COVID Stinks

As an artist, I am honored to participate in a few, select art shows every year. It is a great way to get my work in front of a new audience of thousands and to stay connected to my returning audience. My most frequent appearances are in the Scottsdale Arts Festival in March and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival over the July 4th weekend. This year I was thrilled to be accepted into the Plaza Art Fair in Kansas City, Missouri, in September. I have wanted to participate in this show for many years, but, for one reason or another, it has not worked out. 

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Art shows aren’t all fun and games. Although the shows themselves really are fun, the pre-planning for shows is grueling. An exhaustive inventory must be made. Not only is it expensive in cost, but also time, turning my typical midnight evening in the shop to a 2am-4am schedule. This tremendous amount of work and preparation takes over my entire schedule during the months leading up to the show. My regular commissions and teaching commitments (thankfully) do not go away during this time, so show preparation is in addition to my already overfilled work schedule.
 
This year, for the first time in decades, I am currently sitting on a sizable inventory. This inventory surplus is due to COVID cancelations of both the Scottsdale and the Cherry Creek Arts Festivals. Given that the Plaza Art Fair was not until September, I was happy to have the excess inventory and was hopeful that things around the country might settle down enough for the show to go on safely. Well as you likely have guessed, officials have, in fact, canceled the show. Was this the correct decision? Of course, safety first. But, selfishly, I was really counting on the Plaza to salvage the show season for me.
 
With this final cancelation, the 2020 show season is officially a bust. On the bright side, I still have all of that show inventory packed away and anxiously awaiting next season. So, stay tuned for information on  next year’s art show schedule, and plan on coming out to visit my booth!

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