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My winter plan last year was to do 7 Florida shows, most of them in South Florida (2 in Naples, one in Bonita, one in Ft Myers, Las Olas and Coconut Grove) with the only exception being Winter Park. Winter Park delivered with very good sales, but the other 6 shows were terrible. This winter I stayed away from South Florida and did only three shows (Gasparilla, Winter Park and Mainsail), all in the middle of Florida in metropolitan areas not affected so much by the tourists and the snowbirds. I earned more money at these three shows this year than I did at seven shows last year.

Mainsail was the weakest of the three generating only $2000 in sales. Those sales were especially disappointing because my wife and I flew home to Michigan for a month between Winter Park and Mainsail, creating more travel expenses than if the shows were all back to back.

The show is laid out in a large grassy park next to the waterfront. Each space is outlined in white chalk with a wooden sign in front of it showing the booth number. Spaces are about 12x12, laid out back to back. One odd thing about the show is that the committee does not reveal your booth number until you arrive at check in. I guess, that way, you can't complain in advance about where they put your booth.

Check in started at 1pm on the dot on Friday afternoon and artists were not allowed to start setting up until after checking in (indeed, no one knew where their booth would be anyway). Artists were told that all the set up would have to be done before 6pm because the park would be shut down at that time. I'm not sure if that rule was enforced because we finished before 6pm and got out of there before the deadline.

Some shows (like Gasparilla) have a super-organized set-up procedure where every artist has an assigned set-up time when they are allowed to bring their stuff into the art fair grounds. Not so at Mainsail. Once we got our packet and knew where our booth would be, we just streamed into the park willy nilly looking for our spot. I actually prefer this kind of arrangement because it depends on the artists themselves to work out where to park their vans and trailers to unload and set up. I saw little of the art fair committee during setup. No art fair police directing traffic and enforcing rules. Artists worked with each other to make room and accommodate each other. Load out on Sunday afternoon was handled the same way, letting the artists work out their own schedule and drive their vehicles into the grounds whenever they were ready. I like it when the committee recognizes that us artists are adults and can work things out among each other.

Weather forecast for the week-end was a little threatening with 40-50% rain being forecast for both days. Remarkably, the only rain during the show was a slight sprinkle on Sunday that some artists may not even have noticed. So, the weather held off until 7pm on Sunday, just as I was closing the door on my trailer after packing up. Some artists were still packing up at that time, and probably got wet, but we drove back to the hotel under a mild, but steady rainfall.

Just about all my sales were small ones, for unframed pieces. My biggest sale was $200. This was not a crowd that was buying big ticket items. As usual, sales varied among the artists, but I didn't hear of any big winners. This is a conservative crowd mostly out to look, not buy. 

I like the setting for the show and the ease of setup and break down. Although my sales were a little disappointing, they were much better at Mainsail than at all 6 of the South Florida shows I did last year. If I can schedule this show without the airfare and the hassle of parking my rig somewhere for a month, I'd do it again. I just wish the committee could come up with some ideas for getting some bigger spenders to come out for the show.

Congratulations to Nels Johnson and many thanks for all the good laughs as he spelled out "The Grand Scheme Finally Revealed -- Everybody gets Rich, even Barry Bernstein ... "

Nels and Barry -- great partners all along the way ... 

I just returned from one of my most favorite places on earth to exhibit. We had a fantastic turn-out, sales were up 50% over any of the previous years sales figures and the event appears to finally have found it's "place".

I was all excited on Thursday's set-up, finally a tiny room that could barely hold 9 exhibitors with spaces 6' deep by 13' finally laid-out to fall in the ADA complaint category, and I was thankful on many fronts.

The main being that I suffer from a type of claustrophobia where I can't be blocked up against a wall (such as when people gather around me not realizing that is what they did and I have no way out) and/or exits being cluster blocked.

Friday morning, I had the final merchandise and last minute items I was wheeling into our booth, still outside and this weirdo comes up, slaps me on the shoulder just enough to unbalance me and makes an inane comment and I think to myself - who on earth would do such a thing when I am obviously wheeling a large cart full of items in the pouring down rain...what type of unthinking person would do such a thing? And then as I get under cover (it was raining heavily) and wheeled into the room, I find the same weirdoes wife was "set-up" on the open side of our booth, her items thrown on top of our fixtures that had been covered with sheets the night before, spread out all over the floor and literally blocking the main entrance (there was only about 6 feet from the doors to our booth.)

