Out of State Art Fair

I participated in an Art Fair in Neenah, Wisconsin last Sunday. It was sponsored by the Bergstrom Mahler Museum which has a collection of vintage paper weights. If you find yourself nearby, take the time to see their exhibit, especially if you like things made of glass. Entry fee is a donation.

Across the street from the museum is a park with very old trees and a river view. The lake can be seen from the back of the museum which is on a peninsula. My booth was at the far end with the back of my tent to the main events as all tents faced out so they could use the street or sidewalks as a path for the people. Lots of people attended the show. They even arrived about an hour early to see the show. A lot of fancy/expensive cars were on display as the Bergstrom family has more than a few auto dealerships in southeastern Wisconsin.

I brought items under $300 along with my jury items. The people seemed to understand what I did, that it was labor intense, and overall enjoyed it. I was successful in bringing beauty to the people who visited my booth. The management of the show did a visual inspection of my booth to make sure I brought what I juried. First show that checked that! I was too busy to see the judge, just found the dot on my name card; there was no fanfare with the presentation of the awards, either.

Most of the family groups that visited had a budget which I'm sure was less than my price points. I didn't even sell a pair of earrings, despite bringing a second earring display and starting my prices at $30/pair instead of $40. I've determined that I will find another way to sell the items I consider being my lower price points, as they take more time to set up and maintain in shiny silvery condition than my beaded bracelets and necklaces. As usual, the day was humid and ended up with rain, so I will be polishing the earwires and putting them in antitarnish plastic bags...my least favorite activity.

I have two sales from the effort which is almost enough to cover the expenses, considering two nights in a bargain rate hotel and 461 miles at 28 mpg. We took both sets of weights (8 bags) because the forecast had been for thunderstorms which did not materialize. Unfortunately, some of the artists thought it was going to rain, and started packing up around 1 p.m. Seems the numerous volunteers left early, but I was not the last artist out of the park, packing up a wet tent, etc. and pulling out of the park just past 6 p.m. from a show end of 4 p.m. The tent is now cleaned and dry, put away in the garage, having dried set up in the garage for a day.

It was hard to travel to this show because breakfast was not available before set up and most restaurants served brunch on Sunday and closed early. The items available at the event were not on my diet, although my husband thought they had the best kettle corn. I found raw almonds were most satisfying from my choice of water, cherries, a Lara bar and almonds. Prices in the restaurants were reasonable, with 6 oz. meat portions readily available.

I learned I need to check out restaurants and their hours of service, to find a place close to the event that has tea and to accept that my lowest prices are not within the reach of many of the show visitors. Need to learn to use my phone's camera! Sorry no pics!!!

My next shows will probably be in September, as I am wait listed for two shows until then. I am planning on attending the Illinois State Fair to see my necklace on display.

Art Fair This Weekend in Northbrook, Illinois

This weekend's event is in downtown Northbrook, Illinois, in the Children's Park. It is promoted as being for the children, but I haven't come  up with a product suitable for children. Mostly the jewelry has small parts and lead as hazards. Swarovski is starting to manufacture their beads without lead, but I haven't seen multifaceted beads in their new stock, just some that are reminiscent of Czech glass. Looking forward to seeing their new products as more are rolled out.

The details for the show can be found at http://www.northbrookarts.org/aitp.php#gallery
Artists appearing in the show have photos of their work so you can preview the event and make sure you see the ones that you like most.

Don't forget that it ends at 4 p.m. on Sunday, to allow sufficient time to see the show. This will be my second year, and many artists will be returning as well as new additions.

Hope to see you there!

I want to list links for shows for those who are interested in details of the Art Fairs I will be appearing in.

