What can I say it was a perfect weekend - perfect weather, perfect setting, perfect food, perfect selection of art and craft, and yes, perfect sales. Ok, maybe I didn't sell out, but there are some who did and I did sell a lot with a few items selling out - I find that close enough. So about the Wine Festival.... 1. It has been a Maryland tradition since 1983 where legend has it in the first year they outgrew their location - it was a hit. Now it is held at the Carroll County Farm Museum, think of it as a mini Williamsburg (smaller grounds with some people traditionally dressed up - for the tours). There are about 30 Maryland wineries that come out to be judged as the Best Wine in Maryland along with other titles and even awards for novice wine makers too. There is about 80 artists and crafts people ranging from stained glass - my neighbor, various degrees of jewelry makers, floral crafts, framed artwork of all kinds, to commercial stuff as well - even the Maryland lotto people have a booth. There are no games or things like that mind you. The admission price is hefty (in my opion) $20 for designated drivers and $25 for the rest and it includes all the wine you can taste. My only beef is that vendors were not allowed to taste, requiring them to pay the same admission fee - a big turn off since they are getting a deposit and commission on from all of us. So, I didn't drink, but do have my favorite! More of that in my "Wine" Report - sorry Nels, had to do a spin on the 'ol Tequila Report. 2. What made it good. It was well organized all around. Finding ones space wasn't hard although there were no definite rows. The time of the event is great - plenty of people up until the end - 6:00 p.m. Advertising was spot on - everyone came from everywhere in Maryland and they brought money (rumor has it they surpassed 25,000 in attendance). Oh yes, the weather was so perfect - 72-74 as a high with no clouds in the sky. The fee is beyond amazing - $25 + 15%. They do allow you to apply the $25 (subtracting it) to your overall sales. Many had a great show. I did very well with about 1/2 of my stock depleted - I was really prepared for it and selling 1/2 is unheard of in my part of the woods the way the economy is going. 3. What wasn't the best. I already mentioned there was a fee for those who who were exhibiting to wine taste - yeah, still heart broken over that. IT was really muddy, but they had a ton of straw and didn't waste time putting it down. Parking was a pain - it was organized, but my booth was in the far end direction of where the vendor gate was that I couldn't drive up - due to the mud there was only a path to get to your space wide enough for one car. Which means everyone parked on the path preventing others to get to their booth - people like me. On day 2, I ended up schlepping some of my stuff to my booth - about 1/8 mile! Yes, my back is still sore. I was put in a far off area that not everyone in attendance knew about - despite this my sales were really good so I can't imagine what it would be like if I had a more visible space. I also found most exhibitors weren't terribly friendly. I did the show by myself (husband helped for 4 hours on Saturday but that was it) and usually someone will be sympathetic and ask if I want a break to go to the bathroom - no one did, only wanted to know how my sales are - weird I thought. Oh, and they were quick to tell me how to do things, like I have never done shows before when by myself I can set up my display in 1 hour and 15 mins while it takes the others 2 people and 2 hours to set up, silly people. I can't really complain though it was a great weekend and a great venue. The Wine Report... I haven't been able to find info on who won the awards for 2009. However I do have a favorite winery - Linganore Winecellars. I actually love all of their wines as many are on the sweet side as I learned about them from working at the Maryland Renaissance Festival since 2001 - and I was only 14 then :-). But have to say the Fox Hunt Blush, Sangria, Peach, and Skipjack wines are my absolute favorites. Their winery is about 30 mins from where I live so I have the pleasure of checking them out at my leisure. I didn't get to go out to dinner - I do live close by so hubby made dinner for me and just had fast food the second night. I aim to do check out a pub this coming weekend when I am also in the same city doing a Fall Festival. Heard good reviews about it. All in all, I say come to this gem of an event it is wonderful. To learn more about the other wines or the festival, their website is www.marylandwinefestival.org .
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The economic downturn has felled another victim. In Worcester, MA, "the Worcester Center for Crafts, one of the city’s oldest cultural institutions, has suspended daily operations and may have to close permanently if it cannot raise $1 million by the end of the month," reports Nancy Sheehan at Worcester's telegraph.com.
