Scottsdale: When you gamble, sometimes you lose
May 3, 2013 at 3:53 pm 2 comments
I was so excited to do the big art show in Scottsdale, Arizona. (The Scottsdale Arts Festival, March 2013)
Some sad, soggy art.
It was a gamble. I knew that. Coming from out of state meant my travel costs were high (there’s no such thing as a cheap hotel in Scottsdale). But it’s such a great show! Everyone says so. I did a lot of research, read lots of reviews, both from artists and from patrons. It sounded perfect. I was ecstatic when I was accepted to participate. It’s not an easy show to get into; the competition is pretty fierce. I was really looking forward to this great show I’d heard so much about.
Note: when a patron says a show is “great” they mean that the art is of consistently high quality and the show is a visual treat. When an artist says a show is “great” they mean that art collectors come to the show and buy lots of art. Usually the two overlap to a high degree.
I had very high hopes for this show.
Unfortunately, my hopes weren’t matched by reality. Frankly, I lost my shirt on this one.
The weather was against us for 2 of the 3 days. Cold winds and rain doused us all day Friday and most of Saturday. That surely dampened spirits. Oh yeah, and it hailed on Friday. Twice.
But actually a lot of people came to the show, in spite of the rain. (They did all leave when the hail started.) And even more people showed up Sunday when the weather was nice. It got quite crowded. So I can’t blame the weather. Plenty of people showed up, more than I expected.
It just wasn’t the right crowd for me. I gave it my best shot and lost. Sometimes that happens.
The good thing is there’s always another show. Up next for me is the Beverly Hills Art Show, May 18-19, 2013. Also a gamble, but at least I get to sleep in my own bed. See you at the show!
Barbara J Carter 
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david webb | May 15, 2013 at 6:26 am
I feel for you…my wife and I did a show last week in Birmingham MI. Cold and windy on Sat. With sleet and very windy on Sun. Some tents down and others gave up. Thats art shows
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barbarajcarter | May 15, 2013 at 1:58 pm
Oh, man, isn’t it the truth! I feel very lucky that I’ve never had any serious damage from the outdoor shows. At Scottsdale, I did see one artist struggling to keep her booth from skidding around in the wind (she didn’t have any weights to hold it down), but amazingly there wasn’t much damage. I can’t describe how nervous I felt leaving my tent Friday afternoon as the storm picked up strength, or how relieved I felt Saturday morning when I arrived and my tent was still in one piece. We do roll the dice for these shows.