The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is a very well run show. Attendance is high all three days, but the type of audience varies significantly over the weekend. Monday's crowd consisted mainly of tire-kickers, strollers and museum-viewers. Sunday was my best day, although the serious buyers were out early on Saturday morning. Sales for higher-end work seemed strong in our section of the show all three days, however. I was on Pan American Drive, almost at the end of the show. Traffic was slower than on Bayshore, but I still had a booth full of people until about 4PM every day. After that, it tapered off. We did have our share of fun people, including this guy who wandered in off the street.
Communication is generally good, although load-in instructions were vague. There were no instructions on how to actually reach the load-in entrance most appropriate to your booth included in the packet, just general instructions on a Google map on how to reach Coconut Grove. The load-in instructions specifically stated that no booth setup was allowed before 3PM, yet when we arrived at 3PM, it seemed like half the show was set up already. We drove around a bit before finding the right parking lot entrance. And I'm familiar with the Grove -- for artists that had never been in that area, it would have been a nightmare. Traffic in the area is very heavy, especially after they close Bayshore Drive. Expect to wait a bit. Patience will be rewarded.
Artist treatment is very good. There were many volunteers available to booth sit, and the zone captains were on hand to make sure that logistics ran smoothly. Security is great -- the show is fenced on the perimeter to allow them to collect the $10 gate fee, and it's locked up tight as a drum at night. Never had a worry about my work being safe in the tent overnight. They have a terrific hospitality area, with breakfast every day, and a nice artist awards dinner on Sunday night. They give you tickets for lunch too, but only one per booth, so if you have a spouse or a partner, you end up sharing the food. Which is decent. We had rice and beans, chicken, a bit of salad, and plantains every day. Plus a little sandwich. Enough to keep you going without having to resort to arepas, hot dogs or slushies. No free tequila, however. Boo.
The booth fee is higher than many shows. At $800, I suspect that it covers not only the venue, but also the labor costs involved in mounting the show, as well as an extensive ad campaign. There are many volunteers, good security at the entrances, and security 24/7 during the event. I even saw a volunteer on the street directing artists to the well-hidden artist dinner venue at the Atrium. Well-done, volunteers! And the artists have their own air-conditioned trailer potties, near the convention center. Bonus! And the free t-shirt was also a nice extra.
Patron traffic is very high, but the percentage of buyers on the low end was much lower than I expected. I made one really good sale, which helped to cover my expenses for the weekend, but overall, I was expecting better sales based on the reputation and the high booth fee. I did not sell a ton of bin prints, like I expected. Many of the artists near me did well, however, including two painters and a sculptor with larger work. Of course my work is less focussed on tropical themes, and here that does make a huge difference.
Reserved parking for artists at the expo center lot as well as at Lot 67, next to Pan American Drive. At $30 a space, this is a bargain. Thank you Coconut Grove, for providing affordable parking for trucks, trailers and vans. There seemed to be enough spots for everyone's trailer and van, too.
All in all, a great experience. The show was above my expectations for the artist treatment, weather and logistics. Sales were just average for me, but many of the folks around me went home very happy. The painter next to me made a great sale after closing on Monday night, and our friends up the road also had a good show. Others did not fare so well. I heard the usual rumors of zero sales, slow sales, no sales. I know I was expecting more sales than I had.
One artist did bail on Monday afternoon -- packed up, dollied out around 2:30. The show sent a golf cart down to block his vacant spot, as patrons were walking through the booth behind to get to the other side. (I think there's a chicken joke in there somewhere). Don't think he'll get invited back again.
Coconut Grove is a difficult area to navigate, and the police, security detail and show organizers did a fantastic job of getting everyone in and out of the show. The quality of the art is very, very good. The show is well-run, well-organized and deserving of its reputation. We made some new friends and connected with old friends. I'd be happy to do the show again. Four stars.
