Kentucky

August 21 and 22

35^th Annual Woodlands Art Festival—Lexington, KY

A very well established art show in historic Lexington, Kentucky at the Woodlands Park just east of downtown Lexington claims nearly 200 of the countries top artists.  The area is famous for the University of Kentucky and the wonderful bluegrass region where many of the famous thoroughbred stables are located. Hours are: Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.lexingtonartleague.org/woodland.htm


Iowa

September 3-5

ArtSplash—Sioux City, Iowa

This year is the 17^th annual for this event.  Sioux City is on the edge of the Great Plains and attracts a group of artists from a wide area of the country.  This festival has lots of family activities and is held at the Pavilion on the River adjacent to downtown right off I-29.  Hours are: Friday 5-8, Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.siouxcityartcenter.org/artsplash/

Nebraska

September 11-12

Rockbrook Art Fair—Omaha, Nebraska

Another well established art show is this one held at the Rockbrook Shopping Center, 108^th and Center Street just off I-680.  Over 150 artists will be exhibiting this year for the 39^th edition of this venerable art event.  Great shopping, dining, and just strolling; hours are: Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.rockbrookvillageartfair.com/

Festival of the Trails-Gardner, Kansas

June 11-12

Entrance to Our Building at the Gardner Show 

In the nearly 30 years we’ve been working art shows there have been some really poor ones to remember.  This show will rank right up there with the worst.

Held in a portion of the Johnson County Fairground the show was set up in 2 buildings with an asphalt parking-lot in between.  The committee had arranged a “preview” party on Friday evening to attract the more interested public.  No one came.  If the committee thought they would attract art collectors to the event with a veggie & cheese platter from the local HyVee supermarket then they vastly under estimated their target market.  It was a fiasco.

Saturday morning it rained; no one could be blamed for that.  But lack of planning over basics like fans, air conditioning, parking, tear down procedure, and other issues were evident and reflected in the ambience of the show.  The atmosphere was at least tacky but junky might be a more appropriate label.  The artists in attendance on the other hand were of high quality and good character and did not deserve this shabby venue: one artist commented, “How did they get us here to this mess?”

By one o’clock it was sunny and nice.  Some people came to the event that included a chili cook-off which the judges said to us was “awful”, a car show, and several concerts.  The crowd for the art show was light in the other building and small in our building; we estimated it at 600 people. 

Apparently the committee wildly over sold the crowd count for the event at 10,000.  I spoke to an off-duty policeman and he agreed that the crowd was “not too big”; I’d put the whole event at less than 5,000. Inflated attendance figures are a real problem in this business which hurts both artist and concessionaire who must plan ahead for the crowd.

Nearly every artist I spoke with said sales were dismal to none.  The art show lacked focus, organization, and leadership in my opinion.  As in most non-art-friendly events artist were viewed as a source of revenue for the committee rather than an uplifting attraction that showcases the best intentions of a community.

Art in the Park-Columbia, Missouri
June 5-6, 2010


2010 Art in the Park Logo

This is an established show that has good community involvement and a staff of professionals and volunteers to put it on who know what they are doing.  Not an overwhelmingly large show it is about proportioned to the size and market for the area it serves. 

The location for the show is Stephens Lake Park on the east side of town about a mile from the big University of Missouri Campus.  The park is lovely for the people who attend but a little unhandy for the artists.  The Parks Department does not allow vehicles in the park so everything has to be loaded in and out on foot, with a hand truck, or on one of the ATV’s that are provided by the committee.

The ATV’s and trailers are a new wrinkle this year that worked out pretty well as the distance from the parking areas to the show is about one hundred yard or so making the walk (with a load) an issue especially for artists living with some sort of challenge or other.

The weather was hot on Saturday and very nice on Sunday.  The general attitude of the fair-goers was good and everyone seemed like they were having fun. 

There were numerous side events that complimented the atmosphere and added to the experience for the public. The crowd count was good on both days.  Sales were decent for a show of this size and most artists I spoke to were generally satisfied with the show. 

The only thing that could hurt this show in the future is if the committee tried to expand it.  It might be a little big right now but not overly so.  The size of the show was reflected in the jurying which was good but slightly soft at times.  Overall this is a great event for the public and artists alike.

