The Circus is in Town

The big art show is in Des Moines this weekend. Actually there are two of them and they are both pretty good shows as far as the art on display is concerned. Most people equate the big art show in Des Moines with the Des Moines Arts Festival which is an over-rated outdoors show held downtown every June – a sacred cow if there ever was one. Meanwhile, Artfest Midwest is at the fairgrounds during the same weekend and held indoors. It is stubbornly under-rated and cannot catch a break. More on rankings later.

Hundreds of artists will come to Des Moines to set up their booths at one of these venues to display and sell their work. Most of them have work that indicates they should indeed be included – some do not but they are present every year anyway. Some work very hard at bringing their best work and some just bring gimmicks. The good news is the market will sort it all out. Sometimes the market is not fair – but it accurately measures any given artist’s success for any given day and evens out over the long run. Successful street show artists understand this concept.

This weekend of art shows in Des Moines is a circus – but the artists aren’t the clowns. Not even the ones that manipulate the shows, fool the patrons, and browbeat the other artists. Not the people who come out to support the work of the artists at both shows. Not the Artfest Midwest promoters either. Sue and Ron Stookey put on a very good show at the fairgrounds despite incredible obstacles placed in front of them time after time. They keep at it every year.

Art shows were meant to be a venue for an artist to set up a display and sell his or her artwork to people that come to view and purchase the work. Simple enough. But, somehow, some way – art shows have turned into circuses. Des Moines this weekend is one of the most obvious. The downtown show tries to be too many things to too many people. A carnival in the middle of the circus.

Who are the clowns?

Let’s send in the clowns. . .

The slick PR-savvy show promotion staff, and spokespeople that know what to say and when to say it the right way to satisfy their own goals or agenda.

The giggly-media types will hit the air and talk about “all that great art” in town. We can’t really blame them – they are paid to giggle and talk like they know about things they do not know. It gets obnoxious after about . . . oh, maybe 2 promotional commercials or 10 seconds of hearing the banter instead of the weather. During the newscasts some will give the fairgrounds show a glancing mention, but most will pretend there is only one show in town. It’s embarrassing, but please note it’s all part of the circus.

On a related note: here’s a link to a media outlet in Des Moines (http://www.kcci.com/news/23982198/detail.html). In the blurb it says: “The event is expected to draw more than 250,000 extra people downtown.” Fair enough. Until you go to the Census Bureau. According to them, in 2006 the Des Moines population was estimated to be 193,886 and that was a 2.5% drop since 2000. Granted, the suburbs weren’t counted, but 250,000 people? “extra people”?

Really?

Even if it was true – how many of those 250,000 extra people are art patrons, art buyers – the people the artists came to see and do business with?

The main newspaper’s arts critic/reviewer/writer/(or whatever he is) – while incredibly good at reviewing and critiquing theater – would not know a good or a bad painting or piece of pottery, or a sculpture if you hit him over the head with it. His reviews of the artists attending the downtown show obviously come from the artists’ statements and whatever press releases were thrown his way. Slanted, unprofessional, and undependable. I think he would review both shows from the newspaper’s office window if he could – look up at the window at the Des Moines Register building – you’ll see an orange wig in the window – well, actually you’ll see a lot of orange wigs, but let’s steer this essay away from politics.

The “alternative” newspaper art critic? Not worth mentioning during any time of the year. Let’s just call him the “Critic of the Decade”.

Some people will go downtown to “look at all that great art”. They won’t buy a thing except for a beer or 7 to nurse while they stand in the street and talk with each other about everything but art while the artists provide a beautiful backdrop for them before they go home. Lots of big red shoes on the pavement. Some will only go downtown and not go to the fairgrounds for usually one of two reasons: they will claim they didn’t know about it, or they announce they “never go to the fairgrounds unless it’s time for the fair”.

I think it’s because there are too many to fit in one car.

Someone will say: “Isn’t it great that the Des Moines show is #4 (or #8 or whatever) in the country?!” They will give you a blank stare over their red clown nose when you ask: “Based on what?” You see, gentle reader, this is a very important point to remember. There is no consistent, authoritative, neutral, ranking system of art shows in the country. There are a couple of very flawed, incredibly biased ranking systems. It’s not even as reliable as a college football ranking during a non-controversial season – it’s pure fiction. You read it here first. Thank me later.

Lots of money will be made by ancillary vendors. Restaurants, bars, “social clubs”, nearby galleries, food booths, charities, non-art-related enterprises that are aiming for the demographic that an art show brings in theory. Nothing wrong with that, and these people probably are not clowns, but they too are part of the circus – the sideshows, the distractions.

Thankfully, despite everything set forth to discourage business between artist and patron – some people will go to both shows and look over the work. They will find a painting or a sculpture or a photograph (an original print, in 3 different sizes) or something else that speaks to them, that moves them, that causes them to think or reflect. Something for their home or soul or both. They will speak with the artist, learn more about the piece and they will proudly carry it home or have it delivered (Oh yes, they will deliver!) Nothing that the circus can dish out will stop this scenario from occurring over and over again all weekend at both venues. They cannot contaminate the love of art for some people. That is the saving grace – the ray of hope in this Pandora’s Circus in Des Moines.

This is what it’s about. Not show rankings, not PR, not “Idol” reject concerts, not a carnival. It’s about beauty and art, artist and customer.  For the artists that pay a jury fee, a booth fee, travel expenses, etc. – it’s not the number of people at the show that matters – it’s the art aficionados, the patrons, the customers that matter – nothing else matters. The fewer distractions that interrupt the genuine artist and the real patron, the better. That makes a real art show and some shows understand this concept while some are just carnivals in a circus.

Step right up!

Right this way!!

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