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As I sat down for my early Saturday morning coffee and morning paper, I couldn't miss the sticker slapped on the masthead of Saturday's Fort Myers News-Press: "THIS IS THE BIG ONE...COCONUT POINT ART FESTIVAL." 

"We'll see," I said, hopefully, as I quaffed the dregs of my Starbucks.  For the first time in its six-year history, this top-shelf Howard Alan show faced stiff competition from a neighborhood bully--Barry Witt's new February installment of the Bonita Springs Art Festival, happening a scant 4 miles' drive down US 41. 

I couldn't help but be apprehensive:  A SW Florida local, I've done Coconut Point ever since I got into the business in 2008, and it's consistently been my high-water mark for sales during snowbird season.  Would the Big Show down the highway scuttle attendance and sales?  Or would I, and the other 200-plus artists lining the south end of Coconut Point mall, be scuttled by the Saturday-morning cold front blowing through the region?

The faint stirrings of an economic recovery might not withstand this kind of double-whammy, I thought. And there was also the thought that Alan had a show at this venue only six weeks earlier, on New Year's Weekend.  But not to worry:  The rain showers were long gone by 10 AM Saturday. The temps were chilly but the crowds poured in as the skies parted around noontime, and the Bonita Springs festival, as they say on the sports pages, was Not a Factor.  I had my best sales weekend ever at this festival, and (with a few exceptions) most of my neighbors did OK-to-good, too.  What's more, I won a Costco Gift Card at a pre-show raffle (more evidence of Howard Alan Events' push toward providing more artist amenities) and even scored a couple of bagels at the artist breakfast tent. 

I've talked about this area's sterling demographics and show logistics before; you can read about that in detail  here.  Suffice it to say that the Friday, all-day setup is a snap, and the tear-down, though complicated by heavy Sunday-evening mall traffic, is easy too, as long as you're patient.  The crowds are knowledgeable and (near as I could tell) willing to spend, but (as is the case nearly anywhere in SW Florida) heavy on the 55-and-up demographic.  I had a good market for my fine-art avian photography canvases, sales of which made up about 75% of my weekend's take.  The browse bins (11x14 and 16x20 mat sizes) got lighter activity, as has mostly been the case since New Year's.  (Note: I used to call my work "bird photography" but decided I could charge more if I called it "avian fine art" instead.  Marketing is all....)

Is a recovery at hand?  Well, I'm reading a lot about that in the local papers, where real estate prices are starting to rebound, developers are once again starting to take out color ads in the Sunday supplements, and unemployment is dipping.  And I'm getting about five customers/prospects every show who tell me they're here because they recently bought a home...and another few who (perhaps feeling a bit more flush) have decided to finally decorate the home they bought two years ago.  I'm guessing that's three times as often as what I've been hearing in the last four years. 

So, it's on to ArtiGras (my first time ever) and Stuart, the week after that, to see if I can spot the same trend on Florida's east coast.  Hope so: my 2012 Spring Fling up north is looming, and I'm needing a second tent and a new lens or two (not to mention airline tickets).  Onward! 

(I didn't have time to scour the neighborhood for sales results.  How'd you guys make out?  And let's hear from Bonita!!)

March 31-April 1

St. Augustine, Florida

Old Town Art & Craft Show-Spring

Francis Field
10am-5pm
125 Artists
Deadline: Feb. 24
(late apps. accepted if category is not full)

Please join us for the Old Town Art & Craft Show-Spring, Palm Sunday weekend.  This is a carefully juried fine art and fine craft celebration of the arts.

Palm Sunday weekend is an extremely busy weekend with both tourists and locals alike converging in historic downtown to enjoy the Nation's Oldest City.  We are excited to offer you this premier event during the festive spring season in Saint Augustine.

Show Highlights:

• Free admission
• Reasonable booth fees
• Overnight security
• Easy drive up load and unload
• Free artist parking nearby
• Extensive marketing campaign
• Artist friendly, knowledgeable staff
• Free postcards for your customers
• Friday set-up
• By artists for artists

Holiday Art Shows offers three options for submitting your application; Please choose whichever is most convenient and comfortable for you:

1. Holiday Art Shows Online:  http://www.holidayartshows.com/online-application.html
2. Zapplication.org:  www.zapplication.org/index.php
3. Print and mail application: www.holidayartshows.com/support-files/application.pdf

Media campaign includes: Arbus, regional newspapers, Folio Weekly (Jacksonville), radio, posters, flyers, banners, sinage, social networking, and postcards.

