Plan A Garden Party Fine Art Show

The first time I was able to participate in the Garden Party Fine Art Show was 2005. A chance encounter at a senior-citizen-center craft show afforded me an invitation by the principal organizer. My first reaction was I did not fit into the level of talent the other artists displayed. Linda, hosts the show and she assured me, that indeed, I was a good fit for the Garden Show.

Through the course of 5 years of garden shows many hours were enjoyed, friends found and business contacts established. Here is Linda's model for the a successful garden art show.

Linda organized the event twice a year and I have enjoyed each afternoon I have spent there. Of course, one reason to spend an afternoon at Linda's is her beautiful garden that is planted similar to an "California-Native" garden with a southern California atmosphere, but it is really a "Mediterranean" garden. This home has a the entire yard as plants, no grass allowed. That is the loveliness of Linda's garden. Linda has the occasional help of a gardener to maintain the growth in the yard.

The second reason to visit is the friendly relaxed atmosphere of friends, nature and art. Plenty of chairs to sit and enjoy. This is a show formula for the intimate art event.

Pottery by Crispin Gonzalez

One September we spontaneously decided to get our feet wet and take a picture to remember the good time we had. In the background you can glimpse some of the artist's displays.

When the economy was good we had a show in the Spring and the Fall at the end of September. Being in SoCal we were lucky to have beautiful weather each time. It was almost a 100 this day, so it was a bit hot. In your corner of the world plan your garden art show when people enjoy taking a stroll.

Provide market umbrellas and lots of standard plastic chairs to sit and stay. If visitors came at noon they were served lunch and wine will flow. Our show times were 9am to 2pm on a Saturday morning.

I favored the aluminum market umbrella for its light weight and ease of opening. It is much easier to carry from the car to the art show site.

Layout and printing

In addition to the setting, the organizer designed and arranged printing of high grade postcards announcing the event. All the artists split the cost and had a share of cards to send to their mailing lists. Also each artist would display the cards at shows they attended before our event. The word would get out.

After the first few shows I started taking pictures of the event to be used in the following announcements to be printed. I took pictures of the artist's work, then emailed them to Linda. The taking of pictures and layout design could be two duties that can be distributed to other members of the show.

As the show ends for the day we decided the date of the next show. As the years went on we decided on the 4th Saturday of April and the 4th Saturday of September.

The lunch was usually a big pot of soup that can be started and simmered in the morning or made the day before by a volunteer artist. If your show is less intimate and does not involve invites to your closest friends a lunch is not necessary,

One year I brought a big pot of Black Bean Soup. This soup is hearty and has as much spice as you want.

There can be plenty of food and cheers for guests and artists: coffee, wine, water are included.

Art Boy is the directional sign

One participant made "Art Boy" as the directional sign for the day of the show. He is about five feet tall and made just for the day of the sale. He is placed in the morning at the closest cross streets.

Art Boy wears a cloth hat and a big yellow tee shirt and points in the correct direction. A couple more small white arrows lead the visitors through the last turns to the garden event.

Colorful silk scarf flags and a painting on a tall wooden easel marks the residence where the show is taking place. Hard packed gravel paths on both sides of the house give access to the backyard and the art displays.

We no longer are having the Garden Party Art Show, but I learned so much about art, conducting a business, and showing my own art work and interfacing with buyers and admirers.

I have met long lasting friends through the art show and I feel very privileged to have been able to participant.

If you and friends start up your own garden show you will be happy for years that you did.