Blog

July 11 & 12 

Noteworthy:

May 30 & 31

Arts in the Middle is a new name but not a new experience. Led by Gloucester Arts on Main, a popular non-profit arts center in Gloucester Court House, VA, our seasoned team of producers and exhibitors have received state and local funds to renew and expand Art on the Half Shell, the popular festival that drew large crowds until 2012 to our lovely county in Virginia's river country near the Chesapeake Bay.   

After the show on Saturday Pearl, the trolley, will ferry artists to the awards ceremony and celebration honoring our artists at  "Lansdowne" (17th C) historic home in the heart of the village. Relax with live music, drinks, and light fare or stroll along historic streets, shop, dine or visit the town harbor.

So many people contribute to ArtFairInsiders.com and share their stories and help one another. Let's give them a thank you by voting for your favorites in our annual Community Awards.

Who will win?

Nels, Larry, Barry, Barrie, Melanie, Jacki, Tina, Alison, Ruth, Jim, Richard, Robert, Carrie, Scott ... they've all made you laugh and given you a lot of helpful information. Pay back time, baby!

VOTE NOW. Deadline: January 18, midnight. Prizes will be awarded.

CLICK HERE

Saturday, May 16

Marion, Iowa

One Day.

Fifty Artists.

Fourteen Thousand Admirers.

An Alarmingly Small City Block.

Apply to be a part of one of the most artist-profitable festivals in the country!  

• Named by Art Fair Calendar as among "America's Best Art Fairs 2013" and 2014!  
• Named by Art Fair SourceBook as #1 among events featuring 100 artists or fewer!  
• #1 one-day show in the country!  
• A return on your investment of $7.60 for every $1 spent!

Marion is a "vintage uptown" type of community, and a part of the Cedar Rapids metro area in Eastern Iowa.  Our event is one-day, intimate and purpose-driven, and our exhibitors enjoy a sincere welcome and an easy-to-do show.  

There are no bands, there is no beer - the MAF is about the art.  Are we right for you?  Don't hesitate to ask questions! It's awful to be the right artist at the wrong show; we can help you to know if we're the right show for you.  

Visit www.marionartsfestival.com to see the quality and range of our 2014 exhibitors - you'll find fifty of your most respected artist pals!

Then apply: https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=3680 

www.marionartsfestival.com 

Deb Bailey, Director: mafdirector@marioncc.org

Not convinced yet? 

February 7 & 8
16th Annual - HeartFest 'A Fine Art Show' 2015
Saturday 10-9
Sunday 11-6
Valley West Mall
West Des Moines, Iowa
50 Fine Artists

• Friday night set up
• Affordable motel nearby
• Booth sharing okay - 2 artists, 2 jury fees required
• Free RB parking, same level load-in/out
  
  

Fees: 

• $30 application fee
• Booth fees from $185 for a single to $420 for a double with electricity

Presented by Sue Stookey, Stookeyshows.com; ArtfestMidwest.com; suestookey@att.net for questions

Deadline: January 10

Apply now: https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=3668

Well, I have been chewing on how to do this blog for a few days.  It is never easy when you are stepping on the toes of high mucky-mucks.

What the hell, here goes.

First off.  Naples is not the land of milk and honey that everybody thinks it is.

It is a land inhabited by many monied mid-westerners, Canadians, and a number of Europeans.  Oh yeah, even a few native Floridians too.

They all have plenty of money.  They will spend some, or even lots of it, on art.

For artists doing 2-D work, their tastes tend to run to cliche,generic, atmospheric and bland art.  

They love the tropical, the birds, the fish, the blick.  3-D artists have better time roping in the big bucks.  They will buy expensive bronzes.  They love glitzy glass.  They will buy expensive ceramics. Oh, they love their jewelry.

The trouble is too many unsuspecting artists show up for shows down here thinking they are going to make a killing--"because its Naples, and everybody has lots of money, and they love to buy art."

Trouble is, these artists have heard the rumors of wealth but have not really done any constructive homework--like talking to actual exhibitors who have done it.