"Doors will close to the public at the end of the business day today, and the center’s staff of about 45 people, most of them part time, will be laid off," Barbara Walzer, craft center executive director, said.
This center has been an important part of the arts activity in Massachusetts since 1856 and is a part of Worcester State College.
Does anyone have any news of other closings? Or, better, does anyone know about any openings?
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Posted by Greg Burkett on December 5, 2009 at 2:51am
Hello all! I posted a link to this in the discussion board, but I was told I should make a blog post about it as well as it may be helpful to folks.I've developed a quick, (hopefully) easy-to-use online image processor that sizes your images down to the ZAPP standard 1920x1920 size, adding in black masks if needed. Just upload your image, let it do it's thing, and then you're presented with a download link to get the processed image within a few seconds.You can check it out at www.ripfish.com/zappLet me know if you have any suggestions on how to improve the utility. Thanks all!
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Posted by Bert Herrera on November 17, 2009 at 12:30pm
Show takes place in downtown Gainesville. Streets are wide, and set-up (Sat AM) and tear down are usually fairly easy because of the width. Show is put on by the City of Gainesville, run by Linda Piper (who does a great job, in my opinion) and usually has a real good turnout. If you're doing a show in G'ville, usually this is the one to do. They have bagels and drinks on Sat AM, and they bring you lunch to your booth both Sat and Sunday!Gainesville is home for me, and as most know, it is the home of the University of Florida. There are over 40,000 studens, with no money to speak of, so they're not the ones you're selling to, unless you have items $20 and under. The town lives and dies with the Gators, who are currently riding a high in the football world. The weather was absolutely as good as it gets. With everything going in the positive column, we all hoped sales would be as positive. Unfortunately, for a lot of folks, they were way down. Saturday was very slow for me, but Sunday was decent. My numbers were down about 30% from last year, but still respectable, especially when I can sleep in my own bed. One photographer who was here who said this used to be his 3rd best show in Florida, said his numbers had nosedived. There were lots of folks, but not too many packages walking by.RC, I hope your Sunday improved for you.For folks traveling to the show, there is a brand new Hampton Inn right in the middle of the show, which I understand had a decent artist rate for the weekend.
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I just had a bad show this past weekend. Maybe you, yeah you, the one reading this did too. I have had quite a few of them this year with some glimmer of hope shows in-between to make me think, ok, maybe the economy isn't all doom and gloom. So, with my experience of having several bad shows under my belt - bad meaning not profitable - I feel I can add this to my expertise book too - an expert on doing bad shows. However, I want to illustrate that just because a show isn't profitable doesn't mean it has to spoil the whole day. There are actual good things that come out of bad shows, but you have to open your eyes and mind to see them. Here's a list of things I have learned that can make a bad show kinda fun and still walk away with a smile at the end of the day.First, I want to make it clear I am disappointed as others in my position when it comes to doing a bad show. Aside from theft or having your work destroyed, one of the worse things that can happen is not turn a profit - not be compensated for all the hard work in making the art, but go through all the motions to sell it too. So, in hopes of trying to make a bad situation better, please consider the things you can still be thankful for, no matter how rough a show can be.1. Stock. I labored until 12:30 the night before this past show, which took place in a mall, to make sure I had enough stock. After all you never know - people should be planning ahead for the holidays or take a mental note to find you again when the holidays get closer at future shows. In making extra stock, you always think - whoo hoo, I won't have to haul it all back home, it won't be as heavy then. That is something I always forget, because if a show is bad you still have to haul it all back home and sometimes more difficult to get back into the car. The good part - I don't have to make any more stock for the next show! Think about how nice that is for a moment. The simple notion of all one needs to do is simply load everything back into the car when the time comes, well, puts a big grin on my face. Perhaps you too? This is why I do not recommend putting things on sale at the end of the day to hopefully move it all is selling yourself short. Why discount your work, that is in perfect condition, so you merely have to go home and slave away to make more for the next show? Not only that, people start to expect you to discount your work at every show and will only start shopping when you lower your prices. Totally defeats the purpose, right?2. Down time = networking time. There are only so many things a person can do when there is down time at a show - rearrange your display, do an