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November 8-9, Downtown Burbank Fine Arts Festival, Burbank, CA

November 8-9, Downtown Burbank Fine Arts Festival, Burbank. Contact: Ronda Mills, West Coast Artists, PO Box 4389, Chatsworth, CA 91311. Phone: 818-709-2907. Fax: 818-709-5116. E-mail: wcartists@sbcglobal.net. Web site: www.westcoastartists.com. Space fee: $185, plus 10% commission. Exhibitors: 90.

By JoAnn Wedge-Broadfield
California Reporter
E-mail: joannsglass@hotmail.com
Medium: Fused-glass jewelry

The election is over, and we are all hoping for a better response to our artwork now that all that is done. But even though the weather at the latest Burbank show was super all weekend, the response was very weak. Many customers were asking where the advertising was, as they had just stumbled on the show. Those who did come (because of postcards that the show promoter gave to exhibitors to mail out, or because they heard of the show from some other source) were not spending lots of money.

A woodworker who is well known in the area did well on Saturday, especially compared to neighboring artists who were dying on the vine! Even though there were a number of jewelers there, the silver jeweler near me, Frances Kohler, was doing OK and was pleased with the show. However, the two other fused-glass jewelers I spoke to did not have the same luck. Nor did I. (Artists in the middle of the show site had a clear advantage.)

The show was located in downtown Burbank, down the middle of San Fernando Road for three blocks, but many customers reached only the middle and then turned around and went back. Food was available only from the local restaurants, but there were many. However, there was only one porta-potty on each block. I guess the promoter expected the "crowds"¯ to use the local restaurants or something.

Setup was only on Saturday morning, and security was available on Saturday night. However, we were warned not to leave anything in our booth overnight. There was one report of a theft from a woodworker's booth, but a fused-glass artist, who was sleeping in his van near the booths, heard the noise, got out of his van, and followed and stopped the thief. The thief was surprised, and with security nearby, artists talked the thief into returning the wooden jewelry box.

The crowd was very young and consisted mainly of students and young married couples with children. For the kids, there was face painting, and for the adults, a couple of commercial booths were present, along with live music consisting of easy listening and a string quartet. Most show-goers were out for the entertainment and had little, if any, money to spend. According to most artists I spoke to, what sales were made consisted of small items between $20 and $30, or even less. As always, there were exceptions, but most artists just barely made expenses.

Because of the time change, breakdown was in the dark, but streetlights helped. I was just glad to be leaving, as the show left me $40 in the hole. This promoter does several shows, and the advertising has rarely been great, so the shows often don't get the crowds they should.