Looks like we might get some rain during set-up today, but the forecast is pretty clear & cool for this weekend’s Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival. Come on out to Dawes Park… I’ll be in Booth #42 on the southeast end of the pond!

Next weekend I’ll be heading a bit north for the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival.
I’ll be packing up this week in the evenings after my days at Summer Camp. Putting a few finishing touches & prices on some new work. Dusting off my tent & shelves. Getting everything ready for another fun weekend in the park. Surrounded by great artwork, a bunch of art-fair-friends, and hopefully a LOT of great customers!

Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival
Saturday, August 3rd & Sunday, August 4th – 11:00am-6:00pm both days.
Booth #42… hopefully the same spot as every other year!
On the southeast end of the pond, backing up onto beautiful Lake Michigan!
Located in Dawes Park on Sheridan Road, between Church & Davis in Evanston, Illinois.

Glad to say I had a very successful weekend in Hinsdale. Thank you everyone!
So much fun spending time with artist friends & engaging customers.

But it’s also fun to see how my art fair booth “trampled” the grass in my space.
You can actually see the traffic patterns… the rounded grass where the tables are, the skinny walk-through between the two back shelves, and the blurred out back are where we do our wrapping & transactions. So funny… and another confirmation that I had a good weekend. It takes a LOT of customers to do all that trampling!!!

Apparently, the folks out in Hinsdale think I’m somehow “honorable.”
Who knew???

Day Two at the Hinsdale Art Fair. I’m all set-up, shelves have been replenished and the sun is shining! All ready for the start of another great day… with ten minutes to spare. Whew.

It’s so refreshing to see that the Hinsdale Art Fair organizers are checking to see that the artists here are actually MAKING their own art on display. Apparently, not all of the “jewelers” here at the art fair are making their own jewelry. And therefore, they now have this this big “Scarlet Letter of Shame” posted in their booths! Well, chartreuse. And not just one… there are four, count not them four, signs in their booth!!! The actual artists who make their own artwork are so thankful to have organizers looking out for them. And making an example of those who are not. We love Jan and the Hinsdale committee!!!

There has been a lot of discussion about this. Some people think they should have been forced to pack up & leave. I actually think it was a good idea to make an example of them. Shame on them for trying to pass themselves off as actual artists. I know that the Hinsdale organizers actually spoke with legal council the night before to make sure they could proceed. So they came in this morning with the signs when the “artists-in-question” arrived and opened their booth. They placed one on each of the inside side flaps, and two in sign holders actually sitting on their display tables right smack dab next to their “product.” If they were just forced to leave the customers would not have gotten the message either. We all think it’s important for the customers to learn about the difference between handmade art & “imported-wholesale-products-being-disguised-and-resold-as-art.

It’s a matter of principle. They just want to make sure that the items in the art fair are actually being made by the artists presenting themselves as “artists.” They have no issue with people who use accessories with their art – as long as the majority of the stuff they are selling in their booth is handmade.

They would never disqualify a painter who didn’t make his own paint or the wire that the painting hangs on. As long as the painter is actually painting the paintings.

They would never disqualify the jeweler who uses purchased stones & cabachons that they didn’t drill, grind & facet themselves. As long as the jeweler is actually designing, creating & making their own jewelry pieces.

They would never disqualify a potter who doesn’t make their own clay, mix their own glazes, or attaches pieces & parts to their ceramic-fired creations. As long as the potter is actually making the pots.

But when the “product” is being pulled out of boxes, removed from the cellophane wrappers, repriced and sold off as their own creations there’s a problem. There’s a HUGE difference. And the second sentence just covers them from those people who think it’s “okay” to buy pieces wholesale, and then maybe add a bead or something to it, and then try to pass it off as a fully handmade piece of art.

I’m sure everyone who has done juried art fairs has seen this happen more than once. We all have horror stories to share. I’m just glad that the Hinsdale organizers actually stepped up and took a stand. They are there to protect the actual artists and the quality reputation of their art fair. They do a great job. And if it takes a big “Scarlet Letter of Shame” to do it?…
well then so be it.