inventory check, tidy things that may get misplaced... Take this time as an opportunity to learn a little about your neighbors. Just as you have a fascinating story about how you got involved in doing art shows so do the countless others you are selling next to. You may find they have advice for you, live just minutes from where you live now or when you were younger, offer info on up-coming shows, maybe even buy from you because you never know. This past show I learned a fellow exhibitor had a birthday and a small group of us surprised her and sang Happy Birthday - she was surprised. I didn't know her, but she was so tickled to know that there are some great people out there willing to do something as simple as wish her a happy birthday, probably made her day. I also learned another vendor is from Hawaii - as I am part Hawaiian, and the last 2 hours of the show we talked about food, places, jokes, all that stuff. If I was in my 10x10 the whole time ignoring the world around me, I would have never had a good time meeting nice people, learn about how others are fairing at other shows, all making the hours pass like minutes.3. Breakdown. The first thing you think of, when you have a bad show, is how much longer before I can pack up. Maybe the thought would people notice if I pack up early creeps in your mind too? Well, most opt to pack up early. I even did - the show ran until 9:00 p.m. and I started packing at 8:00 - consolidating overstock and turning lights off. However others were out by 7:00 p.m. While you take your time breaking down and others are rushing to get out of there you realize two great things. A) You still get a few sales as the show is still open and people will only buy from those still open. B) After these people leave, it frees up a closer parking space (loading space near the entrance) where you can just pull your vehicle up without traffic congestion and get in and get out in no time.4. Doing bad shows forces you to be more observant. When I say observant I am referring to watching what others are doing and learn a little more about the lifestyle of how things work in the environment you are selling in. So many people, who have a short fuse when they have a bad show quickly blame things on everyone else. But what I saw are little things that could be improved and an even bigger picture that "fate" is out of your hands. What I saw that could be improved was that there were no real signs within the mall to let patrons know there is a craft show going on TODAY. IT was a first time show and something so obvious was just overlooked by the organizer. The show took place inside an abandoned dept. store - big and in a great locale (very secure and great access to all things like being near the food court and movie theater). However those who come to the mall on a regular basis will always assume it is a vacant area UNLESS they see something somewhere that tells them otherwise especially those who may have seen some advertising and get there and think the event is canceled because there are no obvious signs a show is going on. You also see that people don't go to a mall - or ART SHOW - and buy from everyone. They have a plan to seek the place they need to go to and if there is time, see what else there is - maybe a sale, a new shop, a new style of clothing for the season attracts your eye... So many artists/crafts people believe that every patron shops at every place - impossible! I have never seen this as what each artist offers isn't what EVERYONE needs at that very day. This is why some shows are better than others (where some shows offer such variety and attract so many people that you are bound to have good sales) or why some locations are better than others. You also pick up on tidbits regarding your target market - and in other instances who will never be a customer of yours and why. This will help you down the line when planning shows - which merchandise might move more (depending on the show) as well as focusing your work to a better line of what is more likely to sell, purging older works at the same time. In other words, having some down time really allows you to really see things they way they really are than how we all assume how things probably are.5. Count your blessings. I always think it could have been worse. I could have paid a whole lot more for the space and lost even more money - the space this past weekend was very cheap. Hind sight is always 20-20 and you learn from your mistakes, it makes us smarter for the next show we do. I was so happy it was an indoor show as it was a horribly windy and rainy day where I could have lost stock and possibly catch some sort of cold verses being dry and warm inside with a decent selection of food. I did have some sales - I probably would feel even worse if I spent the whole day not making one sale than the 5 very small ones I did have. These could very well be trivial to you all reading this, but I am a thankful person. It keeps me going. I realize that everyone isn't guaranteed the best show ever bringing "my" whole stock and at the end of the day left with a pile of money. It isn't realistic during any type of economic climate. But it makes you want to do even more at the next show - be more outgoing, set-up earlier to get some quick morning sales from some early shoppers, and of course realize what happened in the past doesn't determine how things will go at the next show (it's in the past and today is a new day).I open this up to you all - what have you learned from a bad show that has made you a better person/artist at more recent shows? Thanks and have a good week! - Michellewww.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com and www.bythebaybotanicals.comRead more…