Last weekend a lot of artists went home in their vans with the look of disappointment plastered all over their windshields.

This show has more than 240 artists running up and down eight blocks, east to west, on Fifth Avenue.  These are long blocks and most people don't walk the whole show, let alone come back for a second look.  You find very few "be-backs" here.  Mostly, you get one shot  at them.

About ninety per cent of the crowd walks with their little dogs blithefuly by our booths without really looking in.

I would say,last weekend, about 20% of the exhibitors hit big numbers here--between $5-10K.

The rest were lucky to even break $2K.

And, we all paid a $450 booth fee, plus jury fee, plus setup at 4 AM in the morn, crammed in tight, back to back down the street.  Plus, it took most, a whopping 30 minutes or more to get back to the show after parking their vans in the Very Remote parking lot.  Some people ended up hailing a cab, because it was so frustrating waiting for a shuttle.

FIRST, A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT THE SHOW

For years, Howard Alan ran a very successful New Years Weekend show here in the very same spot as the now, Naples Art Association.

It was a real money-maker for most artists.  Then the powers that be in Naples told Howard,"So Long."

Then the Naples Art Association took over the show.  Then expanded on the idea and said, let's do it in March too.  Plus we will still have the one in Cambier Park and the street in Feb.

When it was actually on the New Years Weekend it attracted a lot of Europeans.  You heard lots of Brits and German accents, and they paid with Americano dineros.

Lately, you hear much more mid-westerners than Europeans, and sadly, for a number of them, the first thing out of their mouths is, "Can you do better than that?"

Years ago, they were ever so polite.  You never heard them utter those words.  They were happy to see you, happy to decorate their winter homes with your work.  They did not ask for discounts.

Now, we tend to get them asking us crude questions like, "Do you sleep in your booths or vans at night?"

I want to reply and ask them, "Do you still beat your wife."  Can't do it, but I often think it.

They have killed the golden goose down here.  Too many shows, too many exhibitors, and not enough buyers to go around for the artists to make a living at it.

When I pay a $450 booth fee, I usually expect that is because this is a worthwhile show, with a proven track record, where I can expect to yield $3.5K-6K in return.  That is a decent return for the amount spent on the booth.

The trouble is, the Naples Art Association is making out like a bandit.  They are essentially getting a 20-25% commission fee on our sales.  And, we are the ones doing all the hard work.

To balance this out, let me tell you about the good things they do.

They give most exhibitors an open side to hang work on.  You are set up in four booth quads with aisles separating each quad.

They have nice artist breakfast set up each morn with one of the food vendors.

They have good volunteers to spell you.  

They have a courteous rapport  with the artists at check in and during the show.

I know the Association cannot control how or whether the crowd will buy some art.

But their booth fee is too high for a decent return for most artists.  

There, I gave them some kudos.

SO NELS, TELL US ABOUT THIS YEAR'S SHOW

Well, it was good, humid weather both days.  No rain.

The town is packed with people, yet I still saw lots of empty seats at restaurants during prime time.

Lots of Canadians down here, and some were spending.

It is an older crowd here, most are in their early 60s and higher.  Lots of dogs.  They love their pets.

Some 3-D people made big sales on Saturday.  A lot of us, did not break one thousand that day.

Everybody kept saying, "Well, my figures show that Sunday is the big day for sales."

Never happened for a lot of us.

Personally, I think this might be evolving into a Monday show.  It sure isn't a Sat.-Sun show anymore.

I have done this show five times now.  Each time it has gotten worse for me.  And, I go with new work.  I was not in it last year--the past director (they got rid of her last summer, and hired a new sheriff) last year did not agree with my definition of hand-colored photography and then put me in the jury against mixed media.  Fat chance I had there.

This year I barely cracked expenses and then some.

You got a high booth fee, high hotels costs, high food costs.  No deals down in Naples.

So, a lucky few make some some moola and the rest of us go home with bread crumbs.

It was not a fun weekend.

