emerge art fair

(e)merge art fair was a huge disappointment…
First, I purchased the Gilt City VIP Party and Preview Tickets, for a $ 65 for a $ 5 savings… Frankly, I thought Gilt would have vetted this ‘VIP party’ …There was NOTHING VIP about the VIP PARTY… perhaps I should have read the fine print more clearly — no complimentary cocktail, canapes, blah blah blah… there would have been no difference from viewing this art show any other day or time.
Speaking of cocktails, they had ONE bartender at the main bar. Then one outside by the pool… one on the second floor. Interestingly enough, I just paid $ 65 for this event and NOT one cocktail included. When I went to buy a beer by the pool, the sign said ‘Domestic Beer $ 5, Imported Beer $ 6.’ The woman asked me for $ 8, and I told her the sign in front of her said $ 6. She said the price was $ 8 for this event. Nice. Clearly, the high price of the VIP Party and just the $ 15 show fee are to subsidize the Capital Skyline because no one would come here otherwise…
Second, this show was questionable for both quality and quantity. It was definitely quite sparse… As someone who attended last year, I am pretty confident in saying that there were far more exhibitors and far more international exhibitors last year. Whilst there were a few nice pieces here and there, the rest of the works reminded me of the Artomatic, which I greatly support as a wonderful effort in promoting the arts to the community at large but is not curated or presented as a professional art show. The (e)merge art fair is a big #FAIL… If they seek to survive in DC, they will need to do a better job of curating because no one is going to continue to pay this kind of entry fee to subsidize a motel.
*(e)merge art fair, if you would like to hire me, I consult on business strategy including revenue strategy for cultural arts organizations, so ping me…

Great experience! This fair had a variety of international artists and also provided a great opportunity for local artists as well. My favorite part was the section in the garage that had different musical and performances art showings… The trapeze act was pretty awesome, too… The staff was super friendly and helpful, very willing to talk about the art.