I was shocked that the coordinator would do such a thing - move this person that was scheduled to be outside - inside, it was not the coordinators job to accommodate someone that did not come prepared at the expense of everyone else. I realize I may sound hard-nosed about this, however I had just spent $600 on brand new fixtures for this show specific, and had a professional display. not some thrown together stuff looking like what you would find at a flea market. She had plastic shoe boxes full of her stuff, splayed out on the floor, on one side of the entrance, and a pegged board on the other ready to "bite" people in the ankles. I tried to speak to the coordinator of the safety issues involved and she wouldn't listen to me, claiming that she saw no problem with any of this...the whole time..me thinking what on earth? You just gave the prime location (since it was the main entrance) to a clueless and shoeless yahoo (yes she was) blocking the main entrance, you put someone who was not even remotely professional in a room with 9 that were professionals, setting a "tone" to the room that we were all a bunch of less-thens all because this party didn't come prepared for the weather.

While I realize the coordinator was trying to be accommodating, the issues were this:

1. the coordinator made one party's problem everyone elses' rather than explaining pre-show that IF you are outside, please be prepared for all types of weather. Moving them indoors at the last minute was an insult in such a small venue to all of us who are professional and prepared.

2. the room instantly became non-ADA-compliant.

3. because the main entrance was not able to be accessed comfortably or exited without stepping side-ways, the room was now a dangerous area for anyone entering or trying to exit.

I realized upon discussion with the coordinator that she didn't understand that what "appeared" to be space was necessary for safety reasons alone not just ADA compliance. It was not space to "fill-up". So, I proceeded to suffer a mild claustrophic panic attack the two days of the show. The other two exits were equally blocked on and off throughout the day due to other exhibitors setting up their booths causing clusters to form in front of the other two exits. It was painful, I have spent two nights crying myself to sleep knowing that I was in a situation that I had within seconds lost control over, for all the time I spent guaranteeing I wouldn't suffer an attack which is so rare, because of my diligence it's been 4 years since the last time. Because I don't realize until after the fact that I am in panic mode...I am so upset that people saw this in me not realizing that is what was happening to me. I couldn't settle down the whole time, constantly afraid someone was a) going to get injured, trip or fall or b) a situation was going to rise that I was not going to be able to leave when I needed to.

Just a word to all of you - PLEASE - if your set-up is ADA compliant you are also most likely set-up to meet the standards of the fire marshall. There is a very simple test to perform to see if your own area is ADA compliant that I used to do when I worked corporate that I continue to do now. Many times I am told by those that aren't aware - you have all this "space" in your booth and it's so comfortable not realizing I sometimes spend countless hours working out those details to make sure I am ADA compliant. That means I accommodate wheelchairs, strollers and similar situations because of it.

Here is how to do it: always have a yardstick with you if you aren't of the type to graph out your space ahead of time, or know the traffic pattern of the aisles until you arrive. Hold the yardstick with each end in each hand with your arms down to your sides forming an "A" and walk through your booth. If you touch one side of the yardstick to any surface, the other side needs to be free. If you strike both sides of the yardstick, the area is too narrow and not ADA compliant. Also, if you pass your yardstick over any items that are below your hands, those items are a low-hazard and need to be raised up above the level of your hands/yardstick or you have created a "tripping" hazard.

I can guarantee that if you set-up your space to be ADA compliant you will see customers you have never seen before enter your booth, people with canes, wheelchairs, etc and don't think for one second they aren't there to shop, however they won't come into "your" space if you haven't accommodated them.

Perhaps writing this helps me get over what happened because I am upset with myself for getting upset - but panic attacks are real - and when it didn't need to have happened, and created a dangerous situation for everyone...well...I am struggling still. If the coordinator had information to help her make better, wiser decisions I wouldn't be writing this, but she didn't, and unfortunately she wasn't willing to "hear" what was critical to everyone's comfort all because she thought she had to accommodate ONE person that was clueless.

June 14-23    
Detroit, Michigan
Along the Detroit River Walk
15 Artists
Deadline: May 10

Detroit River ArtScape is starting early this year!  ArtScape will open on June 14th and will run through the Detroit River Days Festival,  June 21st-23rd.  This national competition is open to all artists with an interest in exhibiting art of any medium along the Detroit riverfront.  In its second year, 15 artists will be selected to showcase their large, weather-worthy pieces, and win cash prizes of more than $15,000.

