bad:  The 4:30 PM close meant that artists were attempting a left-hand turn into the show site into the teeth of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the two-lane road.  Yes, drivers on the island tend to slow down and give you a break, but there is an endless stream of bikers and pedestrians on the adjacent bike path who aren't paying any attention. It would have been nice had the Lions either manned the entrance or had the Sanibel police do so (as the San-Cap Rotary did at their show last month). I ended up playing traffic cop for 20 minutes after the aforementioned sloganed t-shirt artist cluelessly pulled her van next to her tent and blocked other artists who were trying to leave. 

This is a great show to do if you've already been doing it and you've got a clientele.  It's not a show I'd travel any distance to attend.  Or if I were a fine artist.  Or if I needed back-space for inventory.  Or if I had work that I wasn't willing to spend a day cleaning of sand and dust.  Bottom line, I'd rather have been in Naples.  And God (and the jury--hmm, is there a difference?) willing, that's where I'll be instead next year.

I'll keep one a little shorter than usual, since I've reviewed previous editions of this show.

Produced by Patty Narozny's Hotworks LLC, this was billed as the "seventh biennial" edition--it made a quick return following the successful November 2010 event.  It was blessed with beautiful weather and solid, if not spectacular crowds.  Even better, folks on Saturday were BUYING.  Sunday visitors were a bit more in "browse mode" but there were still patrons with packages walking around.  I was a bit disappointed with my Sunday totals, but only in comparison to a near record-breaking (for Florida) day on opening day. 

The show is moderately sized, with 130 artists and a nice mix of media.  Although this is nominally an upscale area, it's still been heavily dinged by the recession.  So it's smart to have multiple price points available, no matter what your medium.  As often seems to be the case down in these parts, many of the 2-D artists I spoke with who sell only high-priced originals reported slow sales (or even zeroes) for the weekend.  Those who had quality reproductions, or whose originals were more modestly priced, seemed to fare better.  The jewelry I saw was exceptionally high quality, and this category was not over-represented.  Those I had a chance to spoke with seemed pretty pleased with their results. 

Although awards were offered, I can't report on the results since I didn't win one, and I didn't see the judge while he/she was in my booth because I was swamped with customers.  I'll take that over a chance to chat up a judge any day. 

Artist amenities were available: water and fruit anytime; muffins and Starbuck's in the morning (no decaf: another sign that Narozny knows her audience ;-)  ) .  Booth-sitters were availble, too, and the artist packet included lots of coupons for mall discounts.  Which came in handy if you didn't pack your own lunch: wishing to encourage the crowds to visit the mall's restaurants, mall management didn't allow any food vendors (save for a lemonade concession) at the show.  Live acoustic music was featured all weekend, but it wasn't so loud to be a problem while you were chatting up your customers. 

Two "dings" worth noting:  Mall management addressed parking and traffic issues of shows past by banishing the artists to a far-distant parking lot on the other side of the sprawling mall.  It took me 10 minutes exactly to make the trek, and I was hoofing it without any encumbrances (dolly, bags, etc.).  Since I'm a runner with two good knees--so far--your results may vary! Although the organizers pointed out to each artist at checkin that you could park closer if you had a handicapped sticker, there was lots of grumbling about this...and many artists disregarded the instruction on Saturday, prompting mall security to crack down on Day 2.  And one artist near me discovered at tear-down that vandals had broken a lock on his RV and stolen a GPS unit and other valuables.

Speaking of tear-down: The traffic flowed 'way too early, at 5 PM sharp, when a number of artists' vans drove to their tents while some customers were still browsing the show.  This is a personal pet peeve of mine. For one thing, nothing kills a potential last minute sale faster than carbon monoxide wafting into the tent.  Moreover, it's a safety issue: A woman finished browsing my photos at about 5:02, took a step outside, and nearly got nailed by an RV that was passing by--and none too slowly--inches from my entrance.  I get it, folks--you maybe didn't have a great show, and you want to get home ASAP. But use a little common sense, willya?

Overall, though, the weekend was a fun one.  This is a strong show with a growing reputation, and getting stronger.  It's one worth keeping in mind as you plan your next Florida excursion. 

The smiling, well-dressed lady in the bright blue bib strode into my booth, extended her hand, and said: "Hi, I'm Sharon.  I'm a Rotarian.  How can I serve you today?"

A Dr. Seuss couplet begins to spring to mind, but never mind that: Let's talk about this long-running show, held at the Venice Municipal Airport about 2 hours north of the Bonita Springs show. 

This local event with the hometown-y feel has been running for years, and deserves to.  Venice is a long-established town along Florida's Gulf coast, about a half-hour south of Sarasota. It's well known for its casual charm, beautiful beach, relaxed atmosphere, and an established working art community.  The Rotarians take over the outskirts of this active airport, just off the easternmost runway, and bring in artists, crafters, a rock band or two, an antique car show, and a smattering of food vendors to make a nice weekend for the show's dedicated followers.  Sharon the Rotarian was just one of the group's members who devote months and months of planning, and they do a fine job.

Logistics are a snap: You can check in on Friday, park right behind your booth location, and set up from there...a no-dolly weekend, nice!

And yet, there are challenges.  The crowd is unfailingly friendly, but it is an older one, much like the Rotarian membership itself, and not buying as much art as it did in the past.  I overheard the show director commenting that although the show is juried, nearly everyone who applied got in because the number of applications has been declining.  Accordingly, there was lots of low-end craft, bead-kit jewelry and other buy-sell, and "art on a stick". 

Although quality, sales and crowd size aren't by any stretch in a league with Barry Witt's Bonita behemoth, you can have a decent weekend here at minimal cost: Booth fee is about $235, and if you have a camper or RV you can stay overnight right behind your booth (though I commuted from my home in S. Fort Myers).  There's a decent artist dinner on Saturday night with free beer and wine, breakfast both mornings, booth sitting by the likes of Sharon the Rotarian on request, and a crowd that enjoys and buys. The Rotarians even grant awards in multiple categories (first place is $250), plus a best in show ($500). 

I made about 5x my booth fee plus the blue ribbon for photography, against expenses that were otherwise limited to a tankful of gas and a couple of bucks for the coffee vendor.  Not a bad way to spend a weekend if you weren't in Bonita.

This would be an EXCELLENT show for a less-experienced artist/crafter to "get their feet wet," with lots of experienced veterans around to learn from. 

And if you're one of the artists who complain that there's a dearth of community-run shows that love what they're doing and care about the artists, put this one on your list for 2012.  The Rotarians work hard to serve up a slice of the "good old days," and they deserve our support.