At the star of this year I was lucky to into Lakefront Arts festival in Milwaukee. I figure that doing the Third Ward by Amy will be a good choice. Start looking for hotels April for both shows but only can get for the lakefront. A couple friends advice to drive back and forward for the Third Ward show since I could not find anything closed to the area. Gurnee was the closed hotel with opening and for that distance it did not make sense to paid for hotel since my home is 35 to 45 minutes from there.
A week before the show things just went _____________. Amy found by the city of Milwaukee that we could not set in Saturday morning as she plan. The parade for Harley Davidson will start at 10am and will running one street east from the show. The parade will block the entrance to main parking lot for the artists. I do not think she pass this info to the artists. Also this also mean that all local people wont be attending the show or just skip town. It also mean that we need to check at 3am and start to set up at 4am. Considering that closet place you can stay was 45 minutes away you can figure the reaction. I send email asking to reconsider the set up time as well some other artist. We got a email back that what the city put us in that schedule. The set up was great set for the cars that need to tow. That did not help me.
The attendance was great but the people was there for the parade not for us. Some people got lucky but most walk out of there super _____________. I think that the show has potential. There are rumors that she may change the date but that will mean we starting again from ground zero.
Because of the lack of sales and reading other forums here some things that start looking at this show with her. I knew that people cancel. That was artist that was showing that should not be there. She has reduce her standards and that is very disappointing. Instead of letting people that may look buy and sale or candle people what about give people more room to display like (12 feet deep and 15 wide). Yes that is a corner display and that will prevent or justify not reducing her booth fee. This what keep people are complaining. I know she does a great job of advertising and she make effort to promote her shows. I do not think is her fault the shows do not get more buyers. She has lost some of best art shows artists and could because what had become her reputation but instead of sending "hate mail" or telling she has lost touch what about we send ideas to improve our living hood, she may try some those ideas. Also take a look how many shows you are doing in the area and how many years showing the same stuff. Do not blame the promoter are all the failure some blame falls on us.
Do not think that if she is not promoter of the show that fee is will go down neither. I saw Fountain Square taken by Chicago Special Events and the fee stay the same and it got worst (Wells Street part 2). Now the Lakeview East fee stay the same but the sale may not break the bank but wow this how all shows should be run.
I will tell you if you trying any of her show try Port Clinton (another rumor is that the sales was not there and artist will be dropping if that is true that will be good for me) and Third Ward. Everything if you are not local stay away until you start getting good reports now the draw back is that she needs x amount of artist must of the new blood can not afford her shows so guess that who take those spots.
Only time we tell and yes I like her and some her staff (Lisa and Omar) but this how a make a living and money talks and how feel about you wont change that.
Comments
I did Third Ward last yr and this past weekend ,luckily my sales were the same as last year I say luckily because this was basically a Daytona Beach crowd if its not NASCAR or Harley they don't buy it at least my work , which is why I do better in the north then Fla. I tell people I have a triangle of death in Florida Orlando ,Daytona and Melbourne .I'm doing Space Coast this year only because I can fall out of my bed into my booth. This Third Ward show will be very good I really wouldn't judge this one by this year. it was a TOTALLY different crowd.
Sorry to hear about Schaumburg. We used to go and get the most fun shirts and jackets. We always found jewelry and there was great wood furniture.
Too many jewelers isn't any fun for patrons either. It is similar to a show with 350-500 artists--buyer's paralysis. Considering the total number of media at a show, no medium should exceed 20% although I understand that jewelry is a big draw.
We love these reviews and discussions on this forum. It allows people to speak how they feel and right or wrong it is their viewpoint. Well maybe I should clarify that. A persons view is not wrong, as it is their view and how they see things. I might not agree with it but that is my view on the subject and hopefully all o0f us can learn something from each others views.
Yes, I agree that Amy was fantastic and ran good shows back in the day. Times have changed since the economy went south a few years ago. Today the economy has risen, but markets, customers have changed. Looking at Chicago and northern Illinois area, a customer can find an art show within a reasonable drive most any week end. How many shows can they go to and buy something? Plus if the customers are being conservative, because of their situation, that is job is questionable, took a demotion or whatever, they do not have the spendable income.