Dixon, Illinois' Petunia Festival includes Nuts About Art on Saturday during the long July 4th weekend. Dixon is about 1.25 hours west of Aurora, so my travel time will be about the same as a trip to the North Shore suburban shows. Activities are detailed here:  http://www.petuniafestival.org/nutsaboutart

The Northbrook, Illinois Show which is held in the Children's Park near the train station in the downtown area is at:  http://www.northbrookarts.org/aitp.php#gallery

Neenah, Wisconsin, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Festival is held at the museum and lakefront park. I'll be booth 37, close to North Park Avenue along Riverside Parkway. The Museum, known for its paperweight collection, will be open and will have lampworking demonstrations; there are 75 artists participating. For more information see:  http://www.bergstrom-mahlermuseum.com/index.php/artsfest.html

Planning a visit to the Illinois State Fair?   Be sure to visit the Artisans Building on the fairgrounds for the Professional Art Exhibition. A bead embroidered necklace of mine was juried into the exhibit.

http://www.agr.state.il.us/isf/

The fair is in Springfield, Illinois from August 9 - 18, 2013. The necklace will be available for sale at the Fair for $495.

Sky Blue

I have been wanting to work with shades of blue for a while and finally completed a 12 inch section of dutch spiral weave for a necklace. I found a supplier on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/mbonan9?ref=seller_info who tags items by color which worked wonderfully for me. The photos are of sky blue.  Swarovski crystals call this color turquoise (an opaque bead), Czech fire polished glass is a light aquamarine (transparent bead), and Miyuki calls it opaque turquoise blue and sky blue. So it's no wonder I found myself at my local bead store trying to match and/or complement these colors so that I can complete this necklace. The color is lovely, whatever it's name is. Anyone have suggestions? Maybe looking at the turquoise cabochons I have to bead embroider will help....

My wait listed Art Fair for this forecasted rainstorm weekend did not have any cancellations, fortunately for me because it is no fun to do an outdoor show when storms are occurring, especially when you are a last minute invitee with little time to plan and prepare. My next show is on the 4th of July weekend. This gives me time to create more and tend to my Etsy shop, as well as my personal life.

Riverside Arts Weekend

Links are for information on my upcoming art fair. The first is from the promoter and the second is from the event. Each has different relevant information.

http://emevents.com/info-for-patrons-riverside.html#gallery

http://riversideartsweekend.org/

If you are looking for other attractions/activities nearby, the Brookfield Zoo is just west of Riverside, at 31st and 1st Avenue.

Hope to see you at the show!

Latest Additions to Art Fairs

I just learned I was accepted in a show at the Bergstrom Mahler Museum in Neenah, Wisconsin on 7/21 (Sunday). This will be my first out of town show. The museum specializes in glass which is a personal interest for us.

Earlier I added Nuts About Art in Dixon, Illinois on the Saturday over the fourth of July weekend. There is one in September at that location which I might add, although my September weekends are busy and there is the possibility of a wait list show finding space for me (I hope).

These shows are smaller than my suburban Chicago shows and are just for one day. I am not fond of the huge shows with crowds of people. I like to spend time talking to the visitors to my booth and showing them personally the items that attract their attention.

I received the final instructions for my first show of the season, so despite the record flooding earlier in April, the show will go on! If you are near Riverside, Illinois the weekend after Mother's Day, please visit. It is held in the park adjacent to the train station, in the heart of town.

I wish I were blogging more, but I've got to turn my ideas for topics into posts.

I am avoiding Facebook because it freezes my computer, so I don't like to use it. Norton utilities reports the sites posting on my wall are safe. But this has been an on going problem with Facebook, so the plan is to blog more.

Enjoy Spring!

Art Fairs as of April 1, 2013

Blogger is not allowing editing of the links right now which means I cannot update my Art Fair Listing. No, it's not April Fool's joke...

I have been accepted to the EM Events shows which are in Riverside, Northbrook, LaGrange and Batavia (Illinois) in May, July, and September. I have been placed on the wait list for shows in Deerfield, Geneva and Lake Forest, Illinois.

Details for patrons have not been updated for this year; I will post when that information is available.