For the most part, 2020 art fairs, concerts and festivals around town, large and small, have been cancelled. These cancellations include a few I’d planned to participate in. Heavy sigh. Potential for sales out the window.
However, 2019 wasn’t exactly a great year for us and outdoor fairs. In June, at Corks and Canvas, it took an hour to set up in intermittent rain. Happily the rain stopped. Unhappily it gave way to stifling heat and humidity, coupled by high winds. I spent a lot of time chasing my note cards across the pavement.
In September there were two fairs. The first one was Independence Uncorked. One would think my wine glass pictures would go well there, right? Not so much. People seemed more interested in wine than art. To be fair (hee) I did fairly well at that one. The wine note cards were my best sellers.
The next September fair was the annual UNPlaza fair, not to be confused with the Plaza Art Fair held the same weekend. Torrential rains washed out our hopes for decent sales.
This year, You-Know-What washed out hopes for this year’s UNPlaza renamed PeaceWorks KC Local Art Fair. However, the wonderful board of directors at PeaceWorks decided to try something new. A virtual fair! Each artist will have an online booth. There will be video chat rooms to speak with each artist. Artists’ web pages will give attendees an opportunity to shop in the comfort of their own home.
I am excited and nervous at the prospect. Save David Bayard, who’s heading the planning, none of us really knows what to expect. At any rate, it is an opportunity for a broader audience. You don’t have to live in Kansas City to come, browse and buy. 😉
While you’re in the neighborhood click my art tab at the top of the page. Thank you.
The fair goes live Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
For info on how to participate
Join other local artists and me for a new experience.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
What a creative alternative. This is proof positive of the resilience and resourcefulness of the human spirit. It’s great that the fair will be available online. You may see more traffic than ever! Excellent video!
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Dear StepHonie,
I’ve never been part of anything quite like this, but in the planning in emails and Zoom meetings, I feel more a part of it than ever. I suggested that if we go back to the outdoor fair next year we should plan by Zoom again. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is a great video and introduction to the Art fair and to you M’Luv.
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Thanks, m’luv!
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Rochelle,
What a great idea! Sounds to me like there’s potential for more “visitors” than ever, even if they’re virtual.Isn’t it ironic that you’re getting to know your fellow KC artists better than ever through zoom meetings?! You’ll have to remind everyone as the time gets closer so we can participate. I’m looking forward to your booth. I don’t normally like doing zoom but maybe this time 🙂
Shalom,
Dora
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Dear Dora,
I’ll be giving links and reminders closer to the date, although my page is up and open for business. Tab’s at the top of the page. 😉 The fair won’t be done on Zoom…we’re just doing the planning meetings on it. There will be a video chat room in each booth. And there is more potential for more visitors than just Kansas Citians. It’s all in the experimental stages but we’re hoping for a successful fair. 😀 Thank you for for swinging by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I miss going to local art fairs so much! This is a great idea, doing something online. I don’t think any of my local fairs and festivals have done this. If so, I haven’t heard about it. But the great thing is that if it’s virtual, I can “go” to this fair even from here at home in California, what fun! I’ve signed up… looking forward to it!
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Dear Joy,
I look forward to seeing you there. Depending on how this goes, I might apply to some other virtual Booth Central fairs. No schlepping equipment or fear of weather. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I just watched the rest of the video and wow, I didn’t realize you would be the FEATURED ARTIST in it! How exciting! It was so cool to see your studio and see the interview/presentation you gave. The video worked: I am definitely more excited about coming to the virtual art fair and seeing what there is to see, and talking with the various artists. Good luck!
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The video is a little misleading as far as me being the featured artist.. The man heading up the virtual fair wanted to put together a video to advertise. My understanding was that he was going to do the same type of in-studio chat with other artists. When I asked him how it ended up this way he said, “You rocked it and was running out of time.” 😉 It was a lot of fun. Currently he’s trying to figure out how to get the chat rooms up and running. (At any rate, it is good unintentional publicity for me.
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It is wonderful publicity for you, yes! What a happy accident that turned out to be.
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Dear Rochelle,
How cool is this? Resiliency in another form, that’s for sure. Since no one can go to the fairs, bringing the fairs to the people is a lovely alternative.
I wish you much luck (lotsa sales)
Shalom and lotsa love, too
Dale
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Dear Dale,
Being a part of this is already exciting. It makes me think of one of my favorite lines from Memoirs of a Geisha. “When trapped, water makes a new path.” So we’ll soon see where this new path takes us. 😉 Thank you for your encouraging words (constantly). ❤
Shalom and lotsa grateful hugs,
Rochelle
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This virus is so disruptive, however hopefully human creativity will trump the virus.
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Dear Mike,
The virus certainly has shut down a lot of festivals, hasn’t it? We have high hopes for this virtual fair.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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