 

Sponsored by Arbus-The Arts and Business Magazine of Northeast Florida.

We look forward to receiving your application!

For more info:www.OldTownArtShow.com

Lynn Wettach, Show Director:  lynn@holidayartshows.com

(904) 794-0084

Celebrating Artists, Celebrating Excellence!

The first breath of summer marks the arrival of the highly anticipated and award winning Smoky Hill River Festival, one of the top festivals in the Central united States and Kansas' finest!

The dynamic cultural life of Salina has been celebrated at the Festival for now approaching 36 years, drawing people together to commemorate this place-through art, artistry and artists-and through the joy of marking time with one another.

Sponsored by the Salina Arts & Humanities, the Festival presents a sophisticated palette of events:

• exceptional fine art and contemporary craft,
• art installations,
• superb entertainment,
• and interactive arts experiences for all ages.

A model in its rich cultural landscape, Salina is a vibrant example of a community that grows, thrives and reaches for the future, through the arts.
Community ownership is exemplified in the commitment of over 2,000 enthusiastic volunteers and an extensive base of financial support.

75,000 attendees enjoy the artistic excellence and outstanding hospitality which continue to define the event. A thriving Art Patron Program boasts over $130,000 in purchases.

We present two events seeking your application:

90 Exhibitors
Deadline: February 25

Categories accepted: Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Leather, 2-D Mixed Media, 3-D Mixed Media, Painting, Paper, Photography, Sculpture, Wood, Graphics/Printmaking, Digital, or Drawing/Pastels.

**************************

This three day event features innovative and original handmade works in a distinctive combination of folk art, traditional, and contemporary craft. All work must be of original design executed by the accepted craftpersons. Only craftpersons displaying their own work may participate. Work created in production studios is not eligible. Each craftperson is encouraged to display work reflecting a range of price points.

These two outstanding venues are highly acclaimed among artists for incredible organization, quality of exhibition, artist hospitality, sales promotion, and community support. The Festival has earned a stellar reputation as an award winning and well juried visual arts venue. Both shows are recognized by many artists' resource publications online and in print, including ArtFair Source Book, The Crafts Report, and Sunshine Artist, with extensive statewide and regional marketing.

Experience a "pleasant surprise" -the unmistakable spirit of the Smoky Hill River Festival-a genuine Festival of the Arts!

The Festival Mission: To celebrate the arts and this community through a festival accessible to anyone-physically, psychologically, and economically.

Direct link to the application/prospectus information on our Festival website:
http://www.riverfestival.com/salina/ArtandCraftApp.cfm

For more information: www.riverfestival.com
Salina Arts & Humanities: sahc@salina.org
Visual Arts Director: karla.prickett@salina.org

************************************

What else you need to know:

• Record high sales totaled over half million dollarsin 2011!
• Ranked in the top 100 art fairs in the country and at the top of those in the central Midwest. Kansas' finest!
• 90 exhibitors in the Fine Art Show
• 50 exhibitors in the Four Rivers Craft Show
• Very high quality juried shows - long standing tradition of excellence
• Knowledgeable patrons
• Attendance over75,000 drawing patrons from the region and across the country
• $130,000+ Art Patron Program (Fine Art Show)
• $9500 cash Merit & Purchase Awards - Fine Art Show
• $1800 cash Merit Awards - Four Rivers Craft Show
• Outstanding organization
• Reasonable booth fees and jury fee
• Exceptional show layout
• Access to discounted lodging
• 24 hour security
• Great artist amenities: booth sitters, water/tea/coffee brought to booth, assistance with unload and loading, artists' reception, artists' breakfast, free reserved parking within the event for inventory access
• Presented with an arts-based mission by the acclaimed Salina Arts & Humanities

Can you believe that headline? Who knew anyone was noticing? This article from the Naples Daily News is not about the street art fairs we know, love, hate, aspire to and desire, it is about the biggie International events that feature art dealers and galleries with BIG price tag items, an art show with up to $1 billion in inventory, as will be present at the Naples Art Antique & Jewelry Show. It debuted in Naples last year and this year it has a competitor, the Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

PHOTO BY LEXEY SWALL at the Naples International Art & Antiques Fair

What are they selling? The show will offer an array of art for visitors to peruse, including Asian and European antiquities, Roman glass, antique Persian rugs, oil and watercolor paintings and English and American silver.  There will also be an extensive selection of jewelry from dealers such as London-based Hancocks & Co. and New York-based celebrity favorite Fred Leighton.

