What does the XanXone look like

What does the look like?

The XanXone studio is a room in my apartment, and normally I would not think it fit to photograph. However, recently I applied to an event which wanted pictures, not only of my jewelry, but my booth setup and my workspace! They said they wanted to see their artists' raw materials -- presumably to verify that handmade was in fact that. So I created a mess on purpose, and took a photo of it. Actually, there is much more in the room than this, but it gives the general idea.

The traveling version can be seen at various arts and crafts shows around the Twin Cities metro area. It's different every time I set up for a new event.

***************

My next event is:

Art on the Lawn

Saturday, July 9, 2016

at the Robbin Gallery

**************

Below are some images that show how the Xone has adapted and evolved to meet the unique demands of each venue.

2010

My first show -- The Red Hot Art Festival, Minneapolis, MN, July 30-31, 2010. A very rough and ready set-up. The tent, which I bought on sale for $50, turned out to be difficult to assemble in a hurry, so I was already running short of time to set out my merchandise. The tent did not come with walls, but a kind friend (hiding in the background) lent me several tarps to use instead. The second day was warmer and sunnier, so the walls were not necessary. The wrought-iron stand was less than successful also, and was retired for Day 2 as well.
	My second show -- Hopkins in Motion, Hopkins, MN, Sept. 11, 2010 I had no walls for the tent this time, which was probably fortunate. The day started cold, and, though the sun came out and warmed things up, it was extremely windy the entire time, as you can see from the billowing table cloth. Tent walls would more than likely have acted as sails and lifted the entire thing off the ground (as in fact happened at the same event a year later). After chasing flying earrings and picking up falling bracelets, I spent most of the rest of the day taping things to their racks or to the tablecloth. Although I don't consider myself psychic, for some lucky reason I had brought a roll of double-sided tape with me, and I used all of it trying to secure the merchandise. And after all that, it was a very poor event for sales.
Two more 2010 events not pictured --	Crafty Pancakes 2010 and First Congregational Church's 2010 holiday craft sale (see below for descriptions of those events in 2011)
2011
Hopkins Mainstreet Days, Hopkins, MN, May 21, 2011 Hopkins seems to be jinxed for me -- this time it rained. I set up the tent in a steady downpour, which, although it quit after a few hours, sent the gutters running with about 6 inches of water. That meant that some of my stuff got wet, and I had to watch where I walked or put things down. I had acquired some silver tarps to use as walls, and they worked pretty well, thank goodness. But they weren't all that attractive. This was another poor event for me. The few people that did turn out tended to move by rapidly, probably to stay warm, rather than linger and look at the merchandise. Once again I did not make back my entry fee.
	Second time around at The Red Hot Art Festival, Minneapolis, MN, July 29-30, 2011. Day one: hoping to attract people into the tent to look at the displays instead of just glancing at them as they passed, I aligned the tables with the sides of the tent. This turned out to be a mistake, as a lot of people decided to use it as a short cut and went in the front and out the back without really looking at anything. Day two: I changed the setup so that the main display table angled inward but did not leave enough space for people to traipse through the tent, and set my chair more centrally. I rearranged the merchandise on the table, experimenting with a baseball bat to display some of the bracelets, but that was not successful, as it was difficult to remove them if a customer wanted to look more closely or try one on. Bracelets remain the most difficult things to display. All in all, I did well at this show. But there is always room for improvement.
The Lyn-Lake Oktoberfest (in September) Minneapolis, MN, Sept. 10, 2011 Even though it was September, it got up to 80 degrees that day, and with not a cloud in the sky I scrambled to get the tent up as fast as I could, just so I could have some shade. My new color-coding scheme for assembling the frame helped a lot -- I got it up in just about half an hour. I used one of the tarps as a floor, because the so-called surface of the parking lot was basically dirt with a few broken slabs of concrete here and there. The bungee cords hanging from the center pole of the tent were there to hold lanterns, as the event was going to last until after sundown. This was the first time I used the two-level shelving setup (on right) for display, and the last time I hung the wire earring display racks from the sides of the tent. I did well at this show, though I wasn't crazy about being so close to the bands. The traffic tended to be sporadic, as everyone stood around to drink beer and listen to the music, and only visited the booths between sets.