Kansas

June 11 and 12 

Festival on the Trails, Downtown, Gardener, Kansas

This is an intimate art show with about 40-50 exhibitors indoors so weather is not a factor.

Billed as a fun, family oriented event for the Kansas City suburbs. The event will include art, food, car show, chili cook-off, activities for children, beer garden and free concert with the Little River Band Saturday night.  Hours are 7 PM to 9 PM Friday (preview) and 10 AM to 8 PM Saturday.

http://www.festivalonthetrails.com/index.php

Illinois

June 26 and 27

Fountain Square Art Festival, Sherman Avenue & Clark Street, Evanston, Illinois

This is a major Chicago area Art Festival with a very good reputation for having only the best artists they can find.  For three decades, Fountain Square Art Festival has won acclaim as one of the most prestigious art festivals in the Midwest. With more than 225 artists, it's the largest and oldest juried fine arts fair on Chicago's North Shore. The festival is located on six city blocks in downtown Evanston with the fest's eponymous "Fountain Square" sculpture garden serving as its focal point. This urban setting creates the perfect ambience and embodies the word "sophistication" with an audience of more than 50,000 discerning, upscale art aficionados and collectors.

http://www.chicagoevents.com/event.cfm?eid=123

On St. Patrick’s Day 2010 we had the pleasure of putting on a trunk show in Louisiana.  A trunk show is when we display
our award winning jewelry in someone’s home.  Usually the hostess has an opportunity to help set the exhibit up and this time the lovely Juliette went out of her way supplying her beautiful dining room and hosted a wonderful party at the same time. 

            Held in the chic Garden District of Baton Rouge the day gave us perfect weather so guests could be inside or wander about in the wonderful grounds lovingly cared for by her husband Vernon.  The above photograph depicts the scene just before the crowd arrived.  Juliette’s grand dining room had been transformed into a wonderful art jewelry salon.  



A good time was had by everyone!

         
   (If you are interested in hosting a trunk show contact us and let’s see if we can work out the details.)

Oklahoma

 April 17-18

Stillwater Art Festival, Downtown, Stillwater, Oklahoma  

New to us this Oklahoma show is becoming bigger every year. More than 80 fine artists from around the country will be in Stillwater for the 33rd Annual Stillwater Arts Festival on April 17 and 18 in Downtown Stillwater on Main Street.

Organized and presented by the City of Stillwater, the Stillwater Arts Festival is an outdoor arts event showcasing a juried exhibition of fine art with $1,475 in prize monies for the artists. The festival is held rain or shine.

Sat. 9-5 & Sun. 11-5

http://stillwater.org/content/arts-festival.php

Mississippi

May 8-9 (Mother’s Day Weekend)

Gum Tree Art Festival, Courthouse Square, Tupelo, Mississippi

This is the 39^th year for this terrific art festival.  In a beautifully traditional town in northeast Mississippi perched right on the famous Natchez Trace National Park this festival is worth your attention.  It also has a unique Songwriter’s Festival that draws emerging talent to this event.

http://www.gumtreemuseum.com/gumtree.shtml

Missouri

June 5-6

Art in the Park, Stephens Lake Park, Columbia, Missouri

We have had schedule conflicts for several years so we haven’t worked at the Columbia show but it is a very well attended and quality event. Begun in 1958, Art in the Park is the oldest and largest fine arts festival in mid-Missouri. The festival features more than 100 visual artists from across the United States, displaying a variety of media including painting, drawing, photography, pottery, jewelry, fibers, sculpture, wood, and glass.  We are looking forward to this show.

Sat. 10-5 & Sun. 10-4

http://artinthepark.missouri.org/

Freezin' in Florida

Images
New Smyrna, FL

“Rainbow in the morn'; artists be warned”

At 7:30 AM on January 30, 2010 we were greeted by a wonderful double rainbow over the tents at New Smyrna, Florida where the Images Art Festival was to be held that weekend. The old saying proved correct. For 2 days we were treated with rain, cold, clouds, and wind.

From out of the northwest the wind howled between rainstorms on Saturday then the rain set in permanently at about 3 o'clock. No one was there so the committee said we could all close and come to the awards dinner early.