So, I will repeat once more"Do some serious homework before coming down here, it is not the land of milk and honey, except for a few.

Later,Gators.

July 17-19

Guilford, Connecticut 

Drawing an estimated 9,000 artists, collectors, and visitors from across the country, Craft Expo is known for its one-of-a-kind contemporary crafts in a variety of media: Ceramics, Glass, Leather, Fiber, Jewelry, Metal, Mixed Media, Paper Arts, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture and Wood.  

• detailed press releases
• paid print and digital advertising
• direct mailing
• broadcast media events
• and extensive use of social media networking and email campaigns. 
• Exhibitors are also given the opportunity to advertise in the event program.

Feel free to contact us with any other questions.  We look forward to seeing your application!

Monday, January 12, 4 pm ET

Change is good. New is good. Being smart about it is good. Let's learn about 3 new shows and what their organizers are doing with them to make them successful.

We talk about why they hosting the show, how, fund raising, their connections to their community, rounding up sponsors, their hopes for the event and what they are learning along the way.

The guests are:

Patty Swords - the Texas Gulf Coast Arts Festival, sponsored by the Center for the Arts & Sciences in Clute, TX, May 16 & 17

Celane Roden - Arts in the Middle, sponsored by The Virginia Commission for the Arts, Middlesex County and the Town of Urbanna in Urbanna, VA, May 30 & 31

Brett Johnson - the Workhouse Fall Arts Festival, sponsored by Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA, September 26 & 27 

This is a nuts and bolts show that should be helpful to show organizers and artists alike.

Newby to the art display world.  I am a glassblower, and have done a few of the local 'Art in the Park' shows.  I currently have 3 tables, that I put in a 'U' shape, with a couple of risers on each table.  I leave the center of the booth open to allow customers in to view all pieces. I don't have any panels or shelves.  Any suggestions?

     For me, beginning my own business was something I sort of 'fell' into. I was feeling pretty lost over the summer. My art has always been a kind of 'blankie' for me, so I began to draw again. For fun one day my daughters and I went to the craft store and bought a block of clay to come home and play with.

Wow, it was like finding a new land to explore. We played that night, mostly just to see what we could come up with. After a few hours in between making dinner and getting the girls off to bed, I realized that no matter where in the house I was, I wanted to have that little wad of clay in my hands. 

I sat down and got to work. Trying one thing after another. I played and folded, squished and molded until I created, what I thought to be an adorable little horse. The next day I showed my husband and girls. It was so exciting to see little 'creatures' seem to come to life as I molded them. 

I was sometimes overly excited to show them to people. I wanted to hear their feedback and what improvements I could make. People really seemed to like them, enough to pay me money to make them one. At first I was just happy that someone else wanted something that I had created. But these gifts started to add up. So when someone would ask for one, I would only charge them enough money to pay for the materials to make a creature for them. It was great for a while. It wasn't very long before I realized this was something I could really bury myself in. I went to local boutiques and offered them samples to have in their shops. I posted on FB. I made a page dedicated to my art. Then I got frustrated with the lack of interest. "what happened? I thought. "Wan't this the way it is done?" I took the page down. Beginning to get depressed that I had not become an overnight success. I had not realized that the people that are out there making a reasonably decent amount of money, have been doing this for years. I had wanted it pretty much right away. 

I researched names on the computer. I thought of so many. It really amazed me to see just how many names I thought were original only to find out they were already taken! I wracked my brain for days. I would pester my friends with various examples to see what they thought. It wasn't until one night that I was up particularly late working with my clay, I set it all aside and decided to go to bed. Somewhere in the middle of the night I thought up the name LemonDropsArt or LDA. It was perfect and exactly what I wanted. I was afraid to look. There were a couple of things but nothing that matched exactly. It was so close...I had to check if it was too close. I asked an attorney {the one I'm married to} We looked deeper into it and it was available {insert cheesy smile here} I decided it was a good idea to trademark my name and so I filled out an application, a pretty lengthy process but relatively straight forward. You can find/fill out an application for your trademark at www.uspto.gov Viola!! The LDA was born.

