Well, it is my birthday, approaching three quarters of a century, and I am back in NSB (New Smyrna), drinking tequila at my favorite beach bar and writing my blog.
I am working for ya.
So, the Shaw was My last summer show.
It is a small show in a historic neighborhood in downtown southwest St. Louis.
Only 140 booths, and they are all good.
Show is held the first weekend in October and has been going on for years.
It is run by a neighborhood association. They are artist friendly.They put artists up in neighborhood homes for free. They have a great artist dinner on Saturday.
It s a mellow setup on Friday, everybody has tons of room behind their booths for storage. Plenty of room on the sides too.
It attracts an upscale crowd, mostly locals. They are savvy buyers and respect the artists.
I notice many of the heavy-hitter artists do this show. That should tell you something.
We had perfect weather all days, though it was pretty cloudy with low light.
I lucked out. They put me in a different spot then the one I requested.
So I show up early Sat. Morn and this women with a bubbly personality and a hot carafe of freshly made coffee shows up at my booth.
She lives across the street from my booth.
Every year she takes care of about 16 artists who are near her house.
She brings fresh coffee, then she beckons us inside her kitchen.
She has fresh croissants, breads, cookies, homemade soup, baked tenderloin, and, free beer.
She gets very sad if we do not everything there, beer included.
Then, on Sunday she does it again with a whole fresh menu—and, free beer.
I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
OK Nels tell us about the show.
Thought you would never ask.
The crowds are sparse here, not big streams of people
But, the people who show up, and usually travel with a small group of friends, buy art.
I saw good sales going down the street all day long.
By Sat. End, I had passed my sales for the entire previous show, and they were strong.
Sunday, I surged way ahead and almost doubled my sales from last year.
In case you are not familiar with my work. I do handcolored black and white image photographs of famous rock performers that I have shot, very Andy Warhol style.
Most artists I queried had a very good show.
I think this is a better show to do then St. James, but that is only my humble opinion.
Well, my next show is next week in Pensacola, the Great Gulfcoast Art Show, it is the best show to do on that weekend, bar none.
Of course I will give ya a great blog, plus a Tequila Report.
Aloha, amigos!
Comments
I am really going to look into this show, sounds great!
Happy Birthday Nels. What a great little show. It sounds like the community really appreciates have the artists and the show in their town.
That is a great take, way to go C
Nels, Other memories of the show are rising up now, such as I remember seriously freezing my ass off a couple of times and even piles of snow to deal with. I also have very fond memories of two pairs of handsome and stylish gay men - who apparently didn't know one another - and each pair came with an equally handsome and stylish pair of Italian Greyhounds outfitted for the cold weather in eye-catching outfits. One pair wore matching full body length brown suits that covered them (the dogs) down to their ankles and with snoods to cover their heads. They looked like pious monks.
The other pair of Greyhounds was more whimsical - each wore a puffy warm pumpkin jacket (1/2 of the pumpkin on each side of the dog's body) for the season.
I saw these same men and dogs two years running. Loved them.
This is a very cool show y'all, with an attentive and conscientious director. Greg. He's great. You should apply for this one. You could make some money, win a prize, and appreciate the generous community who's very happy you are there.
Thanks CC.
Gee, I give you a little gem of a show, And I basically get no comments.
Come on, you all are a little lame, get in there and comment, that is how we all grow.
I agree, Nels. It's a great little show - a too-well kept secret. I also remember that wonderful woman from across the street with her mission of feeding all the artists set up nearby - her generosity fit the tone of the show.
I would use my St Louis mail list from that great show to draw people to Shaw - and they came.
I was also able to snag one of their very generous awards a couple of times.
I've always had a special place in my heart for the mid-western audiences in places like Kansas City and St Louis. They are, as a rule, extremely well art-educated and willing to pay for good art. The Shaw show is not an exception and the hospitality is first rate.