The purpose of the event is to promote arts and culture in Detroit and to showcase the Detroit riverfront as well as to promote the Arts to the Metro Detroit community and specifically to the 100,000 plus people who attend the River Days Festival.

By: Anton Anderssen for ArtScape 2012

Please note:

• This year, ArtScape will be hosted solely outdoors, along the Detroit River Walk.
• We are looking for large, eye-catching pieces that will have impact on the appearance of the riverfront.
• To accommodate the scale of works we are seeking, we will provide over-sized display areas for each artist.  This can vary based on the size and orientation of the installation.  Prior experience in outdoor installations is recommended.
• There will be opportunities for promotion and sale of your work through our multi-faceted PR campaign.  You cannot be in the Metro Detroit area during River Days without hearing about our festival many times a day, through many media outlets.
• The grounds of the festival will be well guarded by 24-hour security.
• Display spaces will be well lit for nighttime viewing, and each artist will be provided an electrical source as well as a table and two chairs for their comfort.
• The diverse atmosphere of Detroit River Days will draw attention to works of art from all over the state and tri-county area as well as our friends from Canada.

During the week prior to River Days, artists will have an opportunity to be interviewed by members of the media and possibly be featured in Key Media outlets, including print, radio and television.  We encourage you to apply early; think BIG and send us images that capture the essence of your efforts!

Of special note: Application fee $20. If you are one of the 15 chosen you will be paid $600 to exhibit and be eligible for $15,000 in cash prizes.

Well, I just cancelled buying my booth space at Va. Beach this year.

It seems the newbie director there has been swayed by the powers-that-be who absolutely hate photography to make a new rule or two about our medium this year.

Her new rule--editions can only be limited to 100. Mind you, previously there and most places, editions have been 250.

Oh gee, I guess we have to cheat and renumber all our editions to the new number--are you frigging nuts!

Then, it gets better.  The director decrees that no photos will be allowed in the show if they are giclees.

Gee, I wonder where photographers who make images from digital files are supposed to print them.

I mean, are we somehow, mysteriously supposed to soak our digital file in stone-cut oatmeal and then print them in chemical trays.  Hold the cinnamon (It lowers blood pressure, but also lowers contrast in photos( I made that up)).

I mean what has this girl been smoking.  Who is she listening to.

Two things are going to happen--neither good.

One, they will ignore enforcing the rules and look like further num-nuts.

Two.  Fewer good people are going to apply.  Which probably the little old craggy women-painters who run that show will cackle in delight.  They hate photos, we make more money than them.  Digital-Envy.

Wait til I get a 18 megapixel.  I will pull that baby out and wave it in their faces every chance I get.

Call me "Nels-Jack-Flash."

I posted these two stories as part of a thread that Geoff Coe started about the dismal show he had in Jacksonville last weekend. Geoff asked me to start a new blog to share the "inspiring" stories so more people might have an opportunity to read them. These are copied from the original blog: 

1. "I did this show last year and it was exactly the same as Geoff described: Rain on Saturday, beautiful Sunday and nobody came out. I may have done $100 for the weekend. But on my way back to Atlanta I stopped to photograph the Okefanokee Swamp and I made an image that has been by far my best seller. It was even purchased for the permanent collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. If I hadn't done the show I would have missed out on thousands of $ of sales of this one photograph. 

So you never know."

2. "Geoff, Here's another example of "you never know" that happened just today. Last spring I met a woman at a show who was looking for photographs to decorate her husband's new office that was still being built. She wouldn't commit to anything until the office was finished and she could see the photographs in the office to make sure they worked. Delay after delay stretched out to almost a year but I stayed in touch with her with an occasional email. Finally she called me the other day to schedule a "viewing" at the office some images she had selected from my website to consider. I walked out this afternoon with an order for 11 large framed images for over $4K. My largest one-time sale ever.

So a below average show at the time was actually one of my best. Actual sales at a show is not always an accurate indicator of the success of the show."

The point of these stories is that a bad show is not always what it seems at the time. Anybody else have similar experiences to share?

