Scheduling Art Fairs

For me the Ann Arbor Art Fairs in July have always signaled the end of summer. My next show is normally in September so I take August to regroup, restock and take a vacation. I've always wondered how people turned right around after Ann Arbor and did another show. This year, I'm going to find out. Okay it's not really right after Ann Arbor but it is close. I'm doing the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis Aug 7-9 before I get a vacation.

If you like control over your work schedule, this isn't the life for you. You can apply to dozens of juried art fairs and get into none, all or somewhere in between. Okay, I've never gotten into everything I've applied to but I can dream big!

Sometimes your schedule just works out beautifully with close shows back to back and other times you're criss crossing the country, which is going to be my fall schedule. Michigan, Texas, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio. It would be nice if I went right from Tennessee to Florida but there's a week in between.

This works really well for anyone who likes road trips, which I do but I've never done this much traveling in such a short time. 5 shows in 7 weeks means instead of typing this, I need to be in the studio! Back to work...

Best in Show!

Boy, it's not often I get a chance to talk about something that kept a grin on my face for days, but this did. My jewelry won "Best in Show" at the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair on State Street! My first "Best in Show" ever! That award is usually won by fabulous painters or glass blowers, not jewelers.

The fun started early since I wasn't in my booth when they came to give me the award. I had chosen that time to walk around and see some of the show for myself. I got back and started telling Shoaleh what I had seen. What I didn't notice, for quite a while in fact, was that she was wearing this big blue ribbon across her chest! Yes, I did finally notice.

Then came the fun of deciding where to put the ribbon. My initial idea of wearing it as a necklace was quickly vetoed and the ribbon spent it's days moving around the booth. A list of the winners was written up in the local newspaper on Friday so that started the people coming and looking for who won the awards. Not sure it helped sales but it definitely helped keep me grinning!

Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair is next week!

YIKES! What a thought! I worked so hard getting ready for the Boston Mills ArtFest and had so much fun there that it's hard to get back in gear for my biggest show of the year, the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair!

But in the midst of at least thinking about getting in the studio to make new things, I took a day off to "play" with my nephew Tommy. I only get to see him a couple times a year since he lives in Maryland and it's not enough so I grabbed this chance at some one on one time with my favorite kid (not sure that at 5'10" and almost 16 I can still call him that). By the end of the day, between he and Dick, I had one of the best days of my life. It was nothing big but just a lot of little things, lots of warm fuzzies that made me totally forget about work.

But I'm back in work mode today. Starting my lists of what needs to be done so I can prioritize and make sure everything gets done. I love lists and would be lost without them. I have pictures from the front and back of my booth last year since it worked really well for me and I want to repeat it. This picture is my booth last year with Nancy Martin working away inside. I have more cases than at any other show so I need to get working to fill them!

This is the year to come back to the Ann Arbor Art Fairs! If you haven't been in a while, come back and see what you've been missing! Park at Briarwood Mall and take the shuttle in for the easiest Ann Arbor experience.

I'm booth #27 on State Street right in front of Angell Hall. I'll be the tired looking one with a smile on my face because I'm at my favorite show of the year!