Recently I surveyed some of Amy's shows from her website. One show listed 108 artists and 51 of them were jewelry. How depressing is that? Not only for the jewelers but how about the customers? At one of her shows a jeweler had a sign up that said nothing over $40.00.
So there is fewer artists at her shows, 108 at the one I looked at. She use to have 150-160 at a show. But she is filling the 108 spots with whoever applies. 51 jewelers. Plus her "sponsors" Which the customers coming are not fond of.
Another show that has gone downhill is Septemberfest in Schaumburg IL. More and more resellers there. A customer of mine said they were there this labor day and it was noticeable of the fewer artists and more resellers. Now when a customer notices that, it has to be bad.
So too many shows in an area, people spending less money, it hurts all the artists.
Me too, John. I didn't do any Amdur shows this year because my favorites went up $50 each. That just seems like an awfully significant increase. And for what reason? Just because we'll pay it? I didn't pay it this year, but smaller shows in the Chicago area don't always have the kind of attendance that Amy's shows do. She's a business person and I'm sure she has her reasons for doing what she's doing. Her shows are professionally run compared to many. Sure, the economy has changed, the art show landscape has changed. Not all of us have been in business as long as others, but we are all just fighting for our little piece of the pie. If we show passion and creativity in our work, and there is a market for it, hopefully we'll find enough places to display and sell it. If as much energy was focused on trying to find new creative ways to market ourselves as is spent focusing on a few bad buy/sell apples, I think we'd all be better off. The negativity does get really discouraging. It's helpful to know whether a show was successful or not, but as Carla points out, there are lots of factors to consider. I love Carla's passion and optimism!!! Keep fighting the good fight! And do not let negativity stop you from commenting Carla. Your input is always helpful and fun to read.
Hi Carla, I just notice that some of top people in our industry refuse doing shows with her and not just her in the Chicago area. The reality we do not have a show that will pull 3000 or more in just volume. After doing Lakefront I notice the difference. People buy a lot small pieces and suddenly you have a big show. See the post of James Parker about Cherry Creek. He just sold small stuff and has his highest gross show ever. That wont happen in our market. We are waiting for that customer that spend 1000.00 on us. When come to Chicago think about the cost, hotels, parking, food, booth fee and suddenly you can be in 1500 before the show even started. Then if you find buy or sale, a joe pushing $20 posters of the different pubs in college towns, cheap made jewelery, sponsors that refuse not be between artist because they do want be in section of their own, we cutting each other and suddenly good people see this they do not believe is worth doing and without good artist you wont get collectors. Without collectors the show goes down hill very fast.
Geri Lake Forest some people are done well but the attendance is low.
I only hoping even this a waste of time that promoter start paying attention because I really see all the in Chicago area become Wells St art Fair or flea markets. I keep looking for shows to in the area but it seems very hard for me to justify.
That should be--why are we UP so late.
Your art is wonderful and I love how you keep coming up with more ways to market your art.
The more artists I talk to, the more I think that the smaller local shows are the way to go. There were artists this weekend in Lake Forest that I had never seen before.
Maybe if I give you the list of production artists that keep showing up at the Amdur shows, you can talk to her and find out why she says one thing and does another.
(Why are we both us so gosh darned late?)
Geri, I have been in Chicago since 1996 and did several shows about 12 years ago, not Amdur but Wells and Oak park to mention a few. Also did shows while living in FL but bc lack of time couldn't do them more often like now. I am aware of the buy sell and I am aware of booth fees. But sometimes there's artists that can't leave Chicago so we have to keep supporting our shows here trying to make them better and creating better art. My point of working together, not against each other is that. I talk directly with my promoters and it I've seen positive things and changes. I hope we can get to a day that this could be fixed. In the mean time I will just keep making better art so those patrons can look forward to come and see my work and not the buy sell products that yes, they take sales from real artists but hopefully this will change one day.
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