This is my second year doing shows. I am based in the Milwaukee area. I have decided to branch out and try some shows in Door County this year. However, now that I have gotten into a few of them, I am stumped at figuring out where to stay economically. Does anyone have any ideas? I may end up borrowing a tent and camping for $20/night, even though that seems like a bit more trouble than just sleeping in my car in the Walmart parking lot for free. Unfortunately, these art shows all fall on holidays where the motel rates are higher to begin with. 

St. Petersburg, FL - April 20 & 21 - Mainsail Art Festival

Dean A. Porter, director emeritus of the University of Notre Dame Snite Museum of Art and himself a painter chose the 50 artists who received the $50,000 in awards. The $10,000 Best in Show award went to painter, Richard Currier.

This is my third time jurying the show," Porter said. "I spent about five hours reviewing the artists on the Mainsail website before I came and started a quality rating from 1 to 10. Very few were below 7. I visited Richard's booth twice and there was such a high quality to every painting.

                                    Richard Currier's abstract seascape - Best in Show

Award of Excellence – $1,500

Scott Coulter    Oil/Acrylic
Scott Hartley    Watercolors
Jeff Eckert    Graphics
Candiss Cole-Footitt & Roger Footitt    Fibers
William Kwamena-Poh    Watercolors
David Erdman    Sculptor
Jan Wang    Oil/Acrylic
Dawn Adams    Oil/Acrylic
Duncan McClellan    Glass
Jon Smith    Oil/Acrylic

Award of Distinction – $1000

Ummarid Eitharong    Mixed Media
Billie Barthelemy    Fibers
Leslie Bevis    Oil/Acrylic
Rocky Bridges    Mixed Media
Dale Lewis    Wood
Richard J. Auger    Photography
Ana Aguerrevere    Oil/Acrylic
Emily Barnes    Oil/Acrylic
Marc and Sara Aune    Jewelry
John Mascoll    Wood
David Gordon    Oil/Acrylic
Robert S. Wilson    Oil/Acrylic
Paul Jeselskis    Ceramics
Katherine Mathisen    Ceramics
Gail Markiewicz    Ceramics

Award of Merit – $500

Sue Archer    Watercolors
Randall Smith    Mixed Media
Sandra Matasick    Jewelry
Ellie Diez-Massaro    Mixed Media
Pam Fox    Jewelry
Mel Fleck    Graphics
Chas Rowe    Oil/Acrylic
Maija Baynes    Oil/Acrylic
Lawrence Packard    Graphics
John Bayalis    Watercolors
Andy Handwork    Graphics
Lilian Delgado    Oil/Acrylic
Dave Bruner    Graphics
Richard Miranda    Jewelry
Linda McAdams    Mixed Media
Erica Hall    Graphics
Charles Parkhill    Sculpture
Michael Weber    Watercolors
Russell Yerkes    Watercolors
Susan Gott    Glass

Purchase Awards – $200

Cheryl Mackey Smith    Ceramics    ARTicles Gallery by Leslie Curran
Marc and Sara Aune    Jewelry    Douglas C. Buchan & Associates
Marvin Bower    Fibers    Anthony J. LaSpada, P.A.
Patricia Karnes    Jewelry    Lazzara Family Partnership
Patricia Karnes    Jewelry    Lazzara Oil Company
Gail Markiewicz    Ceramics    Fred & Monika MacFawn
Dustin Cole    Sculpture    The Mahaffey Company
William Kidd    Ceramics    Shapiro’s Gallery
Jon Smith    Oil & Acrylic    Wells, Houser & Schatzel, P.A.
Lilian Delgado    Oil & Acrylic    West Coast Florida Cadillac Dealers

More about Mainsail:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/things-to-do/visualarts/painter-takes-best-in-show-at-38th-annual-mainsail-arts-festival/2116514

Thursday, April 25, 2 pm ET

Making the sale and making it easy for you and your buyer

Talking about:

• terminals, wireless & wired
• iPhones
• iPads & tablets
• PayPal
• PCI compliance & fees
• merchant support
• pay-as-you go processing
• monthly charges
• and getting the biggest bang for your buck

Steven Ballan, vice-president of 1st National Payment Solutions, one of the pioneers in providing merchant accounts to non-bricks and mortar merchants, lays out the current "best practices" and answers questions about making smart choices in your credit card processing options.

