I’m fresh off the latest art show I’ve attended this year. Funk in the City was this past Saturday and whew-eeeeee it was a hot one. Not as hot as the Mt. Vernon show I did in June, but for late September and considering it’s supposed to be fall… it was hot. It got up to 92˚ according to my van.
But that didn’t stop the people from coming out. We had a good turn out. However, it wasn’t my best show sales wise. As I compared notes with other artists nearby, most said basically the same thing. We wondered if it being an election year had anything to do with it. Not many people were walking around with purchases it didn’t seem like, at least not like normal.
I saw a news promo for Funk in the City a few days before the show and they had said there were all new people taking care of the show. Although I did see a few familiar faces… Chris I think is the tall guys name and he is super nice and always helpful. The show is set up the same each time, so that is nice to know what to expect. You drive in, temporarily park and pick up your packet. Then if you’re there in time, you can pull your vehicle up to your spot and unload.
Being able to unload at your booth is a huge benefit for me. Some shows you’re just not able to do that. I now have nine panels in my booth, a 70 pound tent, not to mention more and more paintings and heavy tubs of prints – and that is a lot of unloading and toting around. I’m wore out before it begins. I would like it if the show directors would extend that unloading time by an hour. The cut off is 8 am and the show doesn’t start until 10. I think they could extend it until 9 or at least 8:30 and not have a problem.
They came around once fairly early in the day and handed out a bottle of water – which I thankfully accepted. I had brought drinks but I would have appreciated another round or two of the water because I went through mine quickly due to the extreme heat and negligible breeze. I brought half Diet Coke and half water, six drinks total. The Diet Coke just wasn’t cutting it so I went through my water quickly.
They had the musicians out in the middle area, but I think some didn’t show because it was so spotty with live music. It was right out in the sun and there was no tent for them, so if they didn’t show because of the heat, I can’t say I blame them. There were music stations to fill in the gap so it wasn’t awkwardly quiet.
Funk in the City Drama
When I first arrived to my booth area, there was a car parked about 2 feet into my space. It was parked right in front of a sign that said no parking today that had been put there the day before at 1 pm I was told. A policeman was called and he found out the car belonged to a resident across the street. They called him, banged on the door and even called his mother (!!) and he never showed his face. His mother told the police she did a “find my phone” and he was indeed in his apartment, he just wasn’t answering anything.
This distraction slowed me way down on setting up because the officer asked me to not set up in case he could get him to come down and move the car. I eventually got the okay to set up after they finally gave up. The people in the booth next to me had to be moved down the street somewhere and I just tried to squeeze my booth into my spot minus a couple feet.
My booth neighbor, Daniel N. Fair, was most gracious and allowed me to set up my booth touching his to accommodate my tent and panels. Normally, there would be a small area in between our booths. Daniel’s art business is called A Bug, A Bear, & A Boy Art & Collectibles. He makes really cool items made out of reclaimed old barn wood, rusty bits and pieces like shovels, tools and all kinds of odds and ends. He has some really creative stuff. His business card title is Artist & Handyman and he lives in Winslow, Indiana. I always try to get a photo of the booths next to me, but I forgot this time. Click the business name to take you to his Facebook site.
Just as the show was opening its gates to the public (10 am), here comes the car owners mother. She was cursing and throwing a hissy fit and the show director handled her as best she could. The car was wedged in between two booths, mine and another. She got in the car and started it up. The best thing to do in this situation is to just get her out of there and so the director was right to just let her leave even though they would have to ask lots of people to stand back so the mother could exit the gated street.
The show director was there and let us know we should both watch our booths so the mother didn’t do any damage. After much inching forward and backward, she finally was able to get the car out. If the other booth had panels as I did, the mother would have been out of luck. Once they’re put together as mine were and have all your work hanging, the only time I’m taking them down is to leave. The other booth, a jewelry booth, was nice enough to move a table so the mother could get the car out.
With that fiasco finally over with, we were able to get on with the show. Crowds came in quickly, everyone was sweating but seemed to be having a good time. People took advantage of the missing booth next to me to stand in the shade of my booth. I didn’t mind until someone must have tried to lean on the booth and inadvertently knock off three of my paintings on to the ground. I jokingly yelled SOLD! as I thought it was the people in my booth looking at them. Turns out it was the people behind my tent. No harm done though, the paintings survived just fine.
The day went pretty fast as most shows do that have a good crowd. I got to chat with a few of the artists around me and talked to Daniel the most. We laughed and fought off the heat. At the end of the show, he was quite the gentleman and helped me take my tent down – not an easy feat for a short girl.
All in all Funk in the City is a very good show. I’ll do it again and would recommend any artist to give it a try. It has a great vibe to it and is in a beautiful neighborhood called Goosetown where the homeowners and tenants take great pride in their homes and properties. It’s Evansville’s thriving Arts District and I’m happy to be a part of it.
The area is Haynie’s Corner and I only had one person ask if I were related to the people who has it’s namesake. (hah! Legend has it he (Haynie) was a pimp)
Here’s a video I made with Facebook Live sharing the action and my booth. What fun! Technology is so awesome. Here’s my Facebook page, come take a look and give me a like if you will 🙂
So I’ve got another show a month from now in Henderson, Kentucky. It’s the DHP Artisan Market at Audubon Mill Park on the riverfront. You can find more about it and other upcoming events on my Events Page by clicking here or on the Events tab above.
Learn more about me on the ‘About’ page in the menu at the top. I’m an artist – a painter mostly and an avid gardener. I paint a variety of subjects including birds, koi fish, my gardens, ponds and flowers as well as anything having to do with nature especially trees and tropical scenes. I also enjoy painting abstracts and have started created more and more of them. My most favorite thing to try to achieve in my painting is is mystery.
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