First off, just to be honest.
I was not in the show. I cancelled Key West and helped my wife, Ellen Marshall, to set up her booth. She just had recent surgery.
That said, I had plenty of time to observe, interview and fulminate (wow! when is the last time any of us did that?).
In the past, this has always been one of the top shows you would want to do in Florida springtime/winter.
The Sourcebook, at one time ,listed this as the highest grossing art show in the nation--the average exhibitor sale was $7200. That is a lot of granola. Of course, one person having a $40K show would skew that whole averaging system.
The important fact to take from all that, was most artists did very well, that was the norm. Of course a minority, did not do well. But it was a very small percentage.
So, everybody went happily down the road after this show, whistling "Dixie" and thankful to have buckeroos to put in the old bank account. Probably got to eat a great grouper sandwich that night combined with some tropical, tequila infused, beverage. In other words--a good time was had by all.
Contrast that with now.
A completely, whole new story--kinda sad, kinda not good for the bank account, and kinda makes you wonder whether you want to do this shin-dig again.
I know. By now you are saying, "Nels, are you going to ever tell us about anything going on in Naples?"
Foreplay, honey. You gotta have some foreplay to get the whole act right.
I just gave ya some.
OK, HERE IS THE REPORT.
This is run by the Naples Art Association.
It is a very well run and organized show under the very watchful eye of Maryanne Megela.
She has got it down to a pure science.
You line up in an adjacent field, they bring you in and boom, you set up.
People in the park set up in the day hours.
People in the street set up in the night hours.
It all goes smoothly.
Here is some basic "meat" about the show.
In the street, you need weights.
In the park, you can stake.
Everybody has room behind for storage.
If you are cool with your neighbor, you can usually have one sidewall to hang on.
There are corners and double booths available. Good luck!
They are mostly well-off oldsters. Many from the midwest.
They are very traditional and conservative. They like to match the colors in the room that the art is going.
By today's trends at art shows, you get one shot at them. Not as many "be-backs" as we used to see.
They lost their innocence somewhere between Ohio and Naples. They will try to get you down on the price. They will try to avoid paying sales tax.
There are very few deals for staying in hotels there. Same goes for food. Same goes for gas prices.
That said, an exhibitor with a single booth will have a minimum of $1100 in expenses for the show. (Booth fee is $450 and then the jury).
Food alert. Fuygihama, the formerly great sushi deal in Naples has turned sour. New managers, new bottom line attitudes, no more great deals on sushi. Guess what? Their former fully booked sushi bar is now a quiet chapel. No great deals, sushi eaters, be aware. Ask Vic if you don't really believe me. He will tell you the same.
OK,OK Tell us more about the show.
Thought you would never ask.
First off. People made money here, it is just not the overall good show it used to be.
One MAIN GOOD REASON. Too many shows in Naples, Bonita and Estero. No incentive, or need to buy now.
That is the chief reason why this show is a shadow of its former self.
Being an artist helper rather than an art-seller, I had plenty of time to hang out in various places of the show. Behind booths, sit at tables in the park, or just overhear conversations of show-goers. Oh, and hear conversations at the surrounding restaurants.
For the most part, they all had benign indifference to the goings-on in the park and the street.
Conversations seemed to center more around, "What kind of breed, dog is that?"
They talked much more about different dogs, and talked almost,none about the art or the artists.
This is not Maranne's fault per se.
It is in a way. Got a little rhyme going here.
The Naples Art Association has over-saturated the area with their $450 booth fee art shows.
People are jaded.
They view most of us as "those people in those white tents, who must sleep in their vans at night."
If we don't catch them this weekend, we will catch them the next, maybe at the Mercado, maybe at Fleischmann Park, or on 5th avenue, and, oh yeah, they are in the park too. Oh, and the Naples Art Association has people selling in the park too, once a month, seasonally.
Then there is the three Bonita shows, couple of Patty shows, then lesser promoters shows, and rumored one Sarasota promoter who wants to go into the newly remodeled Promenade in Bonita.
Can you say,"Too many shows, too few buyers and too many artists", all in one breath.
That is why it is hard to make a living selling art at outdoor shows in this area.
I am going to get off now and wait for Geoff Coe and Barry Bernstein, both were exhibitors, to weigh in with a blog or two.
Maybe then we will get down to brass tacks about how sales went.
I observed, I fulminated and I damn well know how sales went.
SO-so.
The lucky ones made moola, but a lot barely made anything.
A far cry from where this show has always been rated.
To me, this is just another show to do on a given weekend with an over-priced booth fee and so-so sales.
I won't be turning any somersaults, soon. Nels.
Evanston, Illinois
