FEATURED SHOW REVIEW
January 2007
KENTUCKY
October 6-8, St. James Court Art Show, St. James Court section, Louisville. St. James Court Art Show, Marguerite Esrock, PO Box 3804, Louisville, KY 40201; phone 502-635-1842. E-mail: mesrock@stjamescourtartshow.com. Web site: www.stjamescourtartshow.com or www.zapplication.org. Space fee: $400-$450. Exhibitors: 330 (700 for the overall event). Attendance: 325,000 (staff and police estimates).
By Julie Kelly
Minnesota Reporter
E-mail: Julie@juliekellyglass.com
Medium: Mixed media glass-and-copper birdfeeders
This review covers only the original St. James Court section, or "The Court," which had 330 artists in 2006. The show was a fundraiser to preserve this area of historic Victorian homes. All the residential streets were blocked to traffic, and the park and fountain made for a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere for the shoppers.
Artist check-in and setup were very well coordinated. Exhibitors received an arrival time and were able to drive through the check-in point with their photo identifications and proceed right to their spaces. At the close of the show, exit passes were issued to get all artists on their way as quickly as possible. Overall, the show had lots of cheerful volunteers and many artist perks.
The weather this year was sunny and cool. I asked artists if they were able to do 10 times their booth fee. I also asked them to compare this show to their last St. James (if they had exhibited here before) and to their other art shows in 2006.
A glass artist made 10 times the booth fee in sales, which was double his total from the previous year. The artist said his new outer-court location helped. A paper artist did not do as well as in 2005, but she said her whole year of shows had been very uneven. An etching artist had a slow show but said other events in 2006 were OK.
A clay artist reported a very good show and had to take down some display shelves before the show opened on Sunday because of lack of artwork. Another clay artist reported over 40 sales, equaling last year's total. A third had an average sale of $400 and commented, "This show is consistently very good, but this year I'm off 40 percent. But, I'll be back." A porcelain artist new to St. James made $2,000, a lower total than her other shows in 2006.
A wood artist was very happy with an average sale of $400 and total sales that were up from 2006. Another wood artist said, "I did fine. My sales were about $3,000."
One fine jeweler did "incredibly well," with an average sale of $100, and declared, "This is always a very knowledgeable audience." Another fine jeweler didn't make back the booth fee, while a third one had a good show.
A leather artist commented, "My show was phenomenal last year, but this year I'm 25-percent down." But with sales of $8,000, the artist was still happy. Another leather artist said, "They should all be like this!" and was seen still making sales 10 minutes after the show officially ended.
A clothing artist said she easily sold 10 times the booth fee but was 20 percent off the previous year's totals. The exhibitor advised all artists to have a fall-back plan, as shows are not what they used to be. Another clothing artist had an average sale of $175 and easily did 10 times the booth fee in sales. "I'm up from last year, back to where it should be," she said. Another fiber artist rejoiced at having "the best show since 9/11!" And a woven-basket artist new to the show would try again, even though sales just covered expenses.
A 3-D artist did 33 times the booth fee, which was 30-percent better than in 2005, which had also been a very good year. This artist said, "I always do a large mailing for each show and get repeat customers. This year the shows with good weather have been good."
An oil painter new to the show did well and plans to return. A 2-D artist did just "all right" but will try for a new booth location. Another 2-D exhibitor made $2,000. A third had $1,500 in sales with a $50 average. However, a fourth had to resort to a large 30-percent-off sign in front of his booth on Sunday. When I asked him how the show was going, he looked up from his laptop and said that, in 2005, he made 15 times the booth fee but this year was "horrible." A fifth 2-D artist made 20 times the booth fee and sold more on Saturday alone than at any other three-day St. James show ever.
Sculptors also seemed to do fairly well. A stone sculptor was happy with sales of $5,600. A metal sculptor had a good show, as sales were up 20 percent from 2005. Another metal artist was a bit down but plans to return, commenting that shows fluctuate. A new metal artist easily sold 10 times the booth fee and said, "My work had a good reception." A fourth metal sculptor had a good show, too, even before a potential $3,000 sale to a couple still trying to make up their mind late on Sunday.
Marguerite Esrock, the director of "The Court," also helps coordinate the six shows comprising the St. James Art Show consortium. The show directors and presidents of each neighborhood meet 11 times a year to plan the overall event. Because of this cooperation, all six shows blend seamlessly into one.
Esrock reported that even though the shows went well, a wrap-up meeting was held to focus on improving the 2007 show. "The attendance figure of 325,000 was the largest crowd we ever had," she said. "We are focusing on getting even better parking for both the artists and the patrons."
While many art shows are increasing the number of artists, St. James will not get any bigger because of the constraints of the location and the city's rules. "The crowds were so large, even on Friday, that it would help to replace some booths in The Court section with more park benches," Esrock said. "It will also benefit the artists if the show had a few less booths." That means "The Court" portion of the show may actually be a little smaller in 2007, with about 320 artists.