Hmmm..... do I really want to share this gem of a show? Well, it is a gem to me - perhaps not for others. This is my first year of attendance - the event's 51st year. The event location was moved this year from Presque Isle Park to Mattison Lower Harbor Park. Read the reason for change here. Some past attendees and few patrons grumbled about the move, but then many people do not adjust well to change. I personally loved the location and I certainly appreciate the organizers difficult decision to make that change. Part of that reason, as you can read in the above article, was to keep transportation via bus costs down in order not to increase entrance fees for the artists. The Presque Isle Park location required complete busing in the patrons. Once a coal pile, the area adjacent to the marina was transformed by the city of Marquette into a fabulous huge park, located a block from the downtown and surrounded by Lake Superior and marina on two sides and architectually pleasing condos on the other two sides. Marquette has some of the best bike and hiking trails I've seen and one surrounds this park - we had many hikers/bicyclists in our tent. Artists had the closest parking in the marina lot but patrons parking was in a close lot or on the downtown streets.Tent layout was structured to have artists around the parameter of the park, leaving a large center area open. I could see this open area was likely due to the drainage areas in the center. One row of artists were plagued with a water filled ditch directly in front of their tents on Sunday. Organizers filled these areas with wooden pallets, but I would have been upset at having a booth there. I would hope there will be a layout change for that area in future years. In my opinion the organizers (Lake Superior Art Association) did fantastic with respect to artist and patron comfort. Load in/out was simple. Setup was available on Friday and driving on the grass to artist booth allowed ease of setup. Not necessary to drop off, park, then set up. There were several booth areas along the outer section near the lake that were great for disabled artists as they could drive their vans up to that area and keep them behind their tents. Tent area was 12 x 12 allowing all to spread out a bit. Morning coffee/muffins were available and several volunteers continually circled the area in golf carts providing assistance to artists. If an artist needed to access their car/van/trailer, a volunteer drove them in the cart for quick retreival. I was checked in on frequently by great volunteers who offered tent sitting and any help an artist needed. In the acceptance packet each artist received instructions for a customer parcel pick up service. Stressing the importance of customer convenience, any customer parked too far away could drop off their purchase at the info tent. They then would be given a ticket and later pick up their item by driving to the marina parking lot and retreive it from the info tent.From what I observed, the selection of art was equally varied. About the same amount of photographers as jewelers, pottery, fiber, paintings etc. The venue included a childrens area and had a wonderful selection of rotating music/musicians. From what I observed, there were no buy/sell or "crafter" booths. Those not juried in to this show participated in an alternate show "The Outback" that was located about a mile away. While I did not visit that area, I heard nice comments about it.We stayed at the City of Marquette's Tourist Park (camping) and I would recommend that location to anyone with a motor home, camper or conversion van. Anyone familiar with areas immediately on any of the Great Lakes - especially in Michigan's U.P. knows the weather changes frequently. This weekend was no exception as it was lower 60's and raining one minute, then sunny and 70 the next. The majority of the weekend was rain. Sunday was the worst with morning rain lasting until about 2:00. I was very happy I did not have to tear down wet as after 2:00 the sun was great, the wind strong enough to dry the tent but not too strong as to cause concern. I read the anticipated attendance was 15,000 and while Saturday crowds were high, I think the weather kept the attendance a tad lower. Hats off to patrons - they came with their jackets & umbrellas and they purchased. While some artists were grumbling "won't be here next year", I observed a higher than average number with bags in hand. I did well, but then, much of my work is Great Lakes - Lake Superior, the U.P, and the Marquette area art. My price points ranged from $20 to $400. I nearly sold out of the $20 items (came well prepared) and had high sales in the $70 to $150 range. None of my framed items sold (unusual) but had high amount of purchases of the 18x24 matted pieces. Many were multiple purchases by individuals. Economic times are tough and I think especially in this area, patrons are comfortable purchasing more and framing their own rather than limiting their purchase to one framed item.Bottom line - I'll be back. But this event may not be for everyone. My work is so suitable for this area and I think that's what we all must do.... understand where we are likely to do well.I'll post my link to You Tube here sometime on TuesdayLinda Andersonhttp://www.andersonphotoworks.comRead more…