So while we focus on the Naples National, Naples Bayfest, Naples Invitational, Bonita January, February, etc., these gallery events bring in high end tents with air conditioning, valet parking, LED lighting, and the sales of "big rocks." 

David Lester, owner and organizer of the Naples International Art & Antique Fair "believes Naples' art-collecting community is still developing, and that the spirit of friendly rivalry that often accompanies collecting hasn't taken hold yet. About 95 percent of the visitors who attended last year's fair were simply there to look and to enjoy what Lester called "cultural entertainment. 'In my opinion, people in Naples don't spend carelessly. And they don't tend to be frivolous.'"

Here we go again -- not only a near saturation point of juried art fairs but also two billion dollar exhibitions in the same month. Is the world coming to Naples?

Read the article: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/feb/06/the-art-of-blancing-art-shows-can-naples-support/

Great comments from the locals too!

The judges commented that the overall quality of the artworks being shown at this event was exceptional.

Out of 211 quality artists, the follow were selected for special recognition by our judges:

The Merchandise Mart, site of the popular One of a Kind Show and Sale, also has hosted the Chicago International Art Exposition, Next Art Chicago, what was once considered one of the world's most important art exhibitions. Recent years have shown a decline in sales and attendance (where have I heard that before?) and this week the event was cancelled for 2012. The article goes on to state that a new startup at Navy Pier named Expo Chicago may have helped pull the stuffing out of this 3 decade long event.

Why am I talking about this here? The nation's street art fairs appeal to much of the same demographic as these international events that host galleries, art dealers and museums. If you are at all interested in a larger picture the art business you will find many parallels with our business and that of these big events.

I found the dialogue interesting, dealers blaming the Merchandise Mart, the Chicago location, MM saying they had always taken a loss on the event, who the startup guy is, and who deserves to be in this marketplace opens another window on the art business. 

From the Chicago Tribune:

"The buyers, the collectors are going to the coasts to purchase art, and they're not buying enough in Chicago to justify a fair here," said Mark Falanga, MMPI's president since July. "The effort to attract a dealer to Chicago is dramatically different than anywhere else."...

"It just seemed like a show whose time had passed," said Stephen Daiter of the Stephen Daiter Gallery, who plans to be at Expo Chicago. "I don't think the Mart was an ideal location, but they never quite got it totally together."

Repositioning Chicago for the art scene -- another sign of the times. Will people buy in Chicago or do they need to go to the coasts for validation of their collecting? 

Visit for the rest of the story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-0209-art-expo-dead-20120208,0,4913976.story Read this AND don't miss the comments!

Does anyone else see parallels with the art fairs? 

Okay, Nels.  You shamed me into it, but only because I have something to say about the set-up in Mt. Dora.

Mt. Dora is a charming town just North-West of Orlando.  The downtown is full of galleries, boutiques, restaurants and small-to-large parking lots.  It is surrounded by a grid-pattern of residential streets. 

For the Friday afternoon setup you go to a church a few blocks away and check in by showing an ID and getting your space number, load-in time and parking area.  The set-up times are staggered with the earliest being 5:30 PM.  My time was for 5:45.  I had a few hours to kill so I went downtown and found my space and assigned parking lot.  My "lot" was actually a section of street parking reserved for artist in my area and was only a block away from my booth location.  While sitting in my van in my assigned "lot" a police car came by and told me I had to move.  When I told him I was just waiting to set-up he said I had to leave and could only approach set-up from one of two specific entry points.  It was then that I remembered my past experiences with the Mt. Dora Gestapo.  The folks from The Mt. Dora Center for the Arts plan it out and the police come along and screw it up. 

I then had to drive for blocks and blocks around the cordoned off downtown through the residential streets to the opposite end of town from my booth location and cue-up behind six blocks of artist vehicles slowly rolling and stopping every few yards,  All this during Mt. Dora's prodigious small-town rush-hour.  Now understand, all the artists assigned parking in the lots spread out through the downtown are already there and ignoring their set-up times and are setting-up in lanes that are suppose to be open for those of us who have to run the gauntlet for blocks to get to our spaces.  It is the most dysfunctional cluster-f__k you can imagine.  And remember, I was originally parked a short block from my space on a street with absolutely no traffic on it.

