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Mid-afternoon view of the show, from the Spice House

The Wells Street art festival in Chicago is usually one of my best shows. It is also one of the hardest set-ups we do. Early morning. Crowded streets. Two rows of tents down the center of the street, with food vendors blocking straight through access in the driving lane. Assigned times for artists are supposed to allow everyone at least an hour for load-in and setup before the show officially opens at 10AM on Saturday. In practice, artists find anyway they can to get their equipment in place as early as possible.

Dog's-eye view of the show

 
I've had a double booth in the same location, near the Spice House and Topo Gigio, for several years. It's a high traffic location, because of O'Briens, The Fireplace Inn and a new club, the Benchmark. The main stage is in the O'Brien's parking lot, and provides a steady beat throughout the entire show.Friday night I didn't leave Michigan until almost 10:30 PM. I had to pick up Karyn in Ann Arbor, and by the time we got to Chicago, it was about 4:00 AM. No sleep for us. I walked down Wells to see where our booth spot was -- new numbers meant that I was moved slightly south. At 4:45, I was able to get my traile and truck down to the booth, about a block and a half in. My load-in time was officially 6:45, but there is no way that I could get the trailer and truck in and out that late. I think that the show has finally realized after 40 years that some artists are always going to need early access to the show. The coordinator told me that the show director had given permission to a few artists to come in early, after a phone call. I've called in previous years and been told that it's impossible.Some artists dolly in from the northern paid lot on Wells, The Carriage Lot. Some dolly from parking spots on North Ave. Some dolly from the side streets, Schiller, Goethe and Scott. Some do bring their vans in. By 10AM, the show does get set up. It's a minor miracle, but we were unloaded, the truck and trailer parked in the paid lot at Franklin School, the double canopy setup and all the art hung, with lights, by 10AM.

My credit card machine always has trouble connecting here -- server overload with all the cel=phones and texting

Saturday was cold and drizzly. It didn't out and out rain, but it was chilly. It didn't stop the young urban professionals from crowding into the show, and buying art in the morning and early afternoon. But the temps got colder by 4PM, and the crowd slowly changed to a party mood. Lots of beer and lots of strolling. A mix of dogs, strollers, couples and professionals. I sold a few smaller pieces, but nothing large. By 6PM, most of the crowd were there to party, not to buy. My neighbors, Jean-Claude Louis, another photog with a double that looked exactly like mine, and David Bigelow, the well-known printmaker, both closed up by 8PM. Usually we'll stay open, and send some art home with new owners, but the weather put a chill into the sales. We closed up and walked down to our hotel on Clark Street. Along the way, we stopped at Panang, a friendly Thai restaurant on Clark. Good food, efficient service, and inexpensive. Since we hadn't had sleep for almost 42 hours, it didn't take long to catch a few zzz's. Luckily, we waited until we got to the hotel for that.

Jean-Claude Louis, from Agoura Hills CA

David Bigelow wins for Works on Paper -- Congrats, and well-deserved!

Sunday was bright and blue. The sun was out, and cheered me right up. We stopped at the trailer to restock, and opened the booth up about 10:15. Sunday was better for sales, but still slower than previous years. I saw a couple of previous customers, including Liz Hein, who posed for a shot with her favorite piece, "No Exit". My friend Maureen stopped by. I got to step into the Spice House for some fresh cumin and some Moroccan spices. The show provides a break room in the offices of the Old Town Merchants Association, and serves up coffee, pastry and fruit all day long. The bathroom is clean, too, but you might have to wait a minute for it. We spent a lot of time talking with David Bigelow in between sales. This year's crowd seemed much more intent on partying and being seen than in previous years. My sales reflected this, too. I did about 50% of what I did last year. Enough to pay a few bills, but maybe not enough to reflect the long hours and brutal setup.

The lovely Elizabeth Hein shows a little love for "No Exit"

 
I know that some artists did well at Wells this year. Photography was perhaps over-represented. My friend Lisa sent many of her well-designed t-shirts and tanks home with happy owners. Jean-Claude had a better show this year than last year. But all in all, it seemed to me that the energy was directed more towards having a good time than feathering the nest this year. It's an expensive show to do, when you add up all the extras. Electricity costs $150, and puts you in the middle of the show. Parking ranges from $75 to $150 for the weekend, and is definitely worth it if you have a hard-to-park rig like I do. The booth fee is average. Hotels are out-of-sight downtown, and I can't recommend the Howard Johnsons on Wells. Many stay out in the suburbs, at the airport hotels, or out in Schaumburg, which is a lo-n-n-n-n-g hike. 

Load-out is efficient. Artists begin closing at 8PM, but vehicles are not allowed on the street till all the partiers go home, which can be as late as 11PM. Many dolly out the same way they came in. Vans have a definite advantage over trailers here. Some folks rent an Enterprise van or cube truck specifically for this show. We didn't really start breaking down until about 9PM, had a couple big sales at the end to make it all right. The trailer was into the show at about 10:45, and by that time, over 75% of the artists had found a better way out. We were on the road by 11:45. A very long weekend. We can't drive the entire way back to Michigan after this weekend, so another night in a hotel is required. This year, I stopped in St. Joseph, and made the rest of the drive on Monday morning. Exhausted but happy. 

A last word: There is a lot of buy-sell here. Some is blatant, some is not. While the show says that all work must be original, some is clearly not. It doesn't matter. Bring whatever you want. At $7/pop "Suggested Donation", I'd estimate that the show grosses about $1.5 in gate fees alone. It's still fun, still unique, and one of the best parties in Chicago in the summertime.