October 16, 17 & 18 Rock Financial Showplace Novi, Michigan 150 Artists Deadline: July 31 In case you missed it this Spring, the Great Lakes Art Fair (fall) is returning and you can be there too. What a visitor said about the April Great Lakes Art Fair:
I just got home from the Rock Financial Showplace and the Great Lakes Art Fair. What a wonderful look and feel that new show has! I hope you are able to keep it going and growing, as it has all the earmarks of a stupendously successful show. The quality of the work is phenomenal, the atmosphere is classy and the artists are saying great things about the coordination, management and detail handling of the people putting it on. What a great way to start a new show! I want to exhibit in the show in the fall. Hope I'm good enough to get in!!! What a patron said:
I just wanted to let you know this was a SPECTACULAR event for me. I spent more $$ at this Art Show than all the others I've attended put together. The artisans were sensational! There was no over-abundance of jewelers. I raved to several vendors who told me to be certain to "tell someone" how much I enjoyed myself. I wasn't sure to whom I should relay this to, so please pass along my appreciation for such a wonderful event!Location: The Rock Financial Showplace is located in Novi, MI, in Western Oakland County, one of the nation's most affluent areas. Although spring 2009 marked the inaugural Great Lakes Art Fair, the Rock Financial Showplace has become familiar to patrons as a premier indoor venue for specialty arts over the past ten years. Jeweler Anita Spencer
Attendance: Over the past decade the Showplace has been host to premier indoor art fairs each year, during the months of April and October. Attendance figures from these fairs have averaged in the tens of thousands. With the increased investment into advertising, promotion, and production, attendance is projected to easily grow and exceed the performance of past events.
Advertising & Promotions: The Great Lakes Art Fair believes effective promotion is as crucial to overall success as the selection of artists. The GLAF's mission is to deliver a high quality experience for patrons and artists that will assure qualified buyers, return visits and exponential event growth. The superior local media and marketing relationships enjoyed by the Rock Financial Showplace will contribute enormously to the overall success of the Great Lakes Art Fair. A multi-level marketing and publicity campaign will be launched to promote the Great Lakes Art Fair GLAF throughout the region, including media partnerships in print, radio, television, direct mail and outdoor. There is also a strategic web marketing campaign aimed at building awareness of
this new regional event. the famous "diner guy" - Jerry Berta Now, don't you want to be there? I will. Full disclosure: I am a consultant for this event. Apply:
www.zapplication.org For more info:
www.greatlakesartfair.com ****************************************** Bonus: a great artists reception!
If you are doing art fairs, thinking about running an art fair, or are already running an art fair, you should find this article interesting. From the Belleville, IL, news comes this information:
The numbers are in and the survey says -- nearly half the people attending Art on the Square in Belleville in May were from outside St. Clair County.
That means the promotional efforts and publicity have been a success said Patty Gregory, executive director of the annual downtown art festival.
Read the rest of the article: Survey says Belleville Draws the Wealthy and Educated
In case you are out of the loop, Belleville's Art on the Square is very highly rated and attracts top artists. Supposedly they sell $1 million dollars worth of goods in this small Illinois town every May.
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In my mailbox today:
Connie....would you check the below link..our new intro and a new group we are featuring.......and then the question is....would you reach out to your contacts for me and help me further promote my show.......I would owe you big time......you name the rewardhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAtWnsmGTXU&feature=channel_page T
he above link is one of the groups we will be featuring this fall on Public T.V. across the country. At this point we have 115 affiliates broadcasting our show, and we'd like to get the rest. If you would take a moment to contact your local PBS affiliate and ask them to offer the "Jammin at Hippie Jack's" Americana Roots Music series.........it would be a great help. Below is a link to PBS station finder that will give you contact information...Thank you for your help........we will endeavor to persevere... Jack
http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html Do you think you can help an old hippie out? Bet'cha can! At the very least you can pass this info on to someone who can. (I'll bet a bunch of you remember photographer Jack Stoddart - now a music producer!)
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Brought to you by the NAIA
National Association of Independent Artists "The Collective Voice of Art Fair Artists" The NAIA 2009 Stimulus Plan: Project ART!
