Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival

<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>Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival</B></div> <div> <B>347-LOVE-ART  (347-568-3278)   Toll Free 1-877-512-3333</B><B>    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> 2003 Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival</div> <div> March 21-23, 44th Annual Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival. Winter Park, Forida. </div> <div> Contact: Post Office Box 597, Winter Park, Fl. 32790-0597, 407-672-6390, </div> <div> <U>www.wpsaf.org</U><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >, </FONT><U>applications@wpsaf.org</U><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > $30.00 jury fee, $250.00 space fee, 280 spaces over 1400 applications this year. </FONT></div> <div> This is a show that all other shows should use as a model on how to organize and run an art show. This was the 44th annual Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival and the committee members have it down to a science.  Everything from the application process right down to loading out was very well organized, well run and a great show to do. Amenities included artist's breakfast in the morning, a great Saturday night party and Awards dinner, booth sitters, day before set-up, a full color brochure with color photographs of every artist's work, $60,000.00 in awards, an emerging artist program, children's workshop village and a very friendly staff of volunteers.</div> <div> The show is run entirely by 45 different non-paid volunteer board members, each of whom is a director of his/her own department.  The board members meet once a month for 2-3 hours all year round and then have another 2-3 hours of work per month at home/office to complete between meetings.  That number goes up as the show gets closer.  They listen to artists' recommendations, after show surveys and go by their own experience to put on a show where the artists come first. </div> <div>  " We wouldn't have a show to do if weren't for the artists," says board member Carolyn Bird.  They go out of their way to make sure the artists have a comfortable venue in which to sell and display art.  </div> <div> This past year they had 1400 applications for 280 spaces of which 32 were already spoken for by last years award winners.  Three jurors spend a weekend in November reviewing the over 5000 slides sent in and choosing artists for the remaining 248 spots.  Then they go through another 200 or so slides for the Emerging Artist Program.  After all of that the jurors are still not done.  They return in March and are judges at the show to determine who receives their share of the $60,000.00 in prize money and an invitation to return to next years show.  There are first, second and third place winners in ten different categories as well as Best in Show and a Morse Museum Award. </div> <div> The show sends out invitations to 250 different art schools all east of the Mississippi River to find prospects for the Emerging Artist Program.  Each year they receive anywhere from 30-50 applications from art students hoping to make their living at art shows.  In the past, jurors have selected as few as three artists and as many as five to participate.  This year there were five.  The show then pays all expenses for the artist including travel, hotel, food, tent and display panels so they can make it to the show to sell their work.  Last year a leather and fiber emerging artist from Illinois completely sold out her booth and returned this year as one of the professional artists. She also had to beat the odds in the jury process for this year.  "We don't play favorites for emerging artists returning the following year," says board member C. Douglas Kerr.   They are very proud of the fact that the quality of artwork at their show is extremely high. </div> <div> There is also a very popular Children's Workshop Village sponsored by Wachovia Bank, which offers hands-on instruction for kids from two to twelve. It's provided by eight different area art museums.  Included in this village are easel painting, tile rubbing, cut-outs, craft activities, collages and quilting.  All of the workshops are free to kids coming to the show.  </div> <div> There is also a school exhibit featuring the outstanding artworks of some 8000 Orange County public and private school students.  Works are selected by their art teachers and represent the highest quality of school arts and crafts throughout Orange County.  There are also awards for middle and high school students.</div> <div> Are you getting the feeling that the people running this show are into promoting the arts at all levels?       The show also has a scholarship program at two different art colleges.  The first one is at Rollins College and is named after the founder of the show, Jean Oliphant.  The second scholarship is for the University of Central Florida and is named after the art festival.</div> <div> At one end of the show is the stage for the bands, which is sponsored fully by Southwest Airlines.  Southwest pays for all of the entertainment and advertising expenses.  WLOQ, a local, soft-jazz radio station, advertises the show and does local broadcasts from the park.  Channel 2, one of the local television stations, airs advertisements for the show and does the morning and afternoon weather forecasts from the show each day.  At each broadcast one artist is chosen to feature their work on the air.  The artist receives approximately two minutes to tell about themselves and their work.  In addition to all of the television and radio coverage, the Orlando Sentinel features four different artists from the show in the paper.  </div> <div> I told you these people really know how to run a show and promote the artists.  Once you arrive at the show one of the main attractions that sets them apart from most other art shows is the show program.  I've been to major league sporting events that did not have as an elaborate program as you see at this show!  A full color glossy paged program with a full color photo of every artist's work categorized by the type of work in the show.  Under each photo was the artists' name and booth space number.  Also included was a map of the show grounds with booth location numbers.  There were no phone calls prior to the show asking the artist if they would like to pay for an ad in the program!  The program was paid for in full by outside companies and museums that wanted to have their names associated with the show.</div> <div>  </div> <div> One of the main things I hear artists talking about at art shows is "how much money art shows make from all of the booths, arts and food, advertisers and sponsors."   I ran a business for 16 years prior to becoming an artist so I know there are plenty of expenses that go along with putting on a show of this magnitude.  So I had to ask.  The Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival had a working budget last year in the $250,000.00 range.  Remember now, all of the 45 board members and hundreds of helpers required to put on the show are volunteers, none of them are paid for their time, energy and expertise.  So where does all of the money go?  I'm glad you asked!  Biggest expense is the $60,00.00 in awards for the artists including the $10,000.00 Best in Show.  After that there is $40-45,000.00 in city services which include police, fire, trash removal and parks and recreation services, $37,000.00 for advertising the show and paying the bands.  The rest goes to emerging artist's expenses, scholarships, mailings, printing, judges, (yes, judges do get paid and I know at some point we have all wondered why), annual projects and the day-to-day expenses that crop up on us all.  </div> <bR> <div> So with all of this going on at the show, did any artwork sell over the weekend?  I know this is the most important reason we go to shows because if we're not selling our work the amenities won't pay our bills.  There is a reason this show was voted number three in the Sunshine Artist's top 200 shows.  People come here to buy!  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>