Art City Austin 2008

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05bfd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>Art City Austin 2008</B></div> <div> <B>6260 N.W. 19 Street, Sunrise, Fl. 33313 Toll Free 1-877-512-3333    Email: </B><A HREF="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com"><U><B>mike@mikealbin.com</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05cd2043.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mike Albin.Com "><U>Mike Albin.Com </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wd.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web design"><U>Web design</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ma.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Articles"><U>Marketing Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="sr.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Show Reviews"><U>Show Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Tools"><U>Marketing Tools</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="l.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#777777" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>April 12-13, Art City Austin, Austin.</B> Contact: Allison Specter, Art Alliance Austin, PO Box 5705, Austin, TX 78763; phone 512-610-4211 or 512-458-6073, ext. 2. E-mail: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="ITC-NewBaskerville" ><U>artist@artallianceaustin.org</U></FONT>. Web site: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="ITC-NewBaskerville" ><U>www.austinfineartsfestival.org</U></FONT> or <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="ITC-NewBaskerville" ><U>www.zapplication.org</U></FONT>. Application fee: $30. Space fee: $470-$1,040. Space size: 10x12 to 12x20. Exhibitors: 230. Admission: $8, Saturday night’s Art After Dark admission: $65. </div> <bR> <div> This is a show that starts out like seemingly every other: Apply through Zapp and hope for the best. But once you are accepted, hold on — you’re in for a ride! It started out with the show staff e-mailing a PDF file of instructions that was 30 pages long. No, I’m not kidding. I spoke with two artists who said their printers ran out ink! It was all a bit confusing and way too time consuming, but Patty and I headed to Austin to try our luck! </div> <div> The show, which used to be called the Austin Fine Arts Festival, was in a new location this year, and there was a little confusion at setup, and, again, things were way over managed. The staff had artists arriving in a staging area four hours before setup actually started. Needless to say, there were a few angry and frustrated participants wondering what was going on. We asked several of the volunteers what was actually going to take place once we were allowed in, but no one had any answers. After our four-hour wait, we pulled very close to our booth and were able to stay there while we set up. It really went a lot more smoothly than I had anticipated while we were waiting around.</div> <div> The show was located on the streets of downtown Austin, and, overall, it was a very nice location. The show’s personnel came around on Saturday to apologize for all of the confusion with setup and listened intently to any suggestions on how to run breakdown more efficiently. </div> <div> The quality of work was very high, and treatment of the artists was second to none! Volunteers came around pulling wagons about every 30 minutes with cold water, energy bars, granola and full boxes of cookies. An awards meal was held on Saturday evening, and after the dinner, artists went back to their booths for another three hours of an Art After Dark Austin festival. It included free wine, more food, music and patrons who spent $65 each to come and walk the show. It was a long day that was worth it for some, though not for others. </div> <div> For Patty and me, it was agonizing, as we did not sell a thing until 10 minutes until closing on Sunday night. We sold two pieces for a total of $2,400, but we did receive an e-mail on Monday with the possibility of another $3,000 order. We’ll have to wait and see.</div> <div> I spoke with two painters. One did OK, but the other zeroed and will not return. I also spoke with three photographers. Two reported way-below-average totals, and one barely made expenses. Two of the three will not return.</div> <div> A sculptor had a good show thanks to one large sale. Two 3-D mixed media artists reported slightly different results, with one reporting an above-average total and the other an average one. However, the latter commented that his average was way down this year. All three said they would return.</div> <div> A glass artist, a potter and a wood artist all reported barely making expenses, and all three said they would not return. </div> <div> Breakdown went very well. Artists were required to break down their booths and displays completely to receive a gate pass. Then we simply needed to pull in, load up and go. It all went off without a hitch. </div> <div> This was our first time in Austin, and we were very impressed with the city! It has a very eclectic collection of stores, restaurants and nightlife. It reminds us of Asheville, North Carolina, on a much larger scale. The people are really friendly, and once the show irons out a few kinks, this should be good one. I would not suggest traveling across country to do only this show, but if you are in the neighborhood doing one of the other really great Texas shows, I would highly recommend sticking around and spending a few days enjoying this beautiful city and its fine art festival.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>