INK and Hartford's 28th Annual Open Studio
28th Annual Holiday-kickoff event in Downtown Hartford - and media - "the ink".
Wish me luck! - I am part of the art for The 28th Open Studio Hartford events that wind up this weekend - my fifth year with this “Art meets Disneyworld” wonder!
Come to the closing show this Saturday - details at the link above.
But about the INK - media coverage was not what it should be - so the sales were less that we had a right to expect for all our hard work and investment. A steady stream of really charming visitors arrived in spite of a cold snap in the weather, but much less than would have been there with DECENT coverage.
Open Studio Hartford is VERY popular and very worth it! 300+ artists at a dozen locations all over downtown Hartford is a BIG BIG BIG deal ... and YET... there were zero tv spots to let folks know we were here! I was there and TV and other media were NOT - NOT ONE CAM to video the event at startup to bring visitors! Not one reporter panning the room with questions and attention - attention we EARNED.
And so, much of the Public missed the fun and extras - and that hurt the event folk at every level - after all that work in organization, prep and really beautiful setups at every art venue, with free and reduced parking, and free shuttles through the locations !
An old hand at artstuff, I PROMISED to Act and find ways to see that OSH is respected in the media, responsibly. There is still time for them to redeem themselves this year and promise better for the future!
This weekend, we are still having grand fun with Ekphrasis and the Saturday event After Party ! The event opening/closing party is getting famous as an All-American event with folk from jeans to evening formalwear in attendance - free admission and often 500+ attendees during the evening. See the link for details - art , food, wine/un-wine , music, performance! Please come ! Family-friendly.
But the "ink" - When biz leaves Hartford, it is most certainly in part because Hartford is just plain lazy supporting it dynamically. Nothing comes from nothing and support is NOT that difficult to generate. Let's do better! The work shared represented honors in schools and conscientious self-starting work for years - years! Can you imagine how we felt, after placing faith in the famous event , and setup to share really fine things - only to be left chatting among ourselves?
I am going to get real action on this topic - the show Admin was grand - but not the INK. I love Connecticut so, and Hartford specially - and am media-active lifelong - I can help ^_^ What about YOU? 28th Open Studio Hartford ! Pass it on!