In light of the continuing discussion about credit card processing we'll speak with a merchant provider who has been in the business many years. 1st National stepped out years ago to provide services to artists and they have a long history in the business.

You can help make this podcast better by posting your questions below in the comments and also by calling in to the show: (805) 243-1338

October 12 & 13
Houston, Texas

Fall in Houston, the weather cools and Houstonians celebrate at the Bayou City Art

photograph by Syd Moen

Festival  Downtown. The festival surrounds the historic Houston City Hall and is  set against the dramatic skyline of the nation's fourth largest city.

1. Bayou City Art Festival Downtown has a demonstrated history in strong sales for artists.
2. National  studies show Houstonians consistently have twice the  discretionary  income that workers in similar industries have around the  country.
3. With  a median household income of over $50,000 and an  income growth since  2000 of 13.1% as reported in Kiplingers.com, Houston  has been ranked  the Number 1 city in the U.S. in which to live, work  and play in July  of 2008.
                   

There is plenty of money in them hills and cities of Texas--unlike Florida where the economy generally sucks for most artists at the shows.

I had killer shows at the Woodlands Show (just north of Houston) and then Main Street Fort Worth, last weekend.

The Woodlands is a very monied, conservative and traditional in what they buy.

The show is mostly along a waterway with artists booths backed into a hill with about 20 feet of pavement in front of your booth for customers.

Setup can be tedious, but everybody gets in there.  Also at teardown, you have the option of coming in on Monday morn, which I did--piece of cake!

This is very well-run show, I give the promoters and their staff high "A's" for all their work.  They could not have been more helpful.

A lot of artists with high end work, think $1000 and above, were not as happy as me.  I killed them.  It was my first time going there.  I did so well, it left me kind of thin for FT. Worth (Hereafter known as FW).

I had two days to kill before FW, so I stayed in Austin for the first time.  I shot Bluebonnets and Longhorns in the hills and then shot great urban treasures in town.  Found some new winners.

Ate my butt off, it will be interesting to see how much I weigh in at Ybor when I get home on Wed.  Left weighing 180, hope to not be over 185.

I will weigh in with a Wino/Tequila Report at a later date.

On to FW.

This is a major show.  Hard to get into, but you can make serious moola if you are chosen.

I have lucked out and been juried in four out of the last six years.  I put this show in my top three in the nation.

My setup started off rugged.

I showed up early on Wed. to set up, show starts on Thurs.  Got my packet, went back to the van and my left rear tire was flat to the rim.

Drove on it anyway, around four blocks got situated in front of the booth and called AAA.

They came, changed the flat, then told me that two of my tire studs were stripped.  Could only reattach six out of eight lug nuts.

I found a Firestone south of downtown, bought a new tire and they told me they would get new studs from Napa.  Five hours later (I have not got anything set up or unloaded yet) Napa, three times, brought the wrong size studs.  Pissed off and late, I left.

Got back to the show around 4 pm and could not get my van anywhere near the booth.  At this point the temps were around 87 degrees.  We all knew a serious cold front was coming in that night.  Winds were already clocking at a steady 15-20 mph, whipping down Main Street between the super tall buildings.

I did the only sensible thing.  Went to my hotel, took a good nap and woke up and went out to dinner at the Capital Grille.

I knew I would have to setup, probably in wind and rain and heavy winds the following morn.

Sure enough.  I woke up at 4:30 AM ready to go setup.  

Murphy's Law struck again.  It went from peaceful to a roaring rain, complete with thunder and lightning and hard gusting winds.  OH, and the temperature dropped down into the mid-thirties.

I did the sensible thing.  Went back to sleep for another hour.  Woke up, it had stopped raining but it was frigging cold.  Also very windy.

So naturally, I put on every warm piece of clothing and drove down to set up at 5:30 AM.

My fingers were totally numb within one hour. 

It took me 3 hours just to get the booth up inside their tents.  I got it stocked with an hour to spare, went back to the hotel, took a scalding shower, and an hour later I was finally getting some feeling back in my fingers.

Reluctantly, we all opened up at 10 AM per show rules--and then proceeded to freeze to death.

On Thursday, if you made $500 you were one of the lucky ones.

I called Ellen and told her I would gladly teardown now and come home.

Luckily I did not.

Luckily, I killed them, major killed them.  So did a lot of other artists.