On Sunday the rain subsided but the wind, clouds, and cold continued. Winds over 20 mph were a constant with gusts above 30 mph. The temperature got to about 55 degrees and then went down. The crowd tried to thicken but never really got to normal levels. Sales were modest. We ended the show with about what we had done last year and grateful for it. At 5:00, closing time, on cue like someone flipped a switch the sun came out and the wind died off to nothing.

Images is a well organized show that tries to cater to the artists. The people of New Smyrna tried valiantly to support the show despite the weather. Although we did not win any ribbons the judging was done efficiently and the judges were interested and pleasant. In general the awards went to artists who deserved them.

Maybe the highlight of this situation was staying at Riverwood RV park in Oak Hill. This is not a high-end campground but it is right on Mosquito Lagoon just in back of the Canaveral National Seashore. There are usually dolphins here but this year seemed record breaking. Annie watched them often sometimes counting over 20 in one group. This may have been related to the cold or just good luck for us. Either way it was an awe inspiring sight.

Even the Bahamian Dancers could not bring us warm weather

Mt. Dora Art Festival
Mt. Dora, FL

A week later we found ourselves in another rainstorm waiting to set up for a show on February 6 & 7. The whole week in between had been cold and blustery and today was no exception.

We were able to park our RV in the high-school practice field and set up camp with about 8 or so other artist. It was about a mile from the show and when we arrived to assemble our tent the rain had nearly stopped slowing to an annoying drizzle while we worked in the crowded dark street.

Mt. Dora is a lovely small town in interior Florida lake country. It retains some of its “Ole South” charm although successive generations of northerners have managed to put their spin on it. The show is massive. At its best it will attract over 250,000 people although this year that figure would not be achieved.

The old downtown (where the show is held) remains bucolic except for the references to New York fashions in the store windows and the catering to old Midwest sensibilities in the cafes and bars. But due to the disconnect between the rather patrician town structure and the rather raucous occasion of a big time art show the downtown district crowd control becomes somewhat heavy handed.

There are strict laws enforce by the police. Dog owners are escorted out of the downtown area by the police for instance or anyone with a suspicious “drink cup” is asked to leave the street. Artists are given assigned parking which is good but once parked you can't get out. The strict rules on the artists had one veteran exhibitor telling me that the show had earned the nickname “Lock-down”.

Most of the police I talked to were pretty decent people who were just trying to do their job as instructed. Maybe a few over-reached but the real culprits were at City Hall and not with the officers.

The show is a very high quality “blue chip” art festival. Talent here is national and international quality. We were not fortunate enough to win anything but the judging was first rate and awards were given out to artist whose work merited them. Our neighbor, John Whipple, a wonderful painter won a ribbon and cash prize and it could not have gone to a better person.

Sales for us were dismal. Cold on Saturday and even colder on Sunday; perhaps topping out at 51 degrees and a constant 25 to 30 mph wind made it uncomfortable and smothered any buzz generated by the crowd. Some artists sold well but on average the show was at least down by half for many artists.

A short rest at Wekiwa Springs before the challenge in Mickey-Land

Osceola Art Festival
Kissimmee, FL

We struggled to tear down at Mt. Dora on Sunday night and get back to Apopka and Wekiwa Springs State park where we would stay and lick our wounds for the week before the next show. We got to camp in time to watch the forth quarter of the Super Bowl and see the miraculous Saints pull off the upset victory while we munched some totally appropriate Popeye's chicken.

Then there was Kissimmee. On Friday February 12 we rolled into Kissimmee to the Valencia Community College campus where the show was to be that weekend. It was raining; again. We were allowed to camp in the parking lot next to the Security Police and the was very welcome from a couple of standpoints.

At Mt. Dora our new Wal-Mart battery in the RV decide to have a dead cell and died leaving us without electric early Sunday morning and being “locked down” at the show with no way to repair it until afterward in the dark. Thank God the local Wal-Mart had a battery but without a receipt for the other one (2 months old) we paid full price again. We experienced no electrical malfunctions at Kissimmee but that was one of the few things that went smoothly.

