Art in the Park, Plantation

<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>2004 Art in the Park, Plantation</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> Oct. 23-24, 38th Annual Art in the Park, Plantation, Fl.  Contact:  Junior Women’s Club, P.O. Box 15473, Plantation, Fl. 33318.  954.797.9762, email: plantation juniors@hotmail.com   </div> <div> This show is in Liberty Tree Park in Plantation.  There are wooden guard rails surrounding the park so bring a good dolly.  Parking is fairly close by so you don’t have to dolly too far.  This would be a local show for us, we ride our bikes to this park, it’s that close.  We did this show twice before and it was not good for us either year.  This year we had the weekend off and decided to go Sunday afternoon and talk with the artists that did the show.  I had 6 artists with differing mediums fill out quick audit cards and return them to me.  I spoke with many more artists all of whom confirmed our beliefs that expensive work just does not sell here.  </div> <div> The big story this year among the artists was how the show had shrunk in size from 160 artists last year to not quite 100 this year.  I had 10 different artists tell me the same story.  Most of the fine artists that had done this show for years had finally given up on it and did not return.  There’s a growing children’s area that attracts lots of mommies and strollers but very few art buying patrons.  Attendance figures are published as 100,000 but most I spoke with said attendance is figures are closer to 10,000-15,000.  Artists really do resent being lied to by show directors!  </div> <div> On to the reports.  I spoke with twenty or so artists in a wide variety of mediums and price ranges.  Three of the twenty were happy with sales, one was somewhat happy and the rest were complaining.  A metal sculptor selling items in the $50.00-$100.00 range has been doing the show for years and said this year was down about 50% from last year which was also down from the year before.  He rated sales 5, advertising, management and treatment all rated 3.  A mixed media artist rated sales 10, with average sales of $300.00.  She said she was helped greatly by her work being on the poster and t-shirts for the show.  A photographer rated sales a 1 with total sales for the weekend at $700.00, he will not return.  A jeweler with sales of $1500.00, average sale $25.00, rated sales a 4.  They’ve doing the show for years and will give it another try.  A watercolor artist with sales of $1500.00, average sale $80.00 rated sales a 4 and will not return.  An oil and acrylic painter doing the show for the first time rated sales a 9, average sale $50.00-120.00 and will definitely be back.  </div> <div> As we were walking into and around the show there were only a few people carrying items bought here.  The people that were carrying items were more the inexpensive variety, smaller matted prints, photos and stained glass.  The crowd here seems to fit into two categories, younger couples with young kids and strollers and retired people from the nearby retirement community.  Neither of which seem to spend much on art.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>