One-third of the show is set up for about 5 blocks on the main street of town (Donnally Street) with artists on both curbs and the other two-thirds of us are set up on the cross streets and one block parallel to main street.  Many spaces are on hills and slops that make for a difficult booth layout.  In the 15 years I've done this show on and off, I have never been on the main street.  A friend of mine told me at check-in he said something like, "Damn, same old lousy space as last year", and the lady said, "Would you like a spot on Donnally?"  He jumped at it and I later found out there were as many as 30 open spaces on Donnally. 

My space was an improvement over previous years and I was next to a friend of mine, also a photographer (our work is not similar).  Finishing my set up after dark, I drove out a street that went straight out of the area but, at the first intersection, I was told I had to turn down the dead-end street to my right and exit out a parking lot at the end.  So down I go and what do I find in the dark, unlit parking lot?  Two artists trying to back their trailers into parking spaces and then getting out to unhitch the units and then move their cars again.  It took me 10 minutes to get back to the intersection that was one clear block away from where I was told to go right! 

I go into this detail to show how some shows shoot themselves in the foot by trying to control every facet of set-up and tear-down.  Fortunately, the police officer at my intersection this year was the only one who would not have been hanged at Nuremberg.  Against orders, he followed common sense and let us in where we should have entered for set-up.  He said, "You guys do this every weekend, how do you want to do it?"

By the time the show opened at 10 AM. Saturday morning, my neighbor and I had already made sales.  He sold his biggest piece for $1700.  My sales were brisk all day but I had only one sale over $200.  The crowds were huge and mostly from Orlando.  The artist's hospitality station supplied snacks and drinks both days and they tried to get artists to attend the Sunday morning awards breakfast by offering 10 $100 door prizes.  I had no piece picked for judging and didn't attend.  I never did see any ribbons. 

My sales for Saturday were almost $2K, but Superbowl-Sunday could only produce half of that as the crowd really fell off after 3 PM.  All of my neighbors were pleased with their sales, but friends from other sections mostly complained.  One photographer friend was on the hill in front of the Art Center and said he did $1150 on Saturday and only $150 on Sunday.

One thing I've never seen before was the two attendants at each bank of port-o-potties.  They kept them clean and well supplied all weekend.  The tip-jar was prominently displayed.

My friend next to me told me a story of how he was standing in front of his booth and he heard a commotion next to him in front of my booth.  He said some people were telling a man with a camera that he wasn't suppose to photograph my pictures as there was a "No Photography" sign displayed on my booth.  My friend, also a photographer, stepped in and made sure the man moved on.  Then he caught the same guy 3 more times trying to copy a photo on the front of my booth from various distances.  Each time my friend would step in front of the piece.  I'm sure the man eventually succeeded.  Why is it, in this digital age, everyone seems to think all imagery is free for the taking just because he can?

My booth at Mt. Dora.  My neighbor stands guard.

June 22-24
Quincy, Illinois
Washington Park, 5th & Maine St. in the Historic Quincy Business District
Fri. 5-9; Sat. 10-5; Sun. 11-4
50-55 exhibitors
Deadline:  February 28

Now in our 9th year, the Midsummer Arts Faire (MAF) continues to grow and thrive in a community and tri-state region where patrons show their appreciation for art and artists. MAF board members, staff and volunteers work year-round to promote the event to potential artists, community patrons/sponsors and tourists. Its because of strong financial support within the community that MAF is able to market the event to a tri-state region that includes over 600,000 people within 75 miles.

MAF is located in a beautiful shady park in the heart of our vibrant downtown. Easy access and flow to and within the park directs patrons into the 50 plus artists booths comfortably situated within generous 10'x10' spaces. Complementing the sale of fine art is free hands-on art activities, a local food court, and top-notch entertainment, including a very popular Blues in the District event on Friday night that brings in the crowds. 

The fine art exhibition and sale includes approximately 50 artists chosen in a blind jury process by a panel of three art professionals. Many of our artists have so enjoyed the atmosphere, community, volunteers and sales that they continue to apply each year and MAF is blessed to have a healthy mix of new and returning artists. Artist exit surveys each year praise our volunteers for the excellent service and hospitality provided to our artists - we go above and beyond! WE LOVE ARTISTS!

FOR THE ARTISTS:

• Over $5,000 in awards including $1,000 Best of Show Purchase Award$
• 10 Application Fee, $100 Booth Fee
• Convenient, drive-up set up/tear down
• Above & Beyond Hospitality including water service, booth sitting & more!
• FREE Artists Awards Dinner Saturday night
• Full-color event program including artist representative image, contact information & booth number
• FREE reserved parking & electricity
• Extensive multimedia marketing & public relations efforts including website, print, tv, radio & more!