The rain on Friday intensified. We got the frame up and the top on our tent in a strong drizzle which turned into a relative “goose-drownder” within a short time. The wind blew and the rain was horizontal but we anchored down the tent and got about 75% set up then called it quits.

The next morning was cold. You could see your breath. We finished setting up and opened to cloudy skies, cold, and more wind; perhaps 15-20 mph. Few people came we sold a little.

Sunday was colder; in the 40's. The sun came out by noon and the wind laid down a bit but it only gained about 10 degrees. The crowd was thin and not very prosperous looking. We sold a little less.

In all the years of doing shows this one did generate one new thing. I never heard so much grousing about the judging. Even some of the winners complained and that is very unusual.

Let me say a word about art show judging. First of all if you have a couple judges and expect them to work a whole show with numerous categories of art you are asking too much of the judges. Regardless the skill of the individual few people can reliably evaluate dissimilar media from oil painting to glass to metals to fabric; it's impossible to do a thorough job.

Any judges can have input on the appeal of art after selected by someone who specializes in the media but cannot be expected to be expert in all media. At the least there should be a two-dimensional (2-D) and three dimensional (3-D) specialist on the judging panel.

The complaining was not so much about who won but about the manner of the judges. After experiencing two shows with excellent judging in my opinion the ones for this show seemed detached and disrespectful. That being said I walked the show and looked at the winners. Although a little spotty many good selections were made. However, I don't live in Florida and most of the complaints came from Florida artists who may have experience this same pair of judges before.

Due to friction with the merchants this show was moved from downtown Kissimmee to the campus two years ago. By the looks of it the college was not fully on board with the show being there. Regardless how the show was promoted in the past getting a crowd in these times requires a targeted advertising buy and a lot of help from the community particularly the professional class without whom a first rate show will never materialize in this venue.

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Florida

January 30-31
Images Art Festival, Riverside Park, New Smyrna, FL

Sponsored by the Atlantic Center for the Arts this show is one of best known festivals in Northeastern Florida.  Less than 20 miles south of Daytona Beach the show is in a park adjacent to old downtown New Smyrna with a wonderful view of the Intercoastal waterway.

http://www.imagesartfestival.org/

February 6-7
Mt. Dora Art Fair, Downtown, Mt. Dora, FL

This year is the 35^th Annual presentation of this very well known art festival.  Ranked in the Top 100 by national rating magazines this show has 285 of the best artists from around the nation.  Mt. Dora is a lovely old town in the central Florida lake country.

 http://www.mountdoracenterforthearts.org/event_artfestival.html

February 13-14
Osceola Art Festival, Valencia College Campus, Kissimmee, FL

Sponsored in conjunction with the Osceola Center of the Arts this is the 43^rd annual presentation of this art fair.  Very close to Orlando and the Disney entertainment complex the Osceola show is conveniently located just off Hwy 192.

http://www.ocfta.com/09_visualarts.html

February 27-28
Celebrate the Arts, Marco Island Art League, Marco Island, FL

Located on the grounds of the Art League on Winterberry Dr this cozy show has always been a favorite for artists and visitors alike.  The compact layout makes it easy to see everything and there is a lot of great art to see. 

http://www.marcoislandart.com/celebratetheartsfestival

Alabama
 

March 13-14
Orange Beach Art Festival, Waterfront Park, Orange Beach, AL

The show is right on the Wolfe Bay art center campus and has several other cultural events at the same time the art fair is scheduled.  There is plenty to do and see for everyone.  About 60 exhibitors make this high quality show a pleasure to visit.  Lots of coastal artist as well as art from all across the South grace this well attended event. 

http://www.orangebeachartcenter.com/festivals.html

View from our Booth


Destin, Florida

Posted November 26, 2009

Gulf Tour 2009

            From the Belgravia Show we drove back to the Ozarks and had about twelve days to work in the studio to get ready for our Gulf Coast tour which began at the Mattie Kelly Show on October 24^th at Destin, Florida.  We had not got a confirmation for the Three Rivers festival in Covington, Louisiana but proceeded with the hope that we would be taken off the wait-list.