 I had business cards made and left them EVERYWHERE. I opened a shop on Etsy, and waited. For the time, my big sister was my biggest customer. She bought just about everything I could make. I started putting things up on ebay, and waited. I would check everyday and see...nothing...Finally I decided to 'take a walk around Etsy' I Favorited one lady's shop, who made similar creatures to me. I messaged her just to introduce myself. I looked at her shop even deeper and realized she had SEVERAL sales under her belt. "LIGHT" I asked her what her secret was. {This was the first correct thing I had done during this whole thing} She was WONDERFUL. I am still one of her biggest fans and we still keep in touch =) She taught me about patience. She shared with me her trials of when she first started and it was because of her, I opened a new FB page for my art. I no longer focused on how many people my posts were reaching. I was focusing on the content of my posts. Gradually more and more people were taking notice. Then one day *message* One of my figures sold to someone who WASN'T related to me! I was so excited! "I did it!! I did it!" I told myself all the way to the post office. 

There I realized a whole new set of expenses and issues. What is the best way to send my creatures? Which service is best? What about packing materials. I soon realized the serious lack of a well thought out plan. I sent the item off to it's new home and drove home with a mixture of euphoria and anxiety. 'Am I charging enough to compensate myself for the materials to make the figures and the cost of packaging and shipping them? I definitely wasn't adding in the time it took me to create something. Because honestly, at the time I think Michael Angelo could have finished the Sistine Chapel faster.  I had to recalculate everything. 

I had to really think about this. What should I  charge? What is reasonable?  I have yet to figure out exactly what is right. In fact there may not be a 'right' but I think I have at least discovered what is fair. I am finding that people want fair. They want to know they are getting something wonderful for their hard-earned money. They want to know that they are not being taken advantage of. People are you, and me. I put myself into their shoes and looked at it from that point of view. Taking into account my costs, and now I am able to account for time. {Since I am getting much quicker and improving on my skills} It isn't perfect yet. When I write to you again, I will share with you the formula that I found. It is really a wonderful way to calculate what I spend vs what I charge.

I am still new to this and I am by no means 'supporting' myself yet, but I have patience and I push myself everyday to learn more and to improve my skills. I cherish every tidbit of advice I have been given so far. 'Shoestring budget' is how I refer to myself. I love that phrase and I got it from one of my heroes Heather Wells {you can find her on youtube} 

My sculpts have come a long way from the 'rough little horse' in the beginning, and I am inspired by all of the other artists out there. There is SO much I still need to learn.  

I hope that I will create some form of impact on the world through art, in some way. Thank you for reading =) 

Until Next Time, 

Alicia 

June 12-14  

Columbus, Ohio
Riverfront
300 Artists
January 16

• Over $950,000 in marketing/advertising support and partnerships
• Booth fee $495 for 10'x10' 
• Free parking space with each booth           
• $8,000 average sales           
• Produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council 501(c)(3)          

          

Artist information:                   

• $11,000 in Artist Awards          
• Artists hospitality areas with artists only restrooms
• Contact information and booth number in Guidebook           
• Text based information system provided by our radio partner CD 102.5          
• Name and image sited on CAF website with live link to artist website         
• 24 hour site security provided by Columbus PD
•               

Jury Process:
        

The jury will be held February 7th and 8th at the Westin in downtown Columbus.  This blind jury process is open to the public. We invite you to attend.

          

Please contact Scott Huntley, Executive Director at (614)221-8531 or SHuntley@gcac.org for the weekend's schedule or to RSVP to attend the jury.

          

For more information visit:  www.columbusartsfestival.org

          

Apply today at: www.Zapplication.com 

          

                     We look forward to seeing you in June 2015!

        

Those were some long holidays, stretching more than two weeks! Hope you had some fun, got some hugs and are rested and ready for what comes next! I got so distracted by all of it I forgot to ask, What are you doing this Weekend?, last week because I was pretty sure there were no art fairs. 