The 9th Art Festival Directors / Artists Summit Conference, organized by the National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA) will be held Thursday & Friday, September 24 - 25, 2009 in Peoria, Illinois, immediately prior to the Peoria Fine Art Fair. This unique event is the only one of its kind that is geared directly to the needs and issues of arts festivals and artists, and provides an unparalleled opportunity to meet, network, problem solve and energize with show directors from around the country. It is open to all show directors, staff and board members on Thursday and Friday.
Open to all artists on Thursday. If you've never been to an NAIA Conference, you owe it to yourself to be there. And if you've attended one or all of our past conferences, you'll find this one is targeted to provide as much valuable information to the "veteran", as it is to those who may join us for the first time. To register for Thursday's artist sessions at the $25 artist rate, click on the link below for the main conference page. In the left column is a link to artist registration.
Register NOW!! P. S. Personally I have attended at least seven of these conferences - they are professionally presented and chock full of strategic and helpful information. Plus, you have time to meet other artists and the show directors in an informal situation where you don't have to get back to your booth to sell something! ;) How cool is that? Yes, I'll be there too and look forward to meeting you.
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Posted by Bill Sargent on August 19, 2009 at 10:30pm
Note to Nels: your reply to John Hartung's tent problem blog was sensitive, helpful, and inspirational.Here is my wife's grateful response to your stern refusal to let improper English go unpunished.Hi, Nels, it's Ann Sargent. As you may know, I retired not too long ago; I taught English in middle school, high school, college and graduate school during the past 25 or so years. I have also worked as a professional copy editor for a Chicago publishing house.So when Bill showed me your post, I was delighted to see that you're a champion of proper usage, spelling and punctuation. In keeping with your spirit of helpful correction, I'd like to assist you in reaching the pinnacle of proper English usage.Your spelling is flawless. Your post, however, has a number of comma errors; surprising, since you address this very issue. For example, names in direct address must always be set off by a comma ("John, if you...." and "John, do not....") In the second line of your post, the meaning is unclear because of the lack of a comma. Do you mean "on roofs, especially during setup....", or "on roofs especially, during setup...." This is an excellent example of your comment that commas give "a clear meaning to what you are trying to convey."When you start a sentence with "Also..." it must always be followed by a comma. Beginning a sentence with "But..." is colloquial and OK in very informal writing; however, it would have been better to have combined it with the sentence before ("...almost no commas, but I know....")One last comment; you use the expression "...you are doing good". Strictly speaking, this means that you are doing charitable works. The expression you want is "...you are doing well." I know your intent is good, and I'm glad to help. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in the future.For those who didn't see it, Nels's post is as follows:John if you get 2-4 years wear out of any of the industry's canopy roofs, you are doing good. It is just the nature of the wear and tear on roofs especially during setup,storage and teardowns. John do not take this as a personal attack, but your use of the English language is atrocious. Check your spelling out or at least proof it. Also commas are very helpful for separating phrases and giving a clear meaning to what you are trying to convey. You use almost no commas. But I know your intent is good--just thought I would mention that. You are not alone. Most people these days cannot write a clear declarative sentence with proper spelling and punctuation--Aloha,Nels
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Please include the name of the importers/"artists" as they show up on the lists of the art shows they exhibit at. I've seen families of SE Asians at numerous shows, most recently at the Uptown/Minneapolis show, with booths crammed with "handmade" goods. Without the names, the shows can't police the importers and buy/sellers.
