Set up Time at the show
Carla | June 30, 2009A man stood studying our jewelry and displays. “Does the show provide you with all this?”
Nope, each artist brings their own full 10′ x 10′ retail store to each show. And what they bring is as individual as their art. Some fly in and ship their booth and inventory ahead. Their booths tend towards the minimalist. Others come in large sprinter vans, trucks, vans pulling trailers. What is unloaded from those would put many circuses to shame. I always think this is the most fascinating time of a show, watching the various booths be put together tinker-toy style, until VOILA! a retail spot.
The Des Moines Art Festival has a leisurely set-up day. This is good. It was in the 90′s with lots of humidity. It was brutal work. Everyone moved at half speed with lots of stops for brow wiping, drinking, and dirty glances at the sun. I got a little cranky, unloading the van, putting up the canopy, setting up the display. The ever-cheerful and nothing-bothers-him hubby, kept at it saying it was fine, good for the soul and other such nonsense. Only after I threatened to kill him did he slow up his happy chatter. When one is miserable, one does not need happiness. We set-up the big stuff before I finally said “uncle” as we retreated to a cool hotel room. We went back to work some more after the sun had gone down & finished up the next morning.
The mother of invention being a weekend of intolerable heat, I came up with an idea for a swamp cooler in our booth. My brilliant idea?
So clever, so cool, but does it work.....?
A pan of ice sitting in front of a fan. Ignoring the fact that humidity renders a swamp cooler moot, it was sorta like spitting in the wind. But it made me feel like I had some control of my environment. Dave, the hubby, played along, “Yes, dear it DOES feel cooler in the tent.”
The transition between being a solitary studio artist to a meet-and-greet retail sales person, is always a little rocky for me. I’ve had my head down nose to the file in the studio making pieces…..now its time to show them. It usually takes 1/2 day for me to get my talker going. Some of the most amazing non-sequiturs come out of me in the early stages of each show. Its as if I have forgotten how to talk while working in the studio. Our daughter calls them my “spoonerisms.” I have told customers, “If I can ask any questions, let me know and I will ankwer them.” Huh?
I like doing shows, I like seeing peoples reaction to my work. I just wish I could be more suave about it. The Des Moinians were patient with my first attempts. And as the weekend proceeded the weather cooled (sorta) and my talker came on line.