        Application available:  www.artsfaire.org
For more info: 217-779-2285 or mafdirector@gmail.com

ArtServe Michigan

Governor Snyder of Michigan just released his fiscal year 2013 recommendations calling for $6,150,000 for the Michigan Council for the Arts.

The recommendation represents an investment of $5 million in state General Fund / General Purpose dollars and $1.15 million in federal dollars from the National Endowment for the Arts. Overall, the recommendation means an increase of $3,582,600 from FY12 to FY13 -- nearly quadrupling the state's investment in arts and culture.
 
The Governor explains, "This increased funding will help enhance the 'Quality of Place' for local communities in Michigan through increased investments in arts and cultural programs." This recommendation and comment affirm his earlier commitment to increase support for the MCACA as he clearly recognizes the importance of arts and culture to Michigan's economy, communities and citizens.
 
It's amazing to think of how far we've come together in the last three years. It is almost three years ago, to the day, that then-Governor Granholm recommended the elimination of the MCACA. The increase represented in today's budget is no doubt a result of the impact, hard work and dedication of every arts and cultural organization, artist and advocate in Michigan.

Today's increase certainly validates the work ArtServe has been doing behind the scenes with legislators and administration officials, while conducting the research needed to help make the case for the impact of arts and culture.
 
Help us keep this momentum going!
 
Please consider supporting our Public Policy work in Lansing

• Make a contribution ($10, $25, or whatever you can afford)
• Become an Organizational Member of ArtServe

Your support will help ensure that ArtServe is able to continue its work to make the case for arts and culture and keep us at decision-making tables in Lansing.

While we should all take a moment to celebrate this news, our work is not yet done. As you know, this is just the first step in the budget process as each house will now review the Governor's budget and provide their respective recommendations. Know that ArtServe will keep you up to speed as we progress through the budget process.
 
As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to email ArtServe Michigan's Director of Public Policy Mike Latvis at mike@artservemichigan.org or call him directly at 248-379-5897.

I think my favorite headline ever for a report on an art fair:  Grandmother Wins Arts Show. Hooray for grandmothers out there creating art and winning the awards, in this case Carol Elder Napoli who won this $5000 award for the second year in a row. You'll like this story.

Mount Dora has nearly 300 exhibitors and usually you can find a bunch of our members among the exhibitors as well as the prizewinners. Here are this year's winners:

Best of Show    $5000  Carol Napoli **  
Judges 2-D Choice  $1500  William Kwamena-Poh     
Judges 3-D Choice   $1500  David Figueroa     
Wendy Alderman Award $250   Tonya Hedgeman **     
Our Community Award $1000 Robert Wince  

Carol Napoli - the winning grandmother

   
Best of Categories  $750
Painting     Charles Gatewood **   
Watercolor    Gary Curtis    
Clay    Don McWhorter  
Mixed Media   Leslie Peebles **  
Glass and Metal   Chris McCarthy 
Jewelry     Patricia Karnes **      
Photography    Clifton Henry     
Sculpture   Charles Hazelaar     
Fine Craft  Jay McDougall ** 

Awards of Excellence   $250

1. Amos Amit - fiber **
2. Bill and John Slade - glass **
3. Craig McMillan  
4. Laurie Coppedge - photography
5. Lori Jenkins    
6. Aaron Hequembourg - mixed media
7. Deborah Barnes    
8. Daniel Christie  
9. Ning Ling     
10. Fred Tate - jewelry
11. M.H. Meyers  
12. Jeff Eckert   

**member of ArtFairInsiders.com

Judges Statement
Overall we were pleased with the quality and diversity of the work presented.  It was a pleasure to see new artists participating as well as the new Emerging Artists. Our Best of show selection derived from a very high quality of selected entries.  It was not an easy decision. For the Best of Show we sought a work which seemed to marry the medium, the technique and the content with a unique voice.

Here are a couple of articles from the Orlando Sentinel: Mount Dora Festival had Judges on the Run. I'll bet -- how do you get through 300 booths in a day? Learn how they did it, plus a nice bunch of photos if you are wanting more info on the show.

I know a bunch of you were at the show. What do you think of these winners? How fast were the judges?

Well last weekend was also Mt. Dora Art fest (same time as Ft. Myers) a big show with 300 exhibitors.