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Posted by John Hartung on August 18, 2009 at 5:01pm
My Canopy DilemmaI have a Show Off Canopy and love the frame. It's strong and easy to setup. I love the telescoping legs and frame. This and their limited number of parts make setup easy. Most of it is aluminum making it light, but it has steal corners to make it strongest in the most vulnerable area.However, my 2nd top I've had for the canopy in 7 years is again turning colors. The skylight material is turning a rusty redish color. It's surface very sticky (like sap). It's top is developing more and more leaks in the roof.My first top I owned Show Off blamed me because I had used bleach to keep it white. So this time I followed their directions. I only washed it with regular soap. If I had to pack wet, I'd dry it out the next day. Nevertheless the fabric is giving me the same problems.I look around at shows and notice many of the Show Off's with redish skylights and others complain of it feeling sappy. Anyone with a Show Off found a solution for these problems? On my first top I discovered bleach did temporarily make it whiter, but then would turn red again (even worse).I like both the Trimline's and the Light Dome's fabric better. One option I'm considering is getting a whole new canopy, but I don't like either of their frames as much as Show Off. Today I contacted both Flourish and Light Dome to see if they'd be willing to make a custom top for me. Flourish said straight out "no" and Light Dome said they would consider it but was concerned the zippers wouldn't be compatible.If I were to get a new canopy system, I'm leaning toward's Light Dome's "Finale". They seem a bit more difficult to put up and not as strong as the Show Off, however much easier to setup than the Trimline and not nearly as cumbersome and heavy.What I don't like about the Finale the most is their seems no way to zip tie your booth at night, as there is no rings near the zippers to connect to.I've contacted Show Off with my disappoint of their material. They have offered me a 20% discount on a new top and say the fabric has improved UV protection as of 2 years ago, but I'm losing faith in them and not sure they are worth another try.Am I being unrealistic how long a canopy top should last? My 2nd top did last with great care for 4 years. Doing an average of 30 shows a year that's 120 shows.Okay, so I'm open to hearing any love or hate things people have to say about their particular canopy. Any advice on care of the material is also welcome!
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Posted by Connie Mettler on September 21, 2009 at 6:19pm
Let's see now. If you put on a performance partially funded with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in San Francisco that was named Perverts Put Out would you be surprised if some people were also put out?
Here's a good story from the Houston Chronicle that refutes the outrage: Arts fair becomes target of stimulus critics:
San Antonio festival’s funding called ‘grounds for impeachment’. It seems that stimulus funds were also used for an accordion festival. Do you like that better?
"Perhaps conservatives have something against accordions.
That's one possible interpretation of how the International Accordion Festival in San Antonio became one of this summer's national poster children for big government spending as the right wing came down on $29 million in economic stimulus funding handed out by the National Endowment for the Arts — including $775,000 that went directly to Texas arts groups," says the Chronicle.
I think I've heard this one before. I live near a beautiful state park in northern Indiana, Pokagon. Ever since I was a kid I have loved the stone buildings and pavilions in that park that are as graceful as they day they were built by -- you guessed it -- federal stimulus money called the WPA.
Read the article and tell me what you think. Do the arts deserve this money? Should festivals be receiving money that goes into artists hands?
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In its 49th year the Brandywine Arts Festival in Wilmington, DE, is in deep doo-doo for not paying its bills. Reports say that the event organizers still owe the State of Delaware $8500 in usage fees for the use of Brandywine Park on the banks of the Brandywine River. The fur has been flying (they say). Organizers and parks administrators continue to feud. With the dates of the event coming up fast (September 12 & 13) unofficially it has been announced that the event will take place at St. Anthony in the Hills in Avondale, PA, in suburban Wilmington.
Read all about it: Brandywine Arts Festival leaving Wilmington
and here: Dispute ends Brandywine Arts Festival's Del. tradition
The long-established and popular event, drawing some 20,000 people, has been a fixture of autumn events for the region for almost half a century.
Will one of you follow up on this and let me know what is happening? Is it really moving to Avondale. Please investigate and comment below. Thanks.
