ART FAIR OFF THE SQUARE - MADISON, WISCONSIN

Now this young lady has a wonderful view of the fair!

This past weekend brought "Art Fair Off the Square" to Madison, WI. After worrying about the weather for most of the week in anticipation of what the weather would be like for the upcoming weekend show, we were blessed with beautiful weather on both Saturday and Sunday! There was a beautiful breeze, and the temperatures were perfect! Previous years, the temperatures were always close to 90 degrees! What more could you ask for, other than a "lot more sales"!

Is the economy affecting the overall sales at art shows...? I would say, from talking to many artists, not only at this show, but at other shows I've done so far this season...the answer is a definite YES IT IS!

There were crowds of people at the show this past weekend, but they tended to be more "lookers" then "buyers". Booths could be crowded with people, but after watching the stream of people for two days, it wasn't hard to notice that there weren't that many with purchases in their hands.

My sales at this show, were down approximately 45% from last year. However, all things considered, by closing time on Sunday, I was still pleased with what I had sold, plus all the wonderful people I got to meet.

Here is shot I took of the side of the street I was on, looking towards the State Capitol building.
Looking out through my booth...hmmm, looks like all the people are across the street...!
Below is a photo of a portion of my display.


This photo is a section of the front portion of my display....with my sister, hidden there in the back!

"Art Fair Off the Square" has a farmer's market on Saturday running from the opening of the show until about 12 noon on Saturday. I took this photo before the show was really open. Once the show was open, you could hardly get through the crowds on the sidewalk..looking and buy all the baked goodies, flowers, and fresh vegetables!

Below is a photo of just one of the booths selling gorgeous bouquets of flowers for only $3.00 - $4.00 a bunch.

The smiling gentleman on the right is Steve Siehr, one of the many people who make Art Fair Off the Square the great show that it is. Steve is the fellow who oversees the "jurying and rules" for the show. You can see Steve strolling around chatting with artists, and making sure that we are all "selling" what our slides said we do, and following the rules of the show! Steve's a great guy and has the perfect personality for this job. Always a smile on his face.

The lady on the right was my next door neighbor, Ursula L. Kauppinen, who has been doing this show for many, many years. She is a wonderful watercolor artist. Darn...I should have got a few photos of her work! Hopefully, next year!

This was one of my neighbors on my other side. Cynthia Mosedale and William Kaufmann create some very beautiful, colorful pottery. They are from Hudson, WI., and the their shop name is LINDEN HILLS POTTERY. Visit their web page for more information on their show schedules, etc. These exhibitors seemed to be doing quite well with sales, both days of the show, and if you saw their work in person, you could see why. Below are several more photos of their work.

I strolled parts of the show and took several photos of other types of work represented on the show. Below you will see a wonderful fiber artist's dispaly, and a metal artist's work.

GORGEOUS SILK SCARVES AND MORE!

UNIQUE METAL SCULPTURES!

In summing up this year's 2008 Art Fair Off the Square show, I'd have to say it still continues to be one of my favorite shows to do! The other show sponsored by the Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople is their WINTER ART FESTIVAL on November 15 & 16th held in the beautiful Monona Terrace C0nvention Center building on Lake Monona, Madison, WI. I'm really looking forward to doing the show again this year.

Coming soon...ART FAIR OFF THE SQUARE, Madison, WI - One of my favorite shows!

IF YOU MAKE IT TO THE SHOW, STOP AND VISIT ME IN BOOTH #83

I always love to meet and chat with everyone!

The first "Art Fair off the Square" was held July, 1980 in Olin Terrace Park, at what was then called Monona Avenue, which is now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The show was started as a "protest show" because of all the Wisconsin artists and craftspeople who had been juried out of the "Art Fair on the Square show, which was held around the Capital Square in Madison, WI. Since the fair was organized on very short notice, there were only 22 exhibitors. The second year the show was held they had 46 exhibitors. The show now, hosts about 140 exhibitors.

If you look at the above photo you can see how the fair has grown over the years, to be one of the best run shows (in my opinon) in the area, along with the WINTER SHOW in November. Each year the show's organizers, The Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople, Inc. (WAAC) receive hundreds of applications from Wisconsin artists hoping to get juried into the show. It is a juried show, with a booth fee of $200.00, membership fee of $25.00 (includes both summer and winter shows), and a jury fee of $15.00. When an artist is juried in, they are not required to rejury for the next two years, providing the quality of their work doesn't change.

This year will be the 29th year of Art Fair Off the Square, and it will be held on the weekend of July 12 and 13. This show and the Winter Show, which is held at the Monona Terrace Convention and Visitor's Bureau on Lake Monona, in Madison, WI are two of the best shows I have been lucky enough to be an exhibitor in for the past six years.

It usually turns out to be the "hottest" weekend, of the season. One year it was in the upper 90's and very humid!! That is when I like to visit this little wagon several times throughout the day!! Cool, refreshing fruit bars!!


Both the WINTER and AFOS shows are run by the organization of Wisconin Alliance of Artists & Craftspeople (WAAC), which was started in 1982. It was formed to promote direct contact between Wisconsin artists and craftspeople, and the public, develop opportunities for sales and exhibitions, educate the public toward a better understanding of artists and craftspeople, their works and challenges.

Below is a photo of the WINTER show, which is held in the lovely Monona Terrace Convention Center building on Lake Monona. This is a wonderful show, in November...great for looking for really creative gifts for the hard-to-buy-for person on your list. Top quality art and variety at this show! The dates for this year's show are, November 15th & 16th.

If you live in the area, think about taking in one of these shows. I'll be there on July 12th and 13th....come rain, hot weather or whatever else the weather may throw at us!

After the July show, I will be adding photos and updates of this year's show.