 There were a number of AFI-ers in the show.  Yet no report.  Why is that.  Come on guys, do a little sharing,it wont kill ya to write a few words about it.

  I know of at least one photographer, whose first name starts with "R", who was there.  How about a report.  All that "lurking" is not good for your health.

Patiently waiting as always--and grateful for any news.  Nels.

June 9 & 10
Royal Oak, Michigan
on Washington Avenue in the downtown
Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce
Saturday 10-9; Sunday 12-5
125 artists
Deadline: February 28

The Royal Oak Clay, Glass & Metal Show, in its 18th year, celebrates artwork created by combining heat with minerals and earth.  Held in Royal Oak, MI, this show attracts an educated audience who enjoy collecting art.  It features over 100 artists from the U.S. The show is held outdoors in the heart of Royal Oak.

When artists first hear about a show with only Clay, Glass and Metal they worry about too much competition. Actually it's an advantage. You are not competing with prints, photos and corndogs. Everyone there is interested in your artwork. 

Patrons are astounded by the variety and depth of possibilities. Artists report that it is a pleasure to work with customers that already have an understanding of the medium.

The Royal Oak Clay, Glass & Metal Show provides: 

• Qualified Buyers
• Cash Awards
• Overnight Security & Free Parking
• Artist Breakfast

Just arrived in Tubac, AZ for their annual arts festival and while talking to our neighbor found out about one of the Palm Springs art shows that takes places in the downtown area. In case you hadn't heard. On January 21, 2012 90 mile per hour winds basically wiped out the entire art show. Palm springs is a windy place, hence all the windmills that catch the wind coming through the pass. The extent of the damage to the trees in the park is really something else and considering more people weren't hurt is amazing. Huge trees were knocked down and fell on vans, tents went flying and our neighbor reported that he had been hit in the head and knocked out (he had the shiner to prove it). It only goes to show you how dangerous weather can be and sometimes all the weights you put down are still not enough to keep the tent from flying. Surprisingly, watching the YouTube videos some tents were still standing while some right next to them were decimated!  For more on that show see: the shorter version  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt1NlZNxJCQ&feature=related  OR   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n6DD5CBQJs&fe

It makes ya sort of humble.

Has anyone done or heard anything on the Osceola Art Festival, Kissimmeem FL...it's next weekend and I have a car down, so I'm trying to decide if it is worth renting a car to go? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks! Karen

After a six-week homestand doing shows in and around Fort Myers, my winter schedule finally kicked me out of the house and sent me three hours east to Hobe Sound, on Florida's so-called "Treasure Coast."  Couldn't be a better place for a show than that, right? 

This was a very good, but not great, show for me last year, with good crowds and lots of buyers of smaller bird photographs (only one wall canvas, but lots of 8x10 and 11x14 mat sizes).  My hope was that the crowds would return and be undeterred by the larger sizes and lack of 8x10 mats that I was bringing with me for this year's show. 

Well, some dreams came true: Despite some iffy morning weather both days, and potential competition from Super Bowl parties, crowds returned in full force all weekend.  But sales (for me, at least) were spotty: Folks bought small again this year on Saturday.  Then, on Sunday, they browsed but hardly bought at all.  I wound up with just over half the sales total I had last year. 

But my results might not have been typical. Among my neighbors, a 2-D artist who zeroed at last year's show sold at least two pieces at $800 to $1000 price points.  Another mixed-media artist sold a $2400 piece.  Longtime friends on the American Craft Endeavors circuit who sell fun furniture fashioned from white shutters nearly sold out their stock.  Jewelers I spoke with briefly (the crowds were too big to walk the show for long) did OK to well. The photographers I spoke with weren't quite so pleased. 

Setup/teardown logistics were as easy as it gets.  As I reported on Friday, there was an "unofficial" Friday setup (Howard Alan explained to me that that had to do with jurisdiction issues along this particular stretch of road.)  Security wasn't provided on Friday, so many artists just chose to set up their tents and display furnishings and bring their artwork on Saturday morning.  The show venue is a  narrow two-lane road flanked by a grassy berm and railroad (on the east) and a sidewalk and service road (on the west).  Tents were arranged pole-to-pole, along each side of the road, rather than back-to-back, giving the many patrons just enough room to walk the show. There was lots of storage space behind each tent.