So we went out to Hinsdale this afternoon to set-up my art fair booth.
We’re in the same space as always right there under the best shade tree in the park!
And it’s so nice to set-up on Friday to take the pressure off a rushed Saturday morning.

Even better, while setting up, we actually sold some pottery! Off to a good start…
and hopefully a good sign of things to come if they can’t even wait until we open tomorrow?!!!

Don’t forget that tomorrow is the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival. I will be in Booth #101. But if I alone am not enough to drag you out to the ‘burbs, you’ll also see a bunch of “My Talented Friends.” Whimsical potter & sculptor Cory McCrory, hinged jeweler Amy Taylor, watercolorist Anne Gilna, precious painted pots by Nancy Gardner, stained glass windows by Richard Diens & crystalline glazed pottery from The Pottery Boys!!! And over a hundred more artists to boot. Plenty of art. Plenty of fun. Come on out this weekend!!!

My day started with a bike ride along the lakefront. Much like many other mornings.
However, I had somehow forgotten once again that “other people” may want to use my bike path once in awhile. I mean, I get so accustomed to pretty much having the entire bike trail to myself, gladly sharing with a few joggers, pretty much every morning. Then all of a sudden, on a busy Saturday morning, there were THOUSANDS of people on MY bike trial. The nerve!!!

So while I was getting re-accustomed to “sharing” the bike trail, if I must, it was pretty nice to see the Avon Breast Cancer Walk  using the path. So many people out walking for a great cause. And it was great fun to see one of my former bosses Bob Smusz, the “Good Bob”, doing the walk with his sister. Very touching, as she had just had a round of chemotherapy days earlier… and was out there walking with the rest of them like a trooper!

I finally made it down to Navy Pier where I met up with my friend Nancy. We met MANY years ago biking and have been friends ever since. She’s even the one who got me started taking pottery classes at Lillstreet. So it’s all her fault… Anyways, our plan was to pedal down to Hyde Park to visit the 57th Street Art Fair. So we head out South into the wind…

Once we were there, it was so much fun to walk around with Nancy, looking at a lot of great art and seeing a lot of “My Talented Friends.” So if you’re going to the 57th Street Art Fair tomorrow, be sure to stop by and say “hi” for me!

Sarah Chapman – my favorite metalsmith mostly using oxidized sterling silver

Karen Patinkin – decoratively glazed porcelain pottery

Roberta Polfus – the sweetest carved porcelain vessels, miniatures & pods

Delores Fortuna – functional stoneware pottery

Judy Zeddes – printmaking

Amy Taylor – groovy “hinged” jewelry

Glynnis Lessing – sgraffito porcelain pottery

Glenn Woods – one of “The Pottery Boys” with beautiful crystalline glazes

Mary Dye – functional soda-fired pottery

Teresa DeVer – gold & silver chain maille jewelry

I would also highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich… but I digress…

It was also fun to finally meet Mark Williams. He’s a potter up in Michigan who makes great textured pots. I’ve enjoyed them for years… perfect geometric pattern repetition… what’s not to like?! Anyway, the story goes like this… One of my students was up in the South Haven area of Michigan and stopped by a few pottery places. She came back and told me all about two of them. One of which was Mark Williams of Blue Star Pottery. Lori was impressed by his textures & patterns, and she knew I would like it as well. And she was right. So it was kind of ironic, and a great surprise, to finally meet him at the 57th Street Art Fair.

Also, while you’re there, if you have time you should also swing by the Community Arts Festival adjacent to the 57th Street Art Fair. Not quite the same caliber, some a little quirky, but some really fun stuff to see. If you go through that “Community” part, be sure to say “hi” to more of my friends…

Marian Casto-Palanyk – carved porcelain pottery
Melissa Banks – chain maille jewelry
Mary Zehnder – sculpture with a Southwestern flair!