I owe an apology to everybody who visited the Stillwater Arts Festival on Sunday, April 17.Around 9:00am while I was trying to set up, a strong wind gust grabbed one of my panels and snapped a metal connector in two. (I did NOT lose any artwork this time!) Combined with only having 35lbs of weight per corner however, the structural integrity of my tent was too unstable to withstand the next 6 hours of pounding from the wind. With permission from the event organizers, I packed up and left the show early. Throughout the day, the wind got increasingly more dangerous. I was definitely not the only artist who packed up early, but I was one of the first.Over the past three years that I have been participating in art festivals, this is the first time I have ever left before a show before it officially ended. If you were looking for my booth on Sunday, I truly apologize for not being there that day.Put simply, I was trying to prevent this from happening again:
full story: Utica Square disaster, 2010
On a positive note, I used that day to examine the remaining tents at the show and learn their tactics for staying upright in 30+mph winds. I have some good ideas, and I hope to have them implemented at the next show (Norman May Fair - April 29 to May 1, 2011).