            The scene back in the Ozarks was the typical bedlam of trying to replace things we sold at Belgravia and come out with some new pieces and touch something like home-life for a few moments.  The Missouri football Tiger’s season was already spinning out of control as Coach Pinkel was doing his very best to come up to the level of mediocrity that we all expect of him and the Kansas City Chiefs were still suffering from Herm Edwards defeat-at-any-cost syndrome.  So there was little help in the diversion department. 

            Except for the unlikely New Orleans Saints who proved to be a bright spot and something to read about within the drab shroud of everyday news served up from Washington.  The Saints are my “default” team in the NFC to support when the Chiefs are in the tank.  Of course, the Saints are usually as bad as the Chiefs so I have a few other “defaults” to fall back on but these are my main two interests.

              Kansas City and New Orleans have the hidden connection that few people outside the transportation industry know about.  The venerable Kansas City Southern railroad has connected the two cities since the late 1800’s. The trade from the Great Plains to the Port of New Orleans has made a lot of people rich over the years.  There was until 1969 daily passenger train service between the two cities on the “Southern Belle” perhaps one of the finest and most beautiful trains to ever grace the iron rails. 

            Recently the KCS has been “test marketing” a restored version of the original train complete with club cars and the heritage paint job.  You can see it rolling along as it cruises through Texas on an experimental run:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLeAiNlhadg

            After a frenzied stay in the Ozarks we were on the road again heading for the Florida Panhandle on October 20^th arriving in Destin the afternoon of the 22^nd; about 800 miles from Missouri. The weather was rough and got rougher Thursday night and Friday morning but by that afternoon it had cleared a bit for set-up.  The blustery weather died down a little and the sun came out.  The breeze then turned to the northwest and by Saturday the weather was nice but there was still considerable wind to deal with; note the elaborate tent tie-downs common to Gulf Coast shows in the photos.

            Destin is a beautiful show.  Right smack dab on the Gulf at Henderson Beach State Park with a wonderful view and fantastic Emerald Coast beaches to look at and lots of nice quality artwork.  The problem is that this truly beautiful show has been in the sales doldrums for several years now.  The crowd on Saturday was good and sales corresponded but on Sunday you could at times have thrown a bowling ball down the aisle and not hit anyone.  I just don’t know what the deal is but something is going to have to change or there will be problems getting quality exhibitors.  That being said we were very surprised and delighted to win a ribbon and cash Award of Merit in the judging competition.

             After Destin on Tuesday we drove west through a rippin’ storm that started at about Ft. Walton Beach and continued to near Pensacola.  When we arrived at Bluegrass RV Park just east of Foley, Alabama we were met by Tom Jackson (the owner) his staff and family with a very hearty greeting from people who make you feel welcome.  Bluegrass is nothing fancy but it is clean, safe, grassy, and open with easy access to Gulf Shores as well as shopping in Foley. 

            Annie’s old friend Jill Stock, her husband, “Coach” and their friends the Sipes had rented a condo in Gulf Shores so we got to see them a few times. We also stocked up supplies and rested for a week before moving.  The artist Joe Sheffield and his wife Peggy live nearby in Daphne and seeing them was an added bonus before heading off for two more shows.

            Next up would be the big Peter Anderson street festival at Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  By the time we landed in Alabama we finally confirmed Three Rivers Art Festival in Covington, LA getting off the wait-list two weeks before the show date.  So the next couple weeks would be filled with shows and travel.

            We are blessed with several very nice friends who live in the Gulf South and usually get to see them.  Even though our friends Butch and Juliette Smith of Baton Rouge were scheduled to fly to Costa Rica they took the time to catch up with us in Slidell for dinner at the Boiling Point.  We also got to have a rare social visit at The Shed (a famous Mississippi BB-Q place) with a number of our artist friends after working “Pete”.  That was pretty cool. 

            The next day was scheduled for a day of rest after The Pete but that was changed by the weather.  Hurricane Ida was in the Gulf and they predicted it would be making landfall about 40 miles east of where we were camped.  I wasn’t too worried about this Cat I storm but we didn’t want to drive in it on Tuesday.  So we had to pack early and head out by noon and beat it over to Madisonville, LA.  When we got there we didn’t experience much rain, it just blew for a couple days but the storm surge did cause Lake Pontchatrain to back up into the RV park. (see pictures)

            The Fall produced generally good shows sales with the exception of Destin; although the definition of “good” has changed somewhat with the installation of the new administration in Washington.  Crowds were generally enthusiastic and friendly and the shows all went smoothly.  The only negative is that award judges at two shows gave ribbons to “buy-sell” booths (frauds that claim to make their work but instead obtain it commercially).

