Sometimes it does the soul good to do a small community event for a change. I found myself with an open weekend and in my desires to get back to Michigan for a week of photo taking, I signed up for a lovely little weekend event. I will say that this is not a typical one for most "seasoned artists". Not one for those with only high price point items. I normally would not have given this one a thought. That being said, this "art show/business expo" was one of the delights of the summer and I would highly recommend to those "newbies" who are searching for a first show to get their feet wet.Keego translates to "Big Fish", thus the name. Keego Harbor is a suburb of Detroit in a recreational area with many lakes. I sent my $50 entry fee to the organizer, John and followed it up with an email asking for places to stay as this particular trip I was bringing my dogs. Only in a small community would the the organizer offer an artist the opportunity to stay at his home - dogs & all. I declined the offer, but was immediately impressed with John and the efforts he has made to carefully grow this event each year. Held on the grounds of the local school, the event is divided nicely. Artists on one side and a business expo tent on the other. Between the two is a row of yummy food vendors. At the far side of the schools parking lot, behind the business tent, is an entertainment stage. Between the entertainment stage and a Detroit radio station playing great tunes all day, I found myself bee boppin to the music all weekend. John - you sure get my award for excellent choice in music for this event!Set up was easy with drive up unloading/loading. Spaces were allotted on a first come/first pick basis. The artist booths were filled with a variety of art and crafts. Two first time show photographers shared a booth and hubby & I spent much of the weekend filling them in on presentations at art shows. I do hope they continue as they have great composition - just in need of better equipment and some art show polish. This is the second show in Michigan (Plymouth the first) where the community actively involves their children in the pursuit of fine art involvement. I was chosen to be a judge for the events art contest held for kids from the age of 4 thru 18 and was only too happy to comply with the request. Another local artist (painter) judge and I were blown away at one 17 year old girls talent and we were thrilled she overwhelmingly took first place. Her talents were far above many adult artists I've seen. The local artist has decided to set her up in his gallery and will be working on a scholarship for her.One of the reasons I find these small community events so delightful is the attention given to the artist. John's assistant in charge of the artists, Charlese (sp?) checked with us nearly hourly. She was absolutely fantastic as were her assistants. Attendance last year was 2,000 but I expect with the cool temps and on/off rain showers that weekend, it was down a tad. I nearly made the mistake of bringing only my lower price point items. I'm glad I brought some of the pricer framed pieces as my overall profit, after expenses, was just under $1200. I must note here that many artist/crafters I spoke with did not do as well - some nothing at all. It has been my belief that artists must carefully consider location of event and how it relates to their art. However, surprisingly this little event supported my week of photo shoots throughout Northern Michigan & the U.P. It did my soul good to not only remind myself of the small events that got me started, but also support this great little community event.As my practice, a You Tube video taken by hubby can be found by clicking LINKHappy Fall Shows Everyone!Linda Andersonhttp:www.andersonphotoworks.com
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