See TulsaNow in person!

[Admin]

This weekend, Friday-Sunday, TulsaNow will be hosting a booth in the Blue Dome Arts Festival.

We will be on Elgin, between 1st and 2nd streets. Our booth is directly next door to "The Artist."

Come get lambasted with articles on form based codes and even enter a contest to win a... (we haven't figured out the prize yet.)

Come meet/harass TulsaNow board members while enjoying The Blue Dome Festival and Mayfest.

Can it get any better than that?!?

[Rowdy]

Can the Admin get away with spamming?
[]

[Admin]

I tried to correct the post and replied instead.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by Admin

This weekend, Friday-Sunday, TulsaNow will be hosting a booth in the Blue Dome Arts Festival.

We will be on Elgin, between 1st and 2nd streets. Our booth is directly next door to "The Artist."

Come get lambasted with articles on form based codes and even enter a contest to win a... (we haven't figured out the prize yet.)

Come meet/harass TulsaNow board members while enjoying The Blue Dome Festival and Mayfest.

Can it get any better than that?!?

Do you really want me to harass the board members with a cup of beer in my hand? []

What is with the Blue Dome Festival, isn't it sort of becoming an anti-Mayfest?

[jdb]

"What is with the Blue Dome Festival, isn't it sort of becoming an anti-Mayfest?" - comment heard about town.

The timing of Blue Dome was designed to take advantage of the Mayfest foot-traffic: you know, Piggy-Back on a major event without having to spend real money on advertising -transparent, IMO.

I popped off with this the first year and suddenly there was much visual interest in the sidewalk underfoot.

Pissed me off no one admitted it, not even with a smirk.

"Yeah, well... we are not charging anything for artists' to show their work.", (which was most definately said in an "anti-Mayfest" tone) was the best reply after pushing the point.

This year booth space runs $75 bucks.
So much for that.

However, counting all that cash - slots are sold out - must have been hell for the staff because the website wasn't kept up to date, Artists were not kept informed, and advertising around town is more scarce then "Killroy Was Here" graffitti.

Hmmmm, mMaybe there's a reason the Mayfest staff is just slightly smaller then some City Depts.?

Still, a little competition never hurts, and if a Johnny come lately wants to marry a matriarh that historically hold her picnic on soggy weekends, then so be it.

Kinda like a sprig of mistletoe on a big Oak: no longer concidered symbiotic, but poses no threat either.

[Tulsa Mayfest]

Mayfest staff?

Many people take "staff" to mean "paid" which Mayfest volunteers are not. Is does take a LOT of people to put on a festival of this size.

Blue Dome doesn't have the staff of the years of experience.

Mayfest is a more structured event with applications and Juries to go through to get in. Blue Dome is an open event, primarily for local artists.

Kinda like the US Open vs PGA Championship.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by Tulsa Mayfest

Mayfest staff?

Many people take "staff" to mean "paid" which Mayfest volunteers are not. Is does take a LOT of people to put on a festival of this size.

Blue Dome doesn't have the staff of the years of experience.

Mayfest is a more structured event with applications and Juries to go through to get in. Blue Dome is an open event, primarily for local artists.

Kinda like the US Open vs PGA Championship.

Decent analogy.  But that would sort of dilute the field and the spectators if you had the U.S. Open playing at Cedar Ridge and the PGA at Southern Hills on the same weekend.

Hopefully each festival can draw off each other, and the sum total is more people in downtown.  But, it seems in a case like this the upstart gets the better end of the deal than the established event.

[jne]

I for one, probably would be a lot less likely to bother with attending Mayfest if it weren't for the Blue Dome fest.  Its more of a local scene for sure and I find the art more interesting.  I have never understood the Mayfest jury process There are some really talented artists represented at Mayfest, but I've mostly found it to be pretty dull.  Blue Dome fest is helping to establish the creative district downtown and is much more accessible to local, outsider, and more non-traditional artists.  So what if its known as the anti-Mayfest?  I'll still go to the main deal, I just can't afford to buy anything there and don't find the people very interesting.  Let the Mayfest be the anti-blue dome fest for all anyone cares.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by jne

Let the Mayfest be the anti-blue dome fest for all anyone cares.

I like that.

I think it would be nice if the two could merge at some point. Have the "local artists fair" inside Mayfest. Mayfest would provide overall administration, infrastructure and advertising while very cheaply making the festival much larger and more diverse.