             The art jewelry category is particularly infested with “buy-sell” and it is an unconscionable scandal that shows cannot provide competent judges for these events.  With the increasingly expensive jury process and entry fees we pay a lot of money to get in these shows and deserve decent judges for the competition. Show committees are often very parsimonious when it comes to paying judges regularly selecting untrained or barely adequate people to judge these events.  I really don’t care which artist wins so long as it is someone who deserves it instead of an anonymous workshop in Eastern Europe or a Thailand knock-off of Le Vian. 



Looking at the Show from Henderson Beach



Booth Tie-Down Method Common to Gulf Coast Shows

Office With WIFI Set Up Under our Trailer Awning in Mississippi


Inside the Shed BBQ after the "Pete"


Lakeview from Slidell, Louisiana--I-10 Bridge in Background


Hurricane Ida Backs Lake Pontchatrain up into Fairview-Riverside State Park

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"Home Sweet Home" (its a joke son!)

October 10, 2009

The Run-Up to Belgravia  

            Arriving back to the Ozarks after being gone for a month is an odd mixture of relief, anticipation, and dread.  It is a relief that four shows were behind us and we are home without significant injuries and enough money to go on to the next round.  Tucker our Maltese finds his usual place on the couch, looks out the window, and goes to sleep.

            Tucker's attitude notwithstanding, upon arrival the schedule gets tight.  You force yourself to take a day off although it is not really a “day of leisure”.  A day off means not getting up until 9:30, having a big breakfast, then doing bookkeeping and not heading directly for the studio. 

            We really only had about 4 full days of studio work before leaving for Louisville, KY and the Belgravia Show at the Court of St. James Art Festival. Our inventory had been depleted and we needed to get to the studio and work.  Meanwhile, we would get clothes ready, order supplies and have them shipped Fed Ex, design some new work, take care of the yard, clean the house, get birthday cards in the mail, pay bills, and generally pack about two weeks of “normality” into nine days. 

            This peculiar balancing act is known to all traveling artists and a few other occupations but is not in general practice with the public.  Therefore, it is difficult to convey the sort of organized calamity that passes for our life as these transition periods between shows are the illusion of what passes for normal to the outside observer. 

            In other words, from the outside people think when you are “home” then that is what constitutes living because home is the most common experience between people.  For us and others in our line of work “home” is just another RV park, so to speak: except this one has a fully equipped studio. 

            In general people who know us think that being home is a commonly shared experience.  That our home-life has elements in common with their home-life in such a way that we can equate our collective experience into a familiar ground: this is only partially true.

            “Home” for the traveling artist becomes a larger, less structured and more chaotic place of being.  It encompasses a physical address, a cell phone, the cab of a pick-up truck, an RV, a studio, the Interstate Highway System, strange RV parks, show-sites, strange towns, thousands of people you do not know, other strangers, Wal-Mart, truck stops, 2-lane roads, and a few friends that one is able to hang on to over the years. 

            I use the word “home” euphemistically.  When I do I am referring to our physical address in the Ozarks.  Even there I’ve got to be careful because we have 3 mailing address (that’s another story) and at times I have to translate in my dyslectic mind just which one applies to which place. 

            Over the years miles have become measured in hours the same as over the road truckers.  The calendar is marked off into show seasons.  Money is only referred to in terms of bill paying. Calculation about making a living come to mean precious metal’s prices and the caret weight of the stones we use juxtaposed to what we owe on any given day.

            Everyone is shaped by their profession.  The artist is not immune to this axiom. A Polish artist lady told us that she was trying to explain how we make a living to her sister in Poland.  “Like a gypsy” she told her.  It is the only words that translated into Polish that came close to a description; “…but good too…” she added with an ironically crooked smile.

                                                                                                                                                                               
   
Belgravia Entranceway
                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                          
                                                                                                          


Landmark Building



Secret Garden


The Watcher

Photo credits: A Ann Reif

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