	The second time around for Hopkins in Motion, Hopkins, MN, Sept. 17, 2011 Another jinxed Hopkins event. Weatherwise, it was almost an exact repeat of last year -- cold and windy to start with, later becoming sunny and still windy. The tent did actually tip over: the wind caught it from underneath and pulled it right out of the weighted bags I was using to hold down the legs. The new earring display, with the wire racks fastened together on a revolving platform, was more successful in keeping the earrings from blowing away, but a few of them did escape once or twice. The necklace displays were more likely to fly, having more surface area to catch the wind. However, putting the tarp-walls up would have been inviting everything to fly away, so after a brief experiment putting on the rear wall, I decided against using them. Financially it was as big of a bust as last year's, and I don't think I will do this event again. It's not really an arts/crafts fair, but just a promotion of the community of Hopkins, so the people who come are not necessarily there to buy jewelry or other crafts. The biggest attractions were the food stands and the climbing wall.
Girls on the Town, Hopkins, MN, November 5, 2011. The Hopkins jinx strikes again. This is actually a very well-attended event which is organized to promote the entire Mainstreet shopping experience in Hopkins. Attendees browse the shops down the length of Mainstreet, and attend other events, including a raffle for prizes contributed by the local merchants. Vendors who do not have actual storefronts in Hopkins can participate by setting up a table in a small room in the Hopkins Center for the Arts, and that is what I did. Unfortunately, the room provided was too small, and vendors were limited to a single 6'x3' table. The amount of traffic, especially in the first hour of the event, overwhelmed the space available. The aisles between the tables were too narrow for browsers to comfortably stand in without blocking traffic. This inhibited people who might have liked to take a while to look at things and make decisions without being rushed. Most of the vendors I talked to did not make back their entry fee, myself included. There is talk of moving to a larger space for the next event, which will be in the Spring, to anticipate Mother's Day. I really don't know if I can afford to do it if I risk taking another loss.
	Crafty Pancakes -- a fundraising event for the FAIR School, an arts magnet school with locations in Crystal and Downtown Minneapolis, Crystal, MN, Dec. 3, 2011 I did this show last year (sorry, no pictures) and did reasonably well. This year, hardly any of the vendors broke even. Which was unfortunate, because it meant that the 20% cut that the school got from each vendor did not add up to much. It's hard to say whether it was the economy or something about the merchandise on offer that kept people from opening their wallets. Even the organizer did not have much success.
Christmas Craft Sale at First Congregational Church of MInnesota, United Church of Christ, Minneapolis, MN, Dec. 17-18, 2011 For the last few years, my church has held a holiday craft sale as a fundraiser for the church or whatever charity or cause each individual vendor wishes to designate. This is my stripped-down single-table display, which actually worked quite well, even without the shelves. I also had the prime location just inside the door. The sale ran for 3 hours on the Saturday evening and another hour and a half after Sunday service. As before, this was my best event -- due no doubt to the combination of holiday shopping season and the fact that the customers were fellow congregants. I was able to donate $50 to my designated charity, the mission at San Lucas Tolíman in Guatemala, with which our church has had an ongoing relationship for a number of years.
2012
Something New! Starting in February of 2012, I had my jewelry for sale at a new shop, Something New in the Park, 2301 Como Avenue, Suite 101, St. Paul, MN 55108, in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. For the time that it was in business, the shop displayed and sold work by Minnesota artists on a consignment basis, and was staffed by artist volunteers. However, as of Christmas Eve, 2012, Something New in the Park closed its doors. Unfortunately, the lack of sales volume due to the poor economy made it impossible to meet expenses. It was a valiant effort, but it was in vain. Thanks to all who stopped by the shop while it was open!
Pictures from the shop, taken around the beginning of July. The displays were constantly rearranged as items were sold and artists brought in new work, but this gives a general idea of what it was like.