Artists on the west side could park in diagonal parking spots right behind the tents during setup/breakdown.  East-side artists could drive onto the grassy meridian separating the show from railroad tracks for tear-down parking.  (Shockingly, one despicable artist wasn't satisfied with that, and actually spit at the show manager--thankfully, missing his target--when she refused to let him in early on Sunday.  Surely we won't see him again at a Howard Alan show. Hopefully, we won't see him at any other, either.)

If you do this show, note that there aren't any chain hotels in Hobe Sound. The dot-com hotel sites will find you plenty of places in Stuart (about 10 miles due north along US Route 1) or Port St. Lucie (about 15 miles).  A number of us stayed at the Best Western "Plus" in Stuart, with recently-modernized rooms, a flat-screen HD TV for Super Bowl watching, and one of the most sumptuous free breakfast buffets I have ever experienced.  Several of the restaurants right behind the show were gracious hosts for the artists, and there are lots of good restaurant choices in Stuart, too. 

Though I was disappointed in my own sales, I gave out a bazillion business cards to folks (you'll be asked often if you're doing upcoming shows in Stuart and Jupiter--among them, Alan's Stuart show in two weeks, his Jupiter-by-the-Sea in March, ArtFest Stuart, and ArtiGras in Jupiter. Yow, it's almost like Naples!). Interestingly, most of the folks I spoke with were year-long local residents;  to the best of my knowledge I didn't speak with a single resident of deep-pocketed Jupiter Island.  So I'm crossing my fingers that I'll see many of my be-backs over the next month on my return trips. 

There was some good news:

* I was invited to have a large one-man show at the nearby Jonathan Dickinson State Park, which has hosted wildlife art shows from some very well known artists and at least one National Geographic photographer.  So that gives me something to shoot for (pun regrettable but intentional).  I'll be back in two weeks for ArtiGras, and stay the week to photograph in and around the park, then wrap up my Treasure Coast swing with Alan's show in Stuart.  

* And I can't write this post without sharing a wonderful moment: On Saturday morning I was visited by a young lady, 10 years old, and her mom.  The youngster rattled off the name of every bird on my wall as she looked at my canvases, and spent about 20 minutes chatting with me about her new camera as she browsed through my matted prints with fascination. At times, her mother helped her ID any unfamiliar birds (of which there were darn few).  I offered her my child's discount on a photograph.  With her mom's approval, she pulled out her own coin purse and handed me cash for the purchase (her mom supportively chipped in $5 to make up the shortfall). 

That made my day on Saturday.  Then, imagine my surprise when she returned on Sunday to hand me an 8x10 photograph of a Blue Jay that she'd snapped at her bird feeder on Saturday afternoon--perfectly captured, carefully printed, signed in the bottom right corner with a felt-tip pen, and sealed carefully in a plastic bag!

I've given child discounts to many youngsters over the last four years, I told her, but never have I received such a gift in return. It's already framed (in an 8x10 frame I bought last week, without really knowing why) and hanging on the wall next to me as I write this. 

What a great reminder that sales may be great or small, but every visitor represents an opportunity to touch a life...and have ours touched in return.  Thanks to young Jenna and her mom for delivering the message!

Getting ready for the big event:

• Official poster
• Friday night party fundraiser for the CGAF
• Sponsors' breakfast

Artists, of course, think about art festivals as places to display, meet customers, and sell their art. But behind the scenes there is a lot going on that does not get noticed by them, just like the buyers don't know the background of the work they are seeing. The really big artfestivals with big corporate sponsors have large boards and committees that keep the events rolling along. The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is a prime example. It is run by well-connected Miamians and they spend the year planning and raising money to host the event. Of necessity, parties are part of the process for fundraising.

Here are images and the story of this year's festival poster artist, Marilyn Leidman, and a look at some of the preparation for the CGAF:  http://www.examiner.com/top-news-in-miami/2012-coconut-grove-arts-festival-poster-unveiled

And here is another story about the sponsors breakfast presented by the CGAF staff:  http://coconutgrovegrapevine.blogspot.com/2012/01/grove-arts-fest-hold-popular-sponsors.html

I've always been a very shy person, although doing the festivals for many years has really helped me with that. I had to force myself to approach people and start conversations which was really hard for me, but is getting easier time I do it.