Not everybody did so well.  It was more of a lowend crowd this year with like sales.  The cheap sneakers out-numbered the $500 cowboy boots.  Very strange.

I got to hang out with my old photography compadre every morn at the Marriot breakfest cafe.

Naturally, we dissed every photographer in the circuit except Alan Klug and Mark MacKinnon who were sitting with us.  The minute they left, we started working them over too.  It is a tradition the two of us  look forward to, everytime we can meet in FW.

Out of this episode came a great blog idea about getting "Moe-ed".  This happened a lot in the late 80's and early 90's. I will write about it at a later date.

I have to save some of my ammo, I can't blow my whole wad in one blog like I used to.

I have lots more to say, but I am worn out, am in Lafayette,LA tonight.  Shooting in Cajan country tomorrow, then Seaside area on Wed. and getting home that night.

Late date, can't wait.

Oh, BTW, Saint Louis--here I come.  Oh sweet mama.

Aloha, Nels.

:  The original post of this story, and a substantial number of the comments that followed it, contained a one-paragraph reference to damage that occurred when a photographer's vehicle hit another artist's tent. 

The photographer contacted me by phone today to present his side of the story, which included some information that I was not aware of at the time. And he felt that I was unfairly painting him as a bad guy.

Although we disagree on whether it was appropriate for me to mention the incident at all, given that I was not in the vicinity when it occurred, the one point on which we do agree is that--whatever happened in the heat of the moment--eventually, the right thing is being done, and the issue is being amicably resolved through the parties' respective insurance companies. 

I took notes as he spoke.  And I offered to post a comment on his behalf presenting his side of the story and explaining his point of view.  He declined, not wishing to provoke another round of commentary. 

Many of you know I was a journalist long before Al Gore, or whoever it was, invented the Internet.  In the world of traditional print media, even today, reporters are taught to check their reporting with (at least) two sources before filing their story.  And although there are no such rules in the blogosphere, my instincts are always to do just that. 

Truth be told, I had the thought to try to get in touch with this photographer as I wrote that paragraph...and didn't do it.  And he deserved that. For that failure, I apologize.

So:  What to do to make this good?  As I promised the photographer I would do, I spoke at length with Connie Mettler (publisher of this site). She left it up to me. 

In figuring that out, I stepped back to look at the big picture--what was the point of writing the show review in the first place?  And that one's easy: I had found, on AFI and elsewhere, a decidedly mixed bag of opinions on this show.  And I felt that it was, and is, important to keep on the record that this show, for whatever reason, didn't give the vast majority of its participants a fair shot at success. 

So I'm not going to delete the thread.  I HAVE removed my account of the collision from the thread.  And, to address the issue of fairness, I HAVE deleted comments that mention the collision, or the photographer. To give everyone who posted a chance to read this update, I am going to leave it up for awhile.  At some future point, I'll delete the update so that all that remains is the post itself.

I understand that this may not be popular.  But I think it's the right thing to do.  If you disagree, you are welcome to text-message me and tell me.  (Please do not start another thread.) But just so we're all clear: The decision is mine, and mine alone.  Not Connie's.

Dismal attendance and sales at the so-called "Jacksonville" art festival, which drew 'way fewer than 2000 browsers, most from the immediate neighborhood. Although the festival was promoted by "the Shoppes at Avondale", the show itself was held in Boone Park, a pretty park in the Avondale neighborhood which unfortunately was some blocks' distance from the shops.  Very little signage to lure patrons from the surrounding streets, and no major arterial close enough to the show to afford visibility. Not that, in this 1920s-era neighborhood, it would have been easy to accommodate outsider parking, anyway.

The weather can't be an excuse.  Granted, it rained most of the day on Saturday; hardly anyone attended, and you couldn't blame them.  But Sunday was nice show weather--cool and partly cloudy--and most the folks I spoke with on Sunday had planned to come the day before, had the weather not been bad.

One fine artist near me--and I DO mean fine!--sold a single $4 notecard in two days. The jeweler next to me barely made (under $200) booth expenses, and said she "got price resistance all weekend." The photographer next to me sold about the same, and is retiring from the business.  The painter who won "best in show" sold a $7500 painting, but as one artist commented, " Good for him!  And that's probably more than the rest of us put together."

The organizers did a great job communicating before the show. But that's where communication ended, pretty much--they didn't even come by and thank us for attending, let alone ask how things were going.

