The 4th of July holiday brings back wonderful memories for me since it was a time that the family gathered in South Haven Michigan for a week of barbeque's, fireworks on the beach, homemade ice cream, and yes... the annual art fair in the park. Part of our vacation included volunteering for the art fair since my former mother-in-law was on the committee and us "kids" helped out with the event. That included marking the spaces for the booths, being up bright and early to welcome the artists and make sure they were able to get to their booths in an orderly fashion, and helping out during the show. At the time, I didn't know that several years later I would be one of those artists exhibiting my own work. All those years of volunteering and seeing what an artist goes through to set up for a show provided me with a little insight into what I was getting myself into when I started exhibiting. I knew it wasn't going to be a "walk in the park" and there would be many challenges, but I also saw how rewarding it was. I got to know many of the artists and enjoyed being in that environment.
Volunteers are an important part of an art fair. They are there to help things run smoothly at set-up and are available for "booth sitting" when you need to take a break for important things like the bathroom. My official job on the day of the event was a "runner". Artists would arrive, give us their booth number and I would "run" to the space, make sure there was room for them to park, negotiate with other artists to move their vehicles to make room, and then get the artist to their space. I'm now one of those artists waiting patiently in line as a volunteer helps me get safely to my space. Being on the other side, I have a greater appreciation of what it takes to organize a show especially during those critical load in hours. It is crowded, people are sleep deprived and can get cranky if a glitch occurs, and many times the weather has not cooperated. But I try to be patient and take a deep breath because I know it will all turn out OK. I've also seen volunteers pitch in to help those who may need additional assistance with their booh because of a health issue or recent show injury. We couldn't do the shows without them!
With all the planning and organizing that goes into a show it goes without saying that sometimes things come up that were not in the plan. Like when marking the booths in the park and you hear someone exclaim "they planted a tree!". Yes, a new little tree in the middle of where a booth was supposed to be located. And the year that they delivered bags for the garbage boxes that were too small and the entire family was in the driveway stretching bags so they would fit. I'm sure the neighbors wondered what we were doing and luckily that did not become a holiday tradition.
The art fair was my favorite part of the summer. Over the years I got to know many of the artists and after all our duties were fulfilled it was time to shop! I married into a creative and artistic family and we all enjoyed the show and acquiring new pieces. However, we all had similar tastes and sometimes we would have to put on our poker face and not show that we had interest in a piece. We would then slip away from the group to make our purchase! At the end of a very long day we would return to the house with all our treasures and it was fun see the new work we had acquired. Paintings, pottery, sculptures, jewelry, furniture... we did our share of supporting the arts!
Life takes us on many roads and I didn't know at the time that I would become a full time artist enjoying the shows but now from the inside of the tent with my own work. It was through the encouragement of many of those people I met over the various summers that I took the leap of faith and launched my own business. You never know how experiences and people in your life will help you form your next adventure!
I hope you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends!
