It's hard for me to realize that last Thursday (a full week ago!) was the gala opening party for the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. At least Steve and I remembered to snap a photo of my booth right before the big party started.
It is such an honor to be among the 190 artists selected by a team of jurors from over 1200 applications. Yet, it is also risky and a lot of work! Sales aren't guaranteed. Our 10' x 15' booth rent was about $1800 (and that doesn't include the $150 for electricity!) Lots of physical labor is required too.
Steve and I loaded the cargo van last Monday afternoon. We left Columbia on Tuesday morning and spent the night about an hour south of Philadelphia. Our scheduled move-in time was Wednesday at 9:00 AM. Fortunately, cargo vans are allowed to drive straight onto the convention center floor. We were able to put down our interlocking carpet tiled floor before dumping everything else onto it. Ideally, unloading should take no more than forty minutes ... in order to allow another cargo van access. Then, the fun starts ... erecting the ProPanel walls, installing the lights, hanging the artwork, posting pricing labels, and preparing receipt pads, pens, bubble wrap, bags, and a PayPal machine in anticipation of a busy weekend.
The gala was wonderful. We even sold a few pieces (which is actually a bit unusual during a gala!) Then on Friday morning, the line starts forming outside the show. Steve always likes to go out and snap a photo of the crowd. We were busy all day on Friday, 11 AM to 9 PM. My feet were sore ... but I really couldn't think about them because I was standing from 10 - 6 on Saturday and 10 - 5 on Sunday.
I managed to take exactly one picture of people in my booth. Otherwise, I was busy talking about my work, selling Christmas ornaments, and trying to place artwork into permanent homes! As far as I can tell, there's no good way to figure this "art thing" out. In the past, my Lancet Window Series has always been my best selling size. This time, I didn't sell a single one. At home, no one has really been excited about the pieces over which I poured artist-grade, UV filtering epoxy. Yet, I sold five of the seven I brought to Philadelphia. The fiber vessels did well too. The only thing that was really different is the location in my booth where I put the display stand on which the vessels sat. All in all, it was a very good show ... and then Steve and I dismantled the booth, loaded it back into the cargo van, and came home to the mountain of required paperwork that comes with out-of-state sales tax!
This week has been busy with other things too! Yesterday was the opening reception for the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial. Two of my works were accepted. I went by earlier to take a look and snap a few photos. I am profoundly happy that my Loss Installation was on view. Before this, I was the only person to have ever seen it hang. That happened because I installed and took pictures all by myself. Sure, I shared images on this blog, my website, and on social media ... but it is just not the same as having the work really seen in person! For a blog post about this installation and how it was my way of coping with the grief of family estrangement, CLICK HERE.)
The reception was really nice. It is an honor to be among the state's most talented artists and to hear the things people say when viewing my work.
The show is up until December 22. There's a catalog too. Before going to the reception, however, I finish mounting In Box CCCLXVII, a totally hand-stitched piece. I stitched it in the cargo van on the ride to and from Philadelphia. It is similar to the one I finished after riding to Fort Myers, Florida a weekend earlier. Fortunately, the other piece did find a home while in Philadelphia. This new piece will be going to the Grovewood Gallery this weekend. With luck, it too will be adopted!
Your booth looks fantastic, I would love to see it for real. Sadly you are too far away so I shall enjoy your art from a distance.
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