Lo and behold the Florida shows started up with a vengeance, including:

Ft. Lauderdale, 27th Annual Las Olas Art Festival: Art enthusiasts converge on Las Olas Art Fair, story from the Sun-Sentinel that includes a video: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-lauderdale-las-olas-art-fair-20150103-story.html

and on the other side of the state

Naples New Year's Art Fair, downtown on 5th Avenue, from the Naples Daily News, http://www.naplesnews.com/entertainment/naples-new-years-art-fair-2015

Did any of you take part in these shows? Did the New Year start off in the right direction for you?

Located on the streets surrounding the historic Burton Carillon Tower and the treelined central campus of the University of Michigan, the Street Art Fair, the Original offers a serene atmosphere that does not include sidewalk sales or merchandise vendors.  The Street Art Fair is known for attracting collectors, corporate buyers, and gallery representatives.

Highlights:

• The combined Ann Arbor Art Fair draws more than 500,000 fairgoers from across the nation
• Marketed extensively throughout Southeast Michigan and northern Ohio
• In-depth Artist Directory on the Fair's website, which received 11 million hits leading up to last year's Fair.  An enlargeable color thumbnail of your work, contact information and links are included
  (Ronna Katz making the sale at AA)
• Inclusion in the searchable mobile application, which incorporates a color thumbnail of your work and geolocation of your booth on the Art Fair map
• $7,500 in award money and automatic re-invitation for award winners.
• Set-up the day before
• Behind booth storage
• Artist amenities include:  on-site security, indoor restrooms, booth sitting, daily continental breakfast, continuous beverages and snacks available at Artist Hospitality, water delivered to booths, welcome cocktail reception on Tuesday, and an awards breakfast on Thursday
• Paid demonstration opportunities.

Application fee:  $40 

Booth fee; $650 single

Electricity and corners are available for $100 additional

Apply here: www.Zapplication.org 

Greg Strachov: Picture Imperfect (8275 views, 12 pages of comment)

Stealing Intellectual property at art fairs by photographing artists work

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/intellectual-property-theft-at-the-art-fairs

Jennifer Ivory: Bayou City, I May Have Excommunicated Myself from the Bayou City Shows, but I go Knowing I Tried to help (2396 views)

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/i-may-have-excommunicated-myself-from-the-bayou-city-shows-but-i

Paul Flack: Are the Big Shows Toast?

A trend that I have been noticing is that the "model" for the big shows (by that I mean the 300+ artists shows) overall is down and heading further down....

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/are-the-big-shows-toast

Geoff Coe: Got Show Help Here?: Pay it Forward

Geoff's helpful information on sharing and posting on AFI, making it easy for you to share and help each other ...

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/got-show-help-here-pay-it-forward

Carol Knox: Mock Jury (1997 views), 5 pages of comments

A veteran artist attends a Mock Jury and learns -- a LOT, and reports her findings here:

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/mock-jury

Karen Cooper: Art or Product?  (1086 views, 3 pages of comments)

What are we doing here? are we making art or products? Solid discussion of the facets of both

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/art-or-product

Karen Holtkamp: Rejected and Told Why-Sort Of (2395 views)

Artist requests jury info and gets solid help from the show director

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2160589%3ABlogPost%3A471945&commentId=2160589%3AComment%3A472664&xg_source=activity

Mark Loeb: Licensed Work?  (2561 views, 6 pages of comments)

A show director tackles whether or not licensed work belongs in his shows ... and the controversy begins

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2160589%3ABlogPost%3A481179&commentId=2160589%3AComment%3A483133&xg_source=activity

Margaret Luttrell: New Lighting...What's Hot, What's Not

Ok, So I have been using the same lighting for the last four years and it's ok as standards go except that the...

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/new-lighting-what-s-hot-what-s-not?id=2160589%3ABlogPost%3A464493&page=2#comments

Brian Berkun: A Good Read...For Beginners and Others Alike

I've been doing shows for a good number of years but it never hurts to get a reality check once-in-a-while and make sure the rudder is heading in the right direction. I saw a reference to a new book called Death To the Starving Artist by Nikolas Allen and feeling as though I were a starving artist after the shows in 2013 ...

