Thanks to all who came out to say 'Hi', look at and, ideally, purchase some of my photographic work this past Saturday at Art on Elm Avenue! Thanks also to Neighbor Works Waco, the event sponsor, Honey Jenkins, the organizer and my own honey, my fiance Cinnamon who was supportive and got up far too early to get me and my gear to the site!
The day was by all accounts a success. Attendance was up, and despite a somewhat ominous forecast, the weather gods smiled on us. Early morning drizzle - alarming to me, selling photographic work - stopped a bit before the crowds arrived at 10, and most of the day was pleasantly mild, breezy enough to keep the bees flying by but unlike last year, not windy enough to blow my work (and several vendors tents) all over the road, and cloudy enough to let me wake up Sunday with my face only a little red. This in contrast to last year, when brighter sunshine left me looking like the Cleveland Indians mascot, Chief Wahoo. About thirty other merchants were displaying and selling their art on the street, with everything from oil paintings to home-made jewelry to scarves and ... well, I don't know what all else since I was sitting at my stand, talking to people. A few yards up, people drew their own pictures and wrote messages on the street; the sound of local country and classic rock bands echoed down the avenue. Nearby buildings exhibited the best of local student artwork and professional artists.
My sales were about double what they were last year, which made me grin like the Cleveland Indians mascot, Chief Wahoo. Credit that to having more work to display and tailoring the material to local tastes, a skill I”m still learning as a newcomer to this city. By now I knew Texans love their state flower, the bluebonnet, and locals love the Alico Building, Waco's tallest building and the “Branding the Brazos” outdoor sculpture of a massive cattle drive. Saturday I learned they are more than passionate about the Suspension Bridge across the river and made a note to take more photos of that and look for interesting angles of it! I also found that photos of cats and rustic farm scenes have a universal appeal and now some of my images from Ontario of those will be adorning Texan walls.
Personally, it was a great experience. It's good talking to a range of people, finding what interests them. I talked baseball to a man wearing a Dodgers cap; storms with a woman who haled from Chicago (and discerned my accent was from somewhere in the Great Lakes area), learned about an internship in South Carolina one girl's boyfriend was going on. She was buying him photos of the city to remind him home is where the heart is. I was introduced to some of the movers and shakers of the local arts scene which opened doors to having my work seen more down the road. As good as it was for me, it was a better day for Waco.
The day was a way for thousands of people from all walks of life - college students, wealthy business people, belly-dancing instructors, locals from the low-income neighborhood, retirees, little kids (who were almost universally had ear to ear grins on their dog , lion or dragon-painted faces) and bikers in leather vests - to get together and stroll around, celebrating the things in common rather than the differences. It brought surely the biggest crowds of the year to the doorsteps of the few cafes, clothing shops and florists in business on Elm Avenue. And it made a few people take a look at their city with new eyes. As with many other places, long-time residents often take the sights- and sites- for granted. More than a few people who had moved into the area recently shared my observations that the city has much to offer and a lot of character; several lifelong residents said they had never stopped and looked at some of the things I photographed despite passing them almost every day. I”m sure they also had a new appreciation for various artists that work away in the attics or back rooms of the city, largely unnoticed.
Many cities could benefit from copying Art on Elm. What we take for granted is often spectacular. Perhaps it took moving here for me to understand that, but I hope you won't have to go so far to appreciate where you are. Look at your home like an outsider... you might never see things the same way again.
The day was by all accounts a success. Attendance was up, and despite a somewhat ominous forecast, the weather gods smiled on us. Early morning drizzle - alarming to me, selling photographic work - stopped a bit before the crowds arrived at 10, and most of the day was pleasantly mild, breezy enough to keep the bees flying by but unlike last year, not windy enough to blow my work (and several vendors tents) all over the road, and cloudy enough to let me wake up Sunday with my face only a little red. This in contrast to last year, when brighter sunshine left me looking like the Cleveland Indians mascot, Chief Wahoo. About thirty other merchants were displaying and selling their art on the street, with everything from oil paintings to home-made jewelry to scarves and ... well, I don't know what all else since I was sitting at my stand, talking to people. A few yards up, people drew their own pictures and wrote messages on the street; the sound of local country and classic rock bands echoed down the avenue. Nearby buildings exhibited the best of local student artwork and professional artists.
My sales were about double what they were last year, which made me grin like the Cleveland Indians mascot, Chief Wahoo. Credit that to having more work to display and tailoring the material to local tastes, a skill I”m still learning as a newcomer to this city. By now I knew Texans love their state flower, the bluebonnet, and locals love the Alico Building, Waco's tallest building and the “Branding the Brazos” outdoor sculpture of a massive cattle drive. Saturday I learned they are more than passionate about the Suspension Bridge across the river and made a note to take more photos of that and look for interesting angles of it! I also found that photos of cats and rustic farm scenes have a universal appeal and now some of my images from Ontario of those will be adorning Texan walls.
Personally, it was a great experience. It's good talking to a range of people, finding what interests them. I talked baseball to a man wearing a Dodgers cap; storms with a woman who haled from Chicago (and discerned my accent was from somewhere in the Great Lakes area), learned about an internship in South Carolina one girl's boyfriend was going on. She was buying him photos of the city to remind him home is where the heart is. I was introduced to some of the movers and shakers of the local arts scene which opened doors to having my work seen more down the road. As good as it was for me, it was a better day for Waco.
The day was a way for thousands of people from all walks of life - college students, wealthy business people, belly-dancing instructors, locals from the low-income neighborhood, retirees, little kids (who were almost universally had ear to ear grins on their dog , lion or dragon-painted faces) and bikers in leather vests - to get together and stroll around, celebrating the things in common rather than the differences. It brought surely the biggest crowds of the year to the doorsteps of the few cafes, clothing shops and florists in business on Elm Avenue. And it made a few people take a look at their city with new eyes. As with many other places, long-time residents often take the sights- and sites- for granted. More than a few people who had moved into the area recently shared my observations that the city has much to offer and a lot of character; several lifelong residents said they had never stopped and looked at some of the things I photographed despite passing them almost every day. I”m sure they also had a new appreciation for various artists that work away in the attics or back rooms of the city, largely unnoticed.
Many cities could benefit from copying Art on Elm. What we take for granted is often spectacular. Perhaps it took moving here for me to understand that, but I hope you won't have to go so far to appreciate where you are. Look at your home like an outsider... you might never see things the same way again.