[Admin]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71


Do you really want me to harass the board members with a cup of beer in my hand? []

Sure

[TheArtist]

For the last decade or so I have found the art booths at Mayfest severely lacking in... art.  Last year I remember perhaps 2 or 3 that were of any quality or interest. The rest was more like something you may see at a craft fair or flea market. So I am not sure just what criteria Mayfest uses to pick what is allowed at their festival.

Last year I went to a similar festival in KC and was absolutely blown away by the art there. I would say half of it was museum quality or high end art gallery level.  And there were far more booths containing art.  Those 2 or 3 best booths at Mayfest would have been in the lowest quartile there.

What I really like about Blue Dome is that it gives budding artists a chance to show.  At Mayfest you have to show examples of your art and a booth that you have set up at another festival.  If your just starting out you may not have an example of a booth to show or even be able to set up a full fleged booth. This will be my first time to ever show my photographs at an art festival, this will be a great opportunity for me to listen to the public, get an idea for what they like or dont like, what sells or doesn't sell so that I can make adjustments. Plus I will have my mural portfolio there, extra exposure never hurts lol.

(one thing I learned with paintings is that you have to have a variety of price points, some shows you may sell a hundred 10 dollar things and no expensive things, but at another you may sell a couple 5000 dollar things and hardly any cheap things, either way you make enough to eat at both shows where as if you only had one price point you may not.  Unfortunately at this my first show I dont have the funds to buy a large range of prints lol, but its a start and each time I will have more and more variety until I have a good enough range )

Having done that ages ago with paintings and murals I know that the first show my stuff is not going to be that good with my new hobby of photography and I will not likely sell anything.  But the Blue Dome is a great opportunity to learn and grow. Even being there with other artists and hearing their comments and what they have learned works or sells is helpful in finding your way.  

In the end I like that each festival is different, it offers more opportunity for artists and for buyers.  Perhaps some of the local newcomers at the Blue Dome will someday mature into high quality artist by being allowed this opportunity for exposure. 75 dollars is not a large amount for a starter show. Some shows and festivals my parents sell their stuff at have fees that start at around 500 dollars, some can be a 1000 dollars or more.  But those are usually proven shows where you know you are likely to sell and thus artists will pay that to get in.      

[jdb]

"I have never understood the Mayfest jury process...".

Nor do some of those trying to get inside Mayfest.

Peggy, a water colourist, was shut out every year. I say show me the slides you submitted. And no wonder.
Just knowing how the slides are ordered can be a major thing, quailty presentation, even more so.
Next year she even made the Invitational.
She went on to become rather famous.
Happy ending.

http://www.peggymcgivern.com/

Whoa! Timba,

Did I say Mayfest had staff?
Yep, that's what the shirt's read, or did.
However, in no way did I mean to imply that these people were over-paid, unpleasant, tripping over themselves in droves, or even moaned about having to do so much walking.

Nope, good people doing good work.

Actully, the difference's were one of my points.
Like non-juried shows adding little clout to ones Bio.
That to pay for security, jiffy-Johns, permit's, blah blah blah...it was niave to think a street fair could just give out booth space, without some Corp. Sponcor or a deep pocketed buddy you have some dirt on.

I think the best that could happen would be the two events seperate a few weeks apart on the calander and draw most the same crowd twice to DT. Might happen sooner with more than a handfull of people living inside the loop, eh?

Never good to have everyone show up at once where some are so put-off they don't come back ever.

One question I have is if TN makes a switch to the upscale crowd, what would be the reason?

I'll take my answer off the air. jdb

[RecycleMichael]

I doubt that Blue Dome would try to do a festival on a different weekend than Mayfest.

It would be interesting to see what would happen though.

[Rico]

"I for one, probably would be a lot less likely to bother with attending Mayfest if it weren't for the Blue Dome fest."

^
Count me in this tent.... Mayfest is more of the same... Year after year.. Maybe a new piece of drift wood.
A new may to use rocks..

Can you say "Looks like a tourist attraction"......I knew you could.

Blue Dome is the difference between "Hollyweird" and "Venice Beach"...

Everything is set in concrete... Or it can all be fluid and change.

[TheArtist]

I had stopped going to Mayfest for a few years, but when I heard about Blue Dome I started going again.  Before it was not worth going for me because I mainly go to shop and look at art and Mayfest didn't have much to look at.  But with the Blue Dome starting it made it worth while to go again.  

Each festival on its own I "may go" but with both at the same time it makes it more of a "must see" event, more worth while.  I really think they compliment each other and help to draw larger art purchasing crowds to both, not just the beer drinking, deadly food eating, music crowd.