Most of my stuff was on the earring rack or the bracelet displays. A few necklaces hung elsewhere in the shop.
Girls on the Town, Hopkins, MN, May, 2012 I had another try at this event, which is offered twice a year, in Spring and Fall. I thought the spring event might go better -- this time we independent vendors were in a vacant storefront on Mainstreet. However, the weather (cold and rainy) and the inadequate signage directing shoppers to our location didn't help much. Also, I was competing with three other jewelry vendors, two of whom were representatives of home-marketed products like Stella & Dot. The Hopkins jinx still seems to be working, and I made one single sale of my least expensive earrings.
Day 1 Day 2	Third time around at The Red Hot Art Festival, Minneapolis, MN, July 28-29, 2012 I got to use my new tent! Setup was much quicker and easier than with the old one. The first day, Saturday, I left the sides open, but it rained overnight and threatened more rain Sunday morning, so I hung the side walls and reefed up the back wall for a crossdraft. However, Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day after all.
Girls on the Town, Hopkins, MN, November, 2012 This was my last try at this event. I thought the Fall event might go better than in the Spring -- this time we independent vendors were in the Hopkins Center for the Arts, right on Mainstreet, in the lobby area. Alas, I was still competing with the direct-marketed products like Stella & Dot. I think there were six jewelry sellers this time. I did sell more than one pair of earrings, but still did not make back my entry fee. The Hopkins jinx was still in effect, and I did not apply for the 2013 event.
	First Congregational Church of Minnesota Holiday Craft Fair, December 2012 As usual, this was my best event of the year. I made enough that I was able to donate over $80 to the church. It's always a fun time!
2013
Judson Street Fest, May, 2013 This was a new one for me. The Judson Street Baptist Church, a liberal congregation in South Minneapolis, puts on a street festival almost every year, with food, music, and vendors in the street and inside the church. An artist who had also had her work at Something New in the Park contacted other artists to see if they were interested in participating, and I decided to give it a try. It rained in the morning, which delayed setup by almost two hours, but then the weather cleared up and it was quite nice for the rest of the day. I did well enough that I would be willing to participate again next year -- unlike what probably would have happened had I opted to try again at Hopkins Mainstreet Days, which was also that day!
Weather interfered with my next event -- a huge thunderstorm on June 21, 2013 forced the cancellation of the Burwell House Arts and Crafts Fair, on June 22. Oh well, maybe next year...
	Fourth time around at The Red Hot Art Festival, Minneapolis, MN, July 27-28, 2013 Red Hot was not so red-hot, weather-wise, in 2013, but it was a good event.
The only other event I had in 2013 was First Church's annual Holiday sale in December, and I did so well that I didn't have time to take a picture of my setup! Would that all events were like that!
2014
An interesting event on March 29, at the gymnasium of the school attached to The Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They have an annual craft fair, and there were enough participants that I ended up in the space in the entryway! It was a little cold that day, but I did fairly well. It's unusual to have an event that early in the year, so I may look for it again next year.
	Art-A-Whirl May 16-18, 2014 Art-A-Whirl, the Northeast Minneapolis art festival in which artists open their studios to the public, is a popular event in May. The Polymer Clay Guild of Minnesota, which I joined in May of 2013, does not have a studio as such, but has been graciously hosted by the Sheridan Clinic so as to have a space to display their art and demonstrate polymer clay techniques to the many people who turn out to visit the studios. Guild members can sell at this event, so I had a chance to participate for the first time. It was a very well-attended event.
On June 7 I participated in a small event in a new senior apartment facility, Tower Light, in St. Louis Park. There were only about 25 vendors, and not much space to set up in, but it was a nice event and drew visitors from the residents and people in the neighborhood.
