Anacortes Courts the Arts
By Carol Wissmann
rom August 6 to 8, Anacortes, Wash., offered 10 of its city blocks for the 43rd Anacortes Arts Festival. Three rows of booths, featuring 250 exhibitors, were flanked on either side by the restaurants, galleries, and shops typical of any-town, main street USA.
The annual event swells the small town's population of 15,100 with over 80,000 visitors. Equidistant between Seattle to the south, and Vancouver, British Columbia, to the north, one can enter this Fidalgo Island city via road or the San Juan Island state ferry.
Work by Karen Gelbard With plenty to do, and a plethora of lodging, visitors often stay the weekend. Along with having artists' booths, the festival offers juried and invitational exhibitions, artist demonstrations and a youth art show.
In a huge, old warehouse on the water, the Art at the Port Fine Art Show featured a juried exhibition of invited artists who also sold their work. The Depot Arts Center showed the work of Anita Mayer, and in conjunction, the Festival sponsored a Fiber Art Boutique in a renovated baggage room. Even the walls of buildings were art-bedecked with life-sized murals of local history.
Exhibitors seemed to enjoy the charm of an unhurried, low-key venue. "I really liked Anacortes. It's a quaint, friendly town. I'd heard it was a good show," says Sally Inman, a.k.a. "The Gourd Fairy." It's Inman's fifth year in business, and first time in Anacortes, having traveled from her home in Lewiston, Idaho. She sells her self-described gaudy, colorful key chains and ornaments made of gourds for $6, and her brightly decorated furniture for up to $150.
"The sites were easily accessible. You could pull right up and unload," she continues. Even paying the 10 percent commission was easy. No lines or waiting. "They trusted you just handing them a check."
Inman netted about $1,000 and received the Sponsor's Choice Runner-up award. "But that's not always indicative of success," she laughs. "I was 'Best in Show' in Wenatchee and made $11. Of course, I was between a tattoo booth on one side and toe rings on the other."
"Best of the Fest" winner for the finest in product quality and display, Geoffrey Carson, of Carson Woodworks in Issaquah, Wash., was also a newcomer to the Anacortes show.
He's in his first full-time year for selling his fine furniture, wall mirrors, burl wood boxes, and fly-fishing products, retailing in the $25 to $650 range.
"Last year, I visited about 15 shows in the Washington area looking for those with the highest quality where I hoped to participate," Carson says. "Anacortes was one of my choices. It was professional and well organized - and so far, my best show."
Work by Sally Inman On the opposite end of the longevity scale, Andrew and Kathy Gilkerson of Ace Leather Goods, Inc., on nearby Whidbey Island, have been exhibiting at the Anacortes show for over 20 years - or as long as they've been in business. They sell all manner of soft and tooled leather products, from backpacks and briefcases, to handbags and wallets with handcrafted scenes and buffalo nickel snaps. Products range in price from $3.95 to $330 and are available at about 30 shows each year, as well as their new retail operation, where they recently added a line of saddles and tack.
"Our sales were down 20 percent, but the rain on Friday contributed to that," says Kathy Gilkerson. Indeed, while the first weekend in August is accepted as safe-in-Seattle with regard to rain, and while Anacortes is known for remaining drier and sunnier than much of the Puget Sound area, the weekdays prior to the show saw unseasonable downpours. Fortunately by Friday afternoon, clouds cleared.
Work by Margaret Lind Margaret Lind of Creative Windsocks concurs. "I was down about $500 as it rained most of the day Friday. We made up a lot Saturday and Sunday." She's been selling her colorful, original-design windsocks in the $19.95 to $41.95 range for 23 years.
And Nicole Whitney of Paloma Pottery made considerably less than last year. "This year, I've been averaging about double what I did last year. This was my first experience for doing less," she says.
Joan Tezak is now in her eleventh year as festival director. "We get about 100 of the 250 booth artisans returning each year," she says. "We invite 50 to 60 back, based on their commission to us, and the quality of their work." The juried event receives 450 to 500 applications and is Washington State's third largest summer arts festival.
Booth artisans pay a $300 fee and 10 percent commission, the profits of which have funded about $26,000 in annual grants and scholarships county-wide to students seeking a career in the arts.
Next year's festival plans include adding additional security. That's welcome news to weaver Karen Gelbard, who exceeded her own sales goals, but was unnerved by some alleged overnight thefts at the show. "Several artists, including those in the neighboring booth, had inventory stolen. Many tents zipped for the night were 'looked' into," she says.
Her first year at this venue, Gelbard sells her $150 to $650 handwoven jackets and scarves as the "Oregon Weaver." In spite of the thefts, she praises the festival. "They had a good attitude about load-in and load-out, with easy parking for each block of tents," she says. "In addition, the festival teamed with local restaurants and provided great food for the artists."
Work by Nicole Whitney "We try to furnish what the artisans need," says Tezak. "They're the supporters of the festival." Besides the variety of food booths, daily lunch was provided in a hospitality room. Fare included lasagna, chicken salad, cold cuts and beans. Booth sitters were available so artisans could take a short break.
Overall, the Anacortes weekend did the arts proud. There were two stages of entertainment, plus a youth stage and space for kids' art activities. There were working artisans on 2nd Street, and hard-working artisans selling their wares on Commercial Ave. Even the local community theater offered entertainment with their evening production of "Run for Your Wife." And with a beer garden and wines with labels especially designed by one of the invitational artists - there was much to toast.
Carol Wissmann is a free-lance writer based in Gig Harbor, Wash.
