Last weekend, October 12 -13, I attended the Blue Ridge Arts Festival 2013. It was my first experience showing my artwork at an outside festival. I had shown my art students work before at different festivals, but I found that things have changed a great deal since my last experience. As I researched online, I found information on what is now required in the way of display and setup. I discovered that I needed not only a tent but also some type of walls or grids to hang my artwork. The next problem was finding these materials locally or close enough where I could get them before I had to leave on the trip. The next problem was transportation. How was I going to get it there if it would not fit inside my small Nissan Sentra? As I explored my options online I found that I could get a 10 x 10 foot EZ pop-up tent at Sam’s Club locally. I decided to go with the grid system and hooks for the display because the other option was carpeted display walls that fold up and I was concerned about getting them in my car. When I picked up the display grids from the warehouse, it took about 20 minutes for two men to get then in my car. I should have had a pickup truck or at least an SUV or small van. I was determined to go through with this in spite of all the problems.
I was not worried about having enough artwork, I knew I had more than I could probably fit in the car, but I did have a local art printing company reproduce some of my original watercolors. I found a company here locally, Gallery Street, and they were great to work with. I could not recommend them more highly. Placing my order was easy and I uploaded the photographs of my work over the internet and chose their option of having the prints inserted in clear bags with cardboard backing. They were ready when I picked them up and needed no other preparation other than me enclosing my business card and signing and numbering the prints.
Packing the car was a big problem since I do not have a large car or SUV. I had to leave some large paintings and containers at home. This was probably the biggest problem I experienced with this new adventure. The grids were wedged into the passenger side from the back windshield to the dashboard in the front. My folding table and a painting were on top of this.
Packed car
When I arrived in Blue Ridge, Ga. later than planned, I wanted to try to get the tent set up in the one hour I had before darkness would set in. I found out quickly that this is a very difficult without another person to help maneuver pulling the spring mechanism that works like an accordian and has to be pulled from both sides at the same time for the tent to expand. The setup was delayed until the next morning when my sister could help.
Having two people to set up was much easier and after asking some advise for other exhibitors, the tent was erected. The bigger problem were the grids for display. Not only could I not get the boxes of the car and had to cut them out of the boxes, but then the stands were not going together as they should. We ended up having to improvise and use plastic ties to join them. The next time will devise a better plan for assembling the grids. They are very strong but the assembly of getting them to form walls for the display is difficult and is best achieved if they can be secured by attaching to the poles of the tent. The hooks that I bought to hang my artwork worked fine but the artwork kept falling from the wind. This might improve if wire is strung on the back of the artwork.
It was a great experience. I met a lot of nice people and was encouraged by customers reaction to my artwork. My learning process on how to travel and create a portable art gallery at arts festivals was greatly expanded from the new acquaintances I met at the Blue Ridge Art Festival 2013.
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