	Burwell Art Fair June 28, 2014 at the Charles H. Burwell House, 13209 E. McGinty Road, Minnetonka, MN The weather was decent, although humid, in the morning as we set up. Bad weather had been predicted, so we were happy that it was as nice as it was. However, it may have affected the turnout, as people may have heard about the predicted thunderstorm and made other plans for the day. Nevertheless there was a fair amount of traffic. The sky went from overcast to sunny and back again, and around 3 o'clock, an hour before the end of the event, the skies opened. The organizers had only just warned us that we might have about an hour before it rained, and they were encouraging us to pack up early. We certainly did! I even had help from my mother and sister, who had come to see my booth. I was a bit dismayed to see that, of only twelve vendors, four of us were selling only jewelry, and one vendor of handmade clothing also had fabric necklaces. Another vendor was selling "scarf jewelry"--large rings with pendants of beads and wire wrapping, very nice stuff, not duplicated by any of the others. But it was pretty clear that we all definitely had our own styles, and our own specialties. A couple of times people asked if I had rings, which I don't generally do, so I sent them over to another booth where the vendor had a whole tray of rings. She also had many more bracelets than I had; my stock this time was mostly earrings and necklaces. The organizers seemed to think that the prospect of bad weather was responsible for the light turnout, so I may give this event another try.
Red Hot Art & Music Festival, July 26-27, 2014 My fifth time doing this event, and it was a good weekend. The weather was comfortable, if a bit gusty on Saturday and showery on Sunday, but it seemed like fewer people were attending. Sales were slow on Saturday, but picked up considerably on Sunday, starting with someone buying gifts for several family members, a total of six items in excess of $100. Made me happy! All of the items she bought were polymer clay jewelry, and of my total sales, over half were polymer clay pieces. It was a nice confirmation of a move in that direction.
2015
Art-A-Whirl May 15-17, 2015 Art-A-Whirl, the Northeast Minneapolis art festival in which artists open their studios to the public, is a popular event in May. The Polymer Clay Guild of Minnesota, which I joined in May of 2013, does not have a studio as such, and this year it was graciously hosted by the the owners of the Community Keg House, which had just acquired a space at the Keg House studios, The guild used the space to display their art and demonstrate polymer clay techniques to the many people who turn out to visit the studios, and the Keg House explained to the attendees their plan for a new tap room where customers will be able to pull their own pints.
	Burwell Art Fair June 27, 2016 at the Charles H. Burwell House, 13209 E. McGinty Road, Minnetonka, MN This year was hotter than last year, and it stayed dry, unlike last year, although everyone had one eye on the sky, wondering how long that was going to last. There were not nearly as many vendors this year, five as opposed to twelve. I was the only one with jewelry, but there was another vendor with an interesting item made of polymer clay -- a hair ornament like a 6-inch coil with a dangle of crystals at one end, which winds into long hair. The attendance seemed to be down from last year as well, once the little parade with the vintage fire truck had come and gone.
Art on the Lawn July 11, 2015 at the Robbin Gallery, Minnetonka, MN My first time at this event, after joining the Robbin Gallery last year. It was hot and sticky, with only a little breeze, but a tree provided some shade. My booth was right across from the music tent, which was a mixed blessing. The musicians were all good, but the second act was far too loud. I had to stuff wads of paper towel in my ears to mute the sound a little. That made it hard to talk to customers, and my ears were fuzzy for a while afterwards. The organizers were eager to have artists demonstrate their medium, so I brought some polymer clay and tools and worked with them so that poeple could see what kinds of things can be done with polymer clay. That was a lot of fun, and I had some pieces ready to bake when I was done.
	Red Hot Art & Music Festival, July 25-26, 2015 My sixth time doing this event, and, unlike last year, the weather lived up to the name of the Festival. The temperatures were in the low nineties, and the dew point was somewhere around 70, so it was hot and sticky. There was an intermittent breeze, but it didn't provide much relief. My booth position was not as favorable as last year, and it seemed like fewer people were attending, which wasn't a surprise given the heat. Those that were there seemed to be moving fast in order to spend as little time as possible in the sun. I brought clay to do some demonstrations with as I had at the Robbinsdale event, but it was so hot it wasn't comfortable to work. I discovered that a few blocks of clay apparently sat in the sun for too long; when I went to use them the next day, they were hard and crumbly. I may have to reconsider doing that again. Sales were slow on Saturday, but picked up a little on Sunday. However, it was not one of my better years.