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/a-good-read-for-beginners-and-others-alike

Barrie Lynn Bryant: Important Hotel Security Info

Useful tips for staying safe when you are on the road

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/important-hotel-security-info-1?xg_source=activity

Susan Parry: Caught a "Cat Burglar" in the Act and Need Your Opinion (1445 views)

When one artist steals another's ideas and work and presents it as their own

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/caught-a-cat-burglar-in-the-act-and-need-your-opinion

Choosing the Right Wholesale Crafts Market - An Opinion

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/choosing-the-right-wholesale-crafts-market-an-opinion

Promoting Your Work, Part I - The Business Card (4353 views)

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/promoting-your-work-part-i-the-business-card

Oscar Matos Linares: What it Means to be a Hispanic Artist

Oscar's poignant post brought out a flood of helpful commentary

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/what-it-means-to-be-a-hispanic-artist-in-united-states-of-america

Larry Berman: Booth Picture Tips (2128 views)

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2160589%3ABlogPost%3A515999&commentId=2160589%3AComment%3A517101&xg_source=activity

Ellen Ruckstahl: Are there any Compassionate Art Show Promoters out there?

A discussion not only of the promoters but the ins and outs of selling paintings

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/are-there-any-compassionate-art-show-promoters-out-there?xg_source=activity

Some of the fun: 

Barry Bernstein: Back to College, Parts I, II & III

A great read from a veteran of the art fair wars. What really happens when reality and dreams of being an artist collide in the classroom.

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/barry-goes-back-to-college-life-in-the-twilight-zone-part-1

Greg Little: Do I Really Need to Join Facebook?

This is a good place to learn about Greg's being bi-sack-ual and more!

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/do-i-really-need-to-join-facebook

Lynda Wallis: The Horror! (2015 views)

A funny photo brings a flood of views ...

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/the-horror

My personal favorite from Nels Johnson. Nels reminds us why we are addicted to the art fair life: 

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/artigras-some-new-and-old-thoughts-for-2014

For even more good reading, while you are at this link click on "View Blog" under the title of that post.

Although, I'm not doing art fairs at the moment but my Etsy shop is running fine. I just received my first order for the new year! It was a gift for someone else. Starting the new year with a sale makes my happy, very happy! Here is the print that they ordered... Male Embrace #13/125...

This is not something you can show at an art fair, but for your New Year's day entertainment, check out his story about the best street art from around the world in 2014:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/30/best-street-art-2014_n_6390450.html

I've pasted in a few below.

May 2 & 3 
Elmhurst, Illinois
19th Annual Art in the Park 
Grounds of Wilder Park and Elmhurst Art Museum
10am-5pm both days

For more information and to download the application please visit: www.rglmarketingforthearts.com

and LIKE our Facebook page.

    

For those of you--no, wait, make it BOTH of you!--who have been wondering "What the heck happened to Geoff?", here's the scoop:  After seven years in the art fair biz, my show schedule has a lot of repetition in it now, and it seemed silly to keep reviewing the same events year after year.  But I promised the esteemed Connie Mettler that I'd re-review a show if I felt that the old reviews were no longer a valid barometer for readers.  And that may be the case with Howard Alan Events' Coconut Point New Years Weekend show.

A brief history: When this show first came on the scene, it was a late-November affair, one of the earliest shows on the Florida circuit.  But snowbirds aren't down in force in SW Florida until after Christmas. So a few years ago (after the powers-that-be in Naples took the reins of the Naples New Years show from HAE in favor of their local art association), Alan was quick to slide the Coconut Point venue (a swank mall about 15 miles to the north) into its slot on the schedule.

And although in my experience, this show has never quite produced the revenue of Alan's February Coconut Point show, it has been, for the most part, a pretty strong kickoff to the Florida show season.  But for most folks this year, it wasn't.  And there are some possible reasons worth noting. 

