Sunday, September 12, 2010

Wonderful Experience at "Art Harvest", Green Bay Botanical Garden, even with the RAIN!



Saturday morning, 5:30 am....not quite pouring rain.....hmmmm, stay home? or take a chance on surviving the "Art Harvest" art fair at Green Bay Botanical Garden?  I had put a lot of time and work into preparing for this day so I decided I was going to go for it.  My husband was not real excited about joining me on this 'adventure'.  But, he had said he would be my assistant for this event so he grudgingly came along. 

The day did not start out well, the rain continued through our setup, which went pretty smoothly.  I didn't put out as much of my work as originally intended due to the wet conditions, so much of it stayed packed up or in the car.  I was very happy that I had taken the extra time in the last days before the show to compile a portfolio, this came in very handy with all the photos I had taken of my artwork, press releases, bio and artist statement.  All the pages were in protective sleeves so nothing was harmed by the weather. 

Though the visitor turnout was less than desirable, I met some wonderful vendors who shared some valuable insight about other quality shows they participate in.   The staff at GBBG was excellent, they fed us, had live music and the grounds are outstanding, with this event held in the Magnolia Garden! 

An added bonus is that the Art Harvest vendors are judged and the top three are awarded ribbons and prizes.  I was very honored to be the "First Place" Recipient for Artistic Excellence.  This was especially memorable because the judges were Donald Taylor, Adjunct Associate Professor of Art and F. William Bohne, Professor of Art, both from St. Norbert College in De Pere.  These two wonderful gentlemen were so much fun to talk with and gave me some direction on where to show my work.  My day was made by them. 

It was so nice to see some of my family and friends come out on the less than perfect day (weatherwise), and also to meet new friends.  I really did enjoy the experience and can list a handful of great things that happened that day that made it so worthwhile for me. 

2 comments:

Barbara Strobel Lardon said...

I was thinking of you when it was raining here. Sounds like it did work out well regardless. Congrats on the first place ribbon. Your display looks wonderful.

Jean M. Judd said...

Congratulations, Pat, on the First Place award. The time and cost were well worth it for the possibility of a collegiate exhibition.