Although there were some schlocky booths at the show, there were also some really superb artists and fine craftspersons, whose time and talents were largely wasted this weekend. And that's a shame. Based on the level of pre-show communication, I certainly expected better. 

You have been warned. :-(

Ok, friends, here it is.....the first time in my life I have ever packed up on Saturday and left a show. I am sitting in my van typing this trying to calm down.

I arrived here last night to friendly staff and easy set up. This morning started as usual, no issues. The crowds were very light and have remained very light all day. About two hours into the show, the wind started gusting very bad. I knew wind was an issue here and came with plenty of weights. My tent hadn't budged at all, but the wind was so strong that my ProPanel shelves shook to the point of knocking down my art. I got the show director who was very helpful and she brought me a folding table to move my work to. That also didn't work, the wind is so bad here that the art blew off the table too. After 11 broken pieces of art and no sales, I decided to pack up before losing more work to the wind. I will probably spend the rest of this week fixing all of my broken work. The wind is no ones fault, just bad luck I guess.

The staff of this show is friendly and very helpful. The crowd is another story. This is a Wal-mart mentality type of crowd. It is not the right market for my work, ranging in price from $75-600. They weren't interested in buying anything I had. Apparantly, everyone here is a found object artist and were going to go home and make my work out of the old junk in their garages. They saw no value in what I had and weren't shy about it either. I felt this crowd was very low brow and very rude. I had a couple of people laugh when some of my work fell down. I haven't experienced this level of trashiest or rudeness at a show before.
I think these people were expecting a flea market instead of an art fair.

I am sad to say this show is a farce on many levels, but I dont think it is the fault of the staff or the city of Stillwater. They tried their best and were very helpful and kind to me.

I can say that from what I saw and from talking to other artists, if you have cheap art and are willing to tolerate the wind, then you may want to do this show, otherwise avoid it, it isn't worth driving to and the crowd is very unimpressive and rude.

I will be in Franklin, Tennessee next weekend and will review that show as well. Tha ks!

June 15  
Lathrup Village, Michigan
Municipal Park, 27400 Southfield Rd.
Hosted by: Lathrup Village Community Foundation
Saturday - 11am-7pm
30+ Artists
Deadline: May 12

Imagine the sweet tastes of BBQ fresh off the grill, washed down with the best of Michigan beers.  Listen to sounds of live finger-snapping music while you stroll through a unique art fair.  Hear the laughter of children as they create their own crafts and are taken to the land of magic.

The  art  fair is situated in and around a lovely park setting that  borders  Southfield Road, taking advantage of the 50,000+ cars that pass  through  on any given day. 

Lathrup Village is in the heart of an affluent area of Oakland County in Metro Detroit.

Marketing: A  comprehensive  PR/marketing campaign inclusive of radio, print, and web  along with  sponsor support from Michigan First Credit Union, Oakland  County Parks,  City of Lathrup Village, C&G Newspapers, Southfield Parks and Rec, DTE Foundation and more.

Our first rate hospitality is always a staple that includes:

• Staff who recognizes artists needs
• Friendly volunteers to help you unload and booth sit
• Continental breakfast each day
• Spacious booths 12x12 with ample aisles
• $95 Booth Fee * $20 Non-Refundable Application Fee  

         You will instantly feel the warm and friendly atmosphere that makes Lathrup Village such a joy for visitors and residents alike.  This 10th Annual craft festival is a favorite annual event, bring contemporary crafts from more than 30 crafters exhibiting and selling their work in tree-lined park turned outdoor gallery for the day. FREE PARKING.

For more information and to download an application: www.summerinthevillage.com and click on the Artist link.

Or contact Maralee Rosemond at:  (248)557-2600, x 224,
email: recreation@lathrupvillage.org. 

*This fair was formerly known as the Lathrup Village Art Fair.

I have been a poor AFI contributor lately!  I took on some side work to supplement my portrait business and the late winter has been surprisingly hectic, unlike the arctic tundra I usually face this time of year.

I finally made time to write a blog post, and I hope you'll enjoy this story about my latest portrait subject, which is a subject that touches many of us.

http://pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-truth-about-stephen-and-henry.html

Happy selling!