I have a solo exhibit coming up and the artists reception is this weekend. I can already feel the anxiety creeping up on me! I don't seem to have a problem talking about myself or how I came to be a printmaker, but I do have a real problem describing the stories and themes of my work. My work is very narrative and has a lot of symbolism incorporated into it. Half of them have a very specific story behind the image, but others started with an idea and just evolved into something I thought looked interesting, but I think that might sound a bit boring. Should I make up a story when I don't really have one? I don't think I want to be dishonest about my work, even for the sake of a possible sale.

Any advice would be appreciated? I'm all ears!

Artfest Fort Myers is the first of eight art fairs I will be doing in Florida. As I mentioned in an earlier post I had a lot of angst about all the effort and money I put out in preparation for this string of art fairs. I developed a lot of new work and stock-piled enough inventory to take me through the eight shows. I arrived in Fort Myers last Thursday from my home base of Saugatuck, Michigan.

Set-up at the Artfest was very well organized. I was scheduled for an 11:30 set-up. I was able to pull my car and trailer into a grassy field right across from my booth space. This arrangement turned out to be ideal for me, but it also showed me that I would have to make some changes for the next show. It took me a whopping six hours to set up. Normally, I set up in about three hours (still too long), but because I had my trailer jam-packed with inventory, it took me that long to pull everything out and select the pieces I wanted to display. Then, to repack the trailer after set-up with the excess inventory. What a pain. Having lots of room in the grassy field to unpack and repack was great. I can't imagine what I would have done if the set-up required me to pull up to my booth on the street and unpack before set-up like most shows require. This experience convinced me to rent a storage space around here where I can store the trailer and the excess inventory. Then I can repack the trailer and bring only the work I want to exhibit at that show. Most of the shows are on the west side of the state, so this should work pretty well.

As for sales at Artfest, the real source of my Florida angst, they were dismal. My total take was just under $1200. Certainly not enough to justify a cross country two-month selling trip. I talked to some of the artists around me about sales, and reactions were mixed. Some did well (Nels was a happy guy). Others were disappointed. Some scored lower numbers than my meager profits. Its my guess that some artists did well at the show, and, like all shows, some didn't. I had a lot of lookers, and a lot of positive comments, but few took the plunge and pulled out their wallets.

On a positive note, the show is well organized. There were a lot of people strolling the aisles. It is in a beautiful location overlooking the yacht harbor, and the weather was good (upper 70s and 80s, partly cloudy). Another positive note: I used "Square" on an iPad for taking credit cards for the first time at this show. It worked flawlessly, and the customers liked it.

I'm currently on a wait list for the Howard Allen Coconut Point show next week-end. I'm hoping to get in. I'm told that Coconut Point is an upscale shopping center, and could bring out people with bigger wallets. In the meantime, my angst continues...

March 24 & 25 
Deland, Florida

Highlights:

• Long history of excellent community support
• $5,600 in cash awards; $1,500 Best in Show, plus Spectator Awards voted on by showgoers
• No application/jury fee. Booth fee: Fine art and craft: $135; Traditional art and craft: $110
• Artists amenities: restrooms, reserved on-site parking, booth sitters, 24 hour security
• Estimated attendance: 10,000+
• Extensive advertising and marketing: television, radio, newspapers, magazines
• Friday setup; Short dolly or carry in to booth space
• Continental Breakfast on Saturday; Pancake Breakfast on Sunday.  All free to the artists.

             

June 1-3 

Prairie Village, Kansas

55th year

100 Artists

Deadline: February 15

The Prairie Village Art Show is not located on a prairie but in the heart of the Kansas City metro area and surrounded by upper income demographics.  Forbesmagazine recently listed Mission Hills, KS, as being the 3rd most affluent city in the country and it is next to the show.  The show is well attended and draws patrons from the entire metropolitan area.

This show is small with only 100 artists but they come from all parts of the country.  The Art Fair Sourcebooksays that Prairie Village "Attracts an affluent and educated clientele."

What to Expect:

• 20,000 Upper Income patrons
• 24 hour security
• Electricity included with booth fee
• Friday night Wine
• Saturday night dinner delivered to booth
• Artist's lounge with restrooms, snacks and air conditioning
• Parking nearby and overnight parking allowed
• Discounted Hotel Rates
• Booth sitters

The Village in Prairie Village is one of those "lifestyle" shopping areas, intimate enough for ease of shopping yet anchored by well-known names such as Macy's and Starbucks with lots of restaurants.  Does it sound as though your clientele will be showing up here?  Then you know what to do! Apply today.

Application on line at:www.zapplication.org

For more info visit

www.prairievillageshops.com

or contact Donna Potts at: 913-362-9668