FEATURED SHOW REVIEWS
MAY 2008
FLORIDA
February 16-18, Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Coconut Grove. Contact: Coconut Grove Arts and Historical Association, 3390 Mary Street, Suite 128, Coconut Grove, FL 33133; phone 305-447-0401, fax 305-447-1499. E-mail: info@coconutgroveartsfest.com. Web site: www.coconutgroveartsfest.com. Application fee: $50 (through Zapplication). Space fee: $750-$1,500. Space size: 10x10 to 10x20. 100% outdoors. Exhibitors: 335. Attendance: 150,000 (gate). Admission: $5 per day, $12 for all three days or $5 for all three days for residents of 33133 zip code, and free for children under 12 and for Metrorail Golden Passport holders.
By Mike Albin
Florida Reporter
E-mail: mike@mikealbin.com
Medium: Landscape photography
This is one of those shows with a real energy about it. The people come and are very enthusiastic about art, artists and buying, so bring a helper! Crowds can be overwhelming at times, and even with a helper, you'll both be exhausted and have a sore throat by the end of the day!
Artists are treated very well here. There's a breakfast every morning and a world-class artist party/award banquet on Sunday night. In addition, the quality of work is extremely high. It's an honor to be chosen to participate out of the roughly 1,200 who apply. And $23,000 in award money is offered.
Setup is on Friday and starts at 4 p.m. The streets are pretty wide in some areas and very narrow in others, so parking close to your booth can be tricky. Bring a good dolly just in case. Overall, this is a very well-organized, well-run festival, and security is tight for this massive event.
This year, for the 45th annual show, it rained late on Sunday and early on Monday, so crowds and sales were down a bit. Patty and I sold five pieces, with an average price of just over $2,000, so it was an above-average show for us, much better than last year but still down from what we've done here in the past. I spoke with nine artists after the show, and five of them said they had good sales but were down from previous years. Of five painters I spoke with, two reported above-average sales, one below average and one well below, and one did not make expenses and actually packed up Sunday night and left. Two photographers, a sculptor and a jeweler all reported above-average sales. All artists I spoke with, except for the painter who left early, said they would be back.
Breakdown takes a little time. Vehicles are not allowed in until the crowds have cleared. We go out to dinner and catch our breath a little and come back at about 9 p.m. to load up. By then the streets are almost clear, and we can usually park close to our space.
There is so much potential at this show for spectacular sales. Some artists say this is usually their best event of the year by far. In years past, it has on several occasions been our best show of the year. The economy and the weather probably took a little from this year's show, but we will be back as long as they will have us! This is one of only a handful of events that if you ever get the chance to participate in, you should do. This is the Super Bowl of art shows!
Editor's note: There is never a shortage of opinion on Coconut Grove. Based upon last year's 200 Best rankings, it's the top-selling art show in the state, and one of the top five in the nation. With that honor comes high expectations, and in many cases, those expectations were not met in 2008, thanks in large part to the weather and the economy.
FastAudits were sparse this year compared to last. Some, such as the one sent in by a glass artist ($2,000 total sales/$100 average item sold), were surprisingly negative. "[The] Grove has hit bottom," said the exhibitor. "We made 85 percent more two years ago and were expecting less sales due to the economy, but not this much less! [The] crowd was iffy, sometimes a lot, other times few. Usually [the] Grove is wall-to-wall people." The artist said he/she might return and gave very high marks to all categories except sales.
Other artists (including many I spoke to on the phone and at other shows I've attended in the last couple of months) did well, as usual. "In my opinion, Coconut Grove is the best art festival in Florida and one of the best in the U.S.A!" said a mixed media artist ($5,855/$105). "The organization is superb and very professional."
