FEATURED SHOW REVIEWS
FEBRUARY 2008
ARIZONA
November 10-11, Festival of the Arts, St. David. Contact: Festival of the Arts, attn: Patrick, Holy Trinity Monastery, PO Box 298, St. David, AZ 85630; phone 520-720-4642, ext. 10. Web site: www.holytrinitymonastery.org. Space fee: $65. Space size: 10x10. 100% outdoors. Exhibitors: 160. Hours: 10-5 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday. Attendance: 5,000-6,000 (staff estimate).
By Edward Ejk
Arizona Reporter
E-mail: edwardwejk@earthlink.net
Medium: Jewelry
This is one of two art festivals held on the grounds of the Holy Trinity Monastery each year, the other being La Fiesta Primavera in May. This Benedictine facility has been a longtime supporter of the arts, and it was well prepared to present a family-friendly function on a nice sunny weekend.
The Monastery is located on SR 80 between Benson and Tombstone and about 50 miles southeast of Tucson. The grounds offer easy load-in and -out for show exhibitors, as well as a secluded camping area for RVers. Food choices were abundant and reasonable, with many volunteers offering home-cooked meals, including a $7 beef-barbecue plate with coleslaw, beans, tortillas, a soft drink and ice cream.
Sister Corinne has seen the Festival grow from 16 artists in 1981, when she first arrived at the Monastery, to its current size of 160. One unique feature that's stayed the same is the opening-day blessing of the booths, conducted this time by Friar Henri Capdeville.
Reported sales for all artistic disciplines were in the $1,200-$2,500 range, with no notable exceptions. Over three-quarters of the participating artists indicated that they would return. While there were some buy/sell vendors present, it was not a resounding problem - this is just the state of many art shows today.
I would recommend this show for any regional artists, or for traveling artists to couple with the previously reviewed shows in Sierra Vista and Patagonia (see the January issue), as it offers a low show fee with reasonable sales possibilities in a relaxed and comfortable setting.