* One of the most welcome aspects of this show is that setup is normally a leisurely all-day Friday affair, providing time to chitchat with artists newly-arrived from Northern climes, pull right in front of your booth, take your time getting unloaded and set up, and maybe even spend some bucks on a nice meal at one of the many fine restaurants the mall provides.  But this year, the usual setup date fell on the day after Christmas--Black Friday, when stores everywhere are packed with shoppers exchanging gifts and pounding the limits on their gift cards.  So the mall, wishing to maximize parking, requested a Saturday show setup. 

Unfortunately, that decision got made after the deadline for artists to withdraw from the show.  So those artists, particularly those who want or need extra time to set up, suddenly didn't have it.  Most years, obviously, that won't be a problem. Alan's show manager said that it will return to a Friday setup in the future.  But I would hope that the mall and HAE can work it out in advance next time Black Friday intervenes, so the schedule isn't changed after the payment deadline.

* Unexpectedly, the Saturday setup put some artists, including me, directly in the line of fire of lawn sprinklers, which came on at the worst possible time--6:30 am, just as many of us had our tents partially erected and our work stacked up--you guessed it!--on the lawn. I didn't have any long-term damage, and I didn't hear of disasters from other artists, but it could have been really bad news.  And I could have done without a half hour spent drying artwork with paper towels, or working the full day in wet clothing.  (I was grateful for the extra shirt I brought, but my shorts and shoes never recovered.) Again, I'd like to see a note added to the show-mall agreement stating that both parties will double-check the sprinkler schedule so that never happens again. 

* This year, the show was migrated away from its usual spot in the center of the shopping area, toward the perimeter of the mall, which has less foot traffic, and where the show isn't as visible to shoppers.  This had to do with parking, too, but nothing to do with the holiday.  Many large anchors at uber-malls like Coconut Point have a contract clause that guarantees a certain number of available parking spaces in proximity to their store.  Most times, the anchor store informally waives that when the mall holds special promotional event, in the interest of being neighborly to smaller stores that get a boost from the additional customer traffic.  But one of the major tenants squawked about a recent event and invoked their parking clause...leaving the mall no contractual choice but to move the show toward the mall perimeter.  And this is likely to be a permanent arrangement.

Soo, with all that said, how the heck was the show?  Saturday sales were pretty meager.  Whether folks were fatigued by gift card redemptions, returns, and shopping the 60% off sales at the brick-and-mortar stores, or whether it was psychologically just too-too-close to the Christmas holiday, it's hard to say. But the crowd was generally incurious, and definitely not spending money.   I was able to make booth fee back, at least, but even my neighbors, who kill it at this show nearly every year, were struggling to make a buck.  Reports from other areas of the show were similarly glum. 

Sunday, happily, was a bit better, at least for some of us: By noon, art buyers were in evidence: folks browsed, asked good questions, and expressed interest, but (perhaps because of my location at the front of the show) most everyone told me they wanted to see the rest of the show first before they bought.  This is where you have to count on your experience and a willingness to have a good attitude, even when you're not closing sales.  Although there were a couple of times I had to take a deep breath, leave my booth, and stroll the show for a couple of minutes, ultimately I reasoned that if enough people loved my work--and they seemed to--that I'd get my share.  And around 2 PM, the tide started to turn, culminating with a 5 PM cash buyer of two large canvases, capping a respectable, show-saving payday.

I didn't have time, post-show, to canvass lots of artists, but the sentiment I got from most of those I spoke with was that Sunday was a far better day...but that the holiday hangover and the new location may have scuttled the big kickoff show people had hoped for.

As for me, I feel like I dodged a couple of metaphorical bullets, and I'm happy to get out with a decent profit and undamaged artwork.  And there are some lessons to learn: For artists, you can't make a sale if you are out of your booth complaining. And for even the best promoters--and HAE, for my money--is one of the best--s*** happens.  Let's see how Alan, and the mall, can work out these issues and have this continue to be a successful show.