Show Report: African American Festival of Raleigh

Kindred Spirit Studios display at AACF 2011

One month ago today, I was doing last-minute preparations for the African American Festival of Raleigh and Wake County.  This was the second year of this Labor Day weekend show, and my first time there as an exhibitor.  I attended last year's event, to check it out (which is what I always advise artists--don't do a show unless you've checked to see if it suits your work, is well-run, and seems to have a good, buying crowd). 

The set up went easily, and since the venue was downtown Raleigh, which is about 15 minutes from home, we didn't have to wake up at the 'crack of dawn' as we often do on day one of a show.  There was a very small juried section of artists, including my friends Larry "Poncho" Brown and Karen Y. Buster, who'd both done the show last year.  The rest of the exhibitors sold buy/sell objects of various types.

Over the two days, we greeted friends who became new collectors, and met new people who became new collectors, too.  It was a very good show for me, despite the dire predictions that the economy would keep people away.  In my experience, people enjoy meeting artists, learning about their processes, and I love seeing them appreciate my work, and subsequently purchasing a piece which I hope they will enjoy for years to come.  



Leaf  Dance series:  now sold out!



My Kindred Visage series of bamboo wall hangings made their debut at this show.  And while there were many, many positive comments and interesting questions about them, none sold.  I know from experience that this does not indicate anything except that the right people weren't there to acquire them. Mirrors, magnets, clocks and some of my other bamboo bowl wall hangings were popular items, and we came home with empty bins--a sure sign of a good show.

This was our last scheduled show of the season, since we decided after last year to severely curtail the number of shows for this year.  It's time to make our 2012 show schedule, and we're looking into some new venues and new opportunities...details as they become available!