(Above: Booth 107 ... MY BOOTH ... at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show 2017. Click on any image to enlarge.)
Yesterday morning Steve and I arrived at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. By the afternoon, we had unloaded and set up our booth. I snapped three photos ...
... including this one! Here's Steve standing in our space. We hadn't unloaded a thing. It didn't take much time for the area to look like ...
... this! Quickly, I put together the interlocking carpet tiles that become our floor. Several of our carpeted wall units are shown here ... standing up as "corners". It took a couple hours of unpacking, arranging, and struggling with the track lighting until we were ready. I posted these first three images on Facebook and got all sorts of positive comments. Many people said my booth looks quite sleek and professional (Thanks!)... but the truth of the matter is that my booth is rather straight forward. It is basically just a ProPanel "readymade" gray booth. That's when it occurred to me that I ought to share some of the amazing designs that showcase the best crafts from across the nation and ...
... a "behind the scenes" blog post. First, this is the way our booth looks "behind the wall". We requested this booth area. It is in the first of seven long rows. We request this space because there's plenty of space for storage behind our wall.
The same can be said of the 700 aisle. Lots and lots of space for artists whose work comes in crates, tubs, giant boxes, etc. Behind the scenes there are ladders, rolling carts, extra artwork, bubble wrap, and chairs for spouses.
Behind the end walls the convention center has fork lifts ...
... and everything ready to roll in place for this evening's fancy gala ...
... including dozens of tables and scores of chairs. Being at a high end craft show is an amazing opportunity. It is also a way to see a year of organization coming together seamlessly.
It is also a chance to see how different artists use a multitude of materials to create 10' x 10', 10' x 15', and corner locations together in ways to showcase their artwork to best advantage. Please remember, almost every booth came in a vehicle and will be dismantled and put back into a vehicle on Sunday evening. Today, I walked the aisles and snapped these photos of "empty booths" as a way to share the ingenious ways artists create their spaces. Above is the booth directly beside mine. Brilliant! It is constructed from 1" black foam-centered board. I can't wait to see the work that fits into the lit enclosures.
Please continue scrolling down ... just to see the unique settings before the artwork is installed! By this evening, it will all look quite differently ... even regal. As I walked the convention center floor, red carpeting was being rolled into all the aisles for the fancy gala. Enjoy this "behind the scenes" look!
Ahhhhhhhhh This is really something !!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a variety of stalls !
(there must be one or two you envy a bit ???) ;-)
Have a good week, Susan !
(and Man !!!)
Does each exhibitor have to bring EVERYTHING to set up their stall, right down to the floor covering? Wow!
ReplyDeleteI am part of the Embroiderers' Guild NSW in Australia and the Guild exhibits at the annual Craft and Quilt Fair in Sydney. Part of the cost of exhibiting there is the hire of walls etc for our portion. Would hate to think about getting everything in from outside. You amaze me, as do all the other stall holders, with your collective ingenuity.
And I really like your work, Susan
Leslie
Wow this is awesome to see the 'back side', thank you for sharing what is usually hidden from the visitor but is such a big part of the whole event.
ReplyDeleteYour stall looks beautiful!
What a very interesting post! I have often wondered what went on before the 'grand opening'
ReplyDeleteThank you for this insight.
What a very interesting post! I have often wondered what went on before the 'grand opening'
ReplyDeleteThank you for this insight.