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Can't get enough of the Ann Arbor news? Here are some good articles: Who won the prizes? Here are the winners reported by MLive.com:
Art Fairs winners announced The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair presented awards of excellence and originality to 10 artists Thursday morning. The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair is located on Ingalls Mall and North University. Here are the winners: Booth A109, Leon Niehues, Fiber, Baskets Booth A133, Julie Fremuth, Mixed Media Booth A146, Robert Hessler, Clay Booth A225, Paul Eshelman, Clay Booth A226, Chris Roberts-Antieau, Fiber & Drawing Booth A232, Susan Hill, Fiber Booth A233, Shellie Bender, Jewelry Booth A256, Frederick Warren, Glass Booth A272, James Skvarch, Printmaking Booth A281, Donna D'Aquino, Jewelry Mark Traughber (Booth A157, Painting) was named as the 2010 Featured Artist. His original art work will be featured on the Street Art Fair merchandise next year for the celebration of the Art Fair's 51st Anniversary. Awards jurors for the event were Don Bacigalupi Ph.D., President, Director, and CEO, Toledo Museum of Art and Reed Kroloff, Director and Campus Architect of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. Awards were also presented at the State Street Area Art Fair. Here are the winners: 3D Best of Show: William Kidd - Ceramics - Miramar, Fl. Booth 301 Honorable Mention: Marcia Engeltjes - Leather - St. Paul, Mn. - Booth 305 Honorable Mention: Randi Solin - Glass - Brattleboro, Vt. - Booth 220 Honorable Mention: Andrew Madvin - Sculpture - Detroit, - Booth 619 Honorable Mention: Rosario Garcia - Jewelry - Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Booth 532 2D Best of Show: James Parker - Digital Art - Rochester Hills, - Booth 633 Honorable Mention: Karyn Debrasky - 2D Mixed - State College, Pa. - Booth 206 Honorable Mention: Carroll Swayze - Printmaking - Englewood, Fl. - Booth 611 Honorable Mention: Li Wang - Painting - Palm Coast, Fl. - Booth 536 Honorable Mention: Danielle Desplan - 2D Mixed - New York, N.Y. - Booth 230 Here are the award winners for the 2009 Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, presented by The Guild of Artists & Artisans. State Street Area Best in Show: Bonnie Blandford, Jewelry, C027 First Place: Jan & Mel Fleck, Printing/Paper, C072 Second Place: David Larkins, Painting, C111 Honorable Mentions: Char TerBeest-Kudla, Fiber/Fabric, C099 Peter Czuk, Wood, C045 Peter Katke, Photography, C106 BJ Jordan, Jewelry, C063 Main/Liberty Streets Best in Show: Ari Gradus, Printmaking/Paper, D241 First Place: John & Debra Sosnowsky, Jewelry, D154 Second Place: Xiao Xia Zhang, Fiber/Fabric, D295 Honorable Mentions: Chas Gerding, Sculpture, D226 Jim Mullan, Jewelry/Mixed Media, Booth 324 Stan Baker, Ceramics, D308 Richard Miranda, Jewelry, Booth 260 Beloved Street Art Fair Director Shary Brown wears her tiara proudly as she receives accolades from the artists as she moves into retirement. Shary, we're going to miss you! Read the story here:
A tearful, tiara farewell I loved this techie item:
'Ann Arbor Art Fair' ranks among Google's hottest search termsRead more…
Posted by Connie Mettler on September 21, 2009 at 6:04pm
An amazing digital artist (and I
really mean digital in that he uses the computer as his tool) used to
participate in the nation's art fairs. He took top prizes everywhere he went. About five years ago he dropped out to see if he could make it in another arena. It is no surprise to those of us who saw his work to read about his success. Read below and be inspired. From Kenneth Huff: Last week, during the 2009 Ars Electronica Festival in Austria, one of my time-based works was shown, accompanied by the Bruckner Orchester Linz. The concerto for piano, "Lousadzak (The Coming of Light)" by Alan Hovahness, was conducted by Dennis Russell Davis, with Maki Namekawa on piano. The piece was very well-received by the festival audience. There is a brief clip on my blog from the final rehearsal and a photo from the performance:
www.kennethahuffblog/comingofthelight I am looking forward to similar events in the future. ---------- * On-going exhibition of work at the Ars Electronica Center Also at the Ars Electronica Center, there is a three-year exhibition of a selection of my still images, Organik Constructions, that is showing in the center's Deep Space projection gallery. An installation photo and links to the exhibition pages can be found here:
www.kennethahuff.com/blog/ars-electronicafestival.com The exhibition opened 2 January. I was visiting the Center as it was being built in December and was thrilled to experience my work as the very first images shown in the space, the day the projectors were turned on for the first time.
www.kennethahuff.com/blog/2009/01/03/ars-electronica-center ---------- * Blog I have a blog where I am posting current events and news. Occasionally, I also post reference photography, the occasional technical detail and soon, stereoscopic images of my travels. You can find the blog here:
www.kennethahuff.com/blogRead more…
Posted by Susan Lukas on September 21, 2009 at 4:25pm
I too recently lost a friend. He was found dead in his studio from heart failure at age 37. Nick Rostagno was a potter who made beautiful crystalline, raku and high fire red ceramics. He worked hard, but always found time to have some fun. He had lots of friends and will be missed.
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