Wendy

www.pencilportraitcards.com

Security is always an issue at the nation's art fairs with smaller events not having to pay much attention to it but the large ones that attract 100,000's of thousands of people beefing up their staff to insure the safety at their shows. When the Super Bowl was in Detroit a few years back I was on the staff and went to a meeting with not only local police but FBI, Homeland Security and border patrol officials speaking to us and briefing us on what to do. It was very sobering.

Texas' big show the Fort Worth Main Street Festival is taking place this weekend in the shadow of Monday's tragic occurrences in Boston. Festival organizers surely had their load increased in preparation for the event as they redoubled their security plans. The Fort Worth Police Department is deploying additional uniformed and undercover officers, as well as bomb-detecting K9 units, to areas in and around all large public events, said a city news release.

Suggestions that will be helpful to artists not only this weekend but going forward:

The release recommended signing up for a free service at www.nixle.com, where the Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management warns of natural or manmade emergencies in the area with texts and/or email.

Festival guests are asked to follow Homeland Security's caution: "If you see something, say something."

But because it's a free festival with 20 points of access, monitoring what people bring into it would be difficult, said spokeswoman Clair Bloxom.

"If someone saw a person leave a backpack at an artist's booth, you'd definitely want to report that to a police officer," she said. "We're encouraging people not to bring backpacks."

Guests also are asked not to bring coolers, said Jay Downie, event producer.

"If you bring a bag, keep it on your person," he said. "Any unattended bag will be confiscated."

September 14 & 15
Atlanta, Georgia
Historic Piedmont Park
Saturday 10am-7pm; Sunday 10am-5pm
200 Artists
Deadline: April 29

The Atlanta Arts Festival is a two day, outdoor festival with an emphasis on the visual arts.  Set in historic Piedmont Park, the festival fills the fall time art festival void in the City of Atlanta.

This autumn festival of excellence in the arts is an event dedicated to bringing together outstanding artists from throughout the country with the large and enthusiastic art buying community of the Atlanta area.

The Atlanta Arts Festival is produced by a highly qualified staff and strong volunteer pool, both with multiple years of event production and promotion in the City of Atlanta.  This annual September event is committed to delivering a quality experience for both artist and patron!

Items of Interest:

• Held in Piedmont Park
• Juried show; artists selected by a panel of experts
• Limited number of participants to increase sales
• $7,500 in award money
• Artists retain all proceeds from their sales
• Commemorative poster image will be selected from a show participant
• Ranked in the 100 Best Fine Art & Design Shows by Sunshine Artist Magazine, September 2012 

Artist Amenities:

• Artist hospitality providing continental breakfast & refreshments
• Booth sitting
• Load-in/load-out at booth space
• Free parking (parking information will be forthcoming in artist acceptance packet and/or check-in packet)
• 24 hour security patrols
• Discounted rates at participating hotels

For more info:  www.AtlantaArtsFestival.com    

Applications: www.Zapplication.org  

(770)941-9660 (office)

(866)519-2918 (fax) 

Staci applied to Seawall in Portsmouth, VA for the first time this year.  The application was completed electronically using the show's website.  Image submissions were also handled via the show site.

When I clicked the “submit” button, the website starting acting a little strange and I didn’t get any kind of confirmation.  I then emailed the show to confirm that the application and images were received okay.  I got a reply back that all was fine.

Two days ago, I got an email from the artist liaison at the show with the subject line: Important Seawall Art Show Message.

Apparently, one or more jurors were questioning the booth image that was submitted with the Staci's application.  They told the liaison that it didn’t appear like the 2D work in the booth shot looked anything like the separate 2D images Staci had submitted and, in fact, it didn’t look like the work was fabric (Staci’s medium).

The liaison sent us the booth shot and sure enough, it was somebody else’s booth.  We’re guessing that the glitch I suspected at the time of submission actually resulted in some files ending up in the wrong place.

While one could argue that the home-grown online submission process had some flaws that need fixing, it is also true that this jury was obviously spending enough time with the applications to detect some inconsistencies within a given application.  This is the way the jury process should work.

We won’t know whether Staci is accepted or not for another couple of weeks but whether she is or not, we know she will have gotten a fair shot.  I think that’s all any artist asks for in the jury process. Thanks to the folks at Seawall.

Oh – the jury fee was $35.

Have any of you Floridians done the Apopka Art and Foliage Festival before? I notice they are making a call for artists even though the show is in a few weeks. Should I make the leap?