Excellent and informative artist packet handed out

April 30, 2010

Today was setup for the spring 2010 Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, TX just outside Dallas.

This is my second consecutive year doing this beautiful festival – which really helps with setup. Thursday evening is setup for local artists, and the rest of us have all day Friday to get our booths ready for the Saturday & Sunday show.

Bringing in my artwork

Setup for the festival can be difficult if you have a big rig like I do – an RV pulling a trailer. I don’t even try to drive in through the main load-in area, which is a narrow and crowded street that runs through Cottonwood Park where the festival is held. Rather, I opt for a somewhat long dolly by parking on the outskirts of the park.

Christine laying out the tent poles

Rain that was forecasted earlier in the week never materialized today during setup. Cloudy skies and a nice breeze made for a pleasant day.

My plans when I initially came out to Texas a few weeks ago for the Lubbock Art Festival, an indoor show, was to return to Phoenix and come back out 2 weeks later for this show. But I decided to stay out here and photograph the area between shows. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my heavy duty outdoor tent with me.

Roof assembly

Raising the roof

Christine Hauber – who is doing the Arts for All Art Festival next weekend just north of here in Lawton, Oklahoma, came out a week early and let me use her tent. This allowed me to stay in Texas and photograph (I think she wants a percentage of my sales this weekend now – call it tent rental).

Well I was fortunate for her to come out and let me use her tent and help with setup, allowing me to get some great new photographs – so I’m sure she will get that percentage.

Bringing in the display walls

It is great having all day to setup. Most shows schedule their setup the evening before at around 5pm. Some other shows start their setup the day of the show around 5am. Those are the worst.

Support poles for the walls

Depending on the tent size I am using that particular weekend, setup can range anywhere from 2-3 hours up to 4-5 hours. It’s a very physical process that wears you out. Having all day allows you to go at a more leisurely pace and not be as drained for the start of the show.

Hanging the artwork

Today’s setup took us a little over 5 hours, including lunch in the RV. The weather forecast keeps getting better and better for the weekend, and I am finishing up this post just in time to leave for the great artist party the wonderful folks here at the Cottonwood Art Festival provide us.

Almost finished with setup