Surtex Booth Tour

What a whirl of fun and fanfare these past few weeks have been! I'm a bit overwhelmed with deadlines at the moment, so instead of writing a clever and entertaining narrative to accompany these "recap" posts, i'm going to rely heavily on the ol' adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Oh, and a truism: "If you have to set up or break-down a booth at a convention center, you can count on it to rain." You haven't heard that one? Hmm..

So here's what a booth at Surtex looks like before it's all spiffed up. It comes with walls, 3 chairs, 4 lights, and a desk — mine also came with a very helpful husband who went on a city-wide scavenger hunt for 3M picture frame hangers (yup, i bought the wrong ones). The day came with other challenges, too. For instance, that's me in the corner trying to get
our extension cords untangled:

Showing a little progress...and a lot of relief— 3M command strips in-hand
at last. Pete ended up buying every last one in every Staples store
in New York City. No joke.And now for the moment of truth...will they stick to these walls?Sweet relief, yes! Note: this is where we should have stopped for lunch.
But of course we didn't. We pressed on until it was finished and i was so happy with how it all came together:

One of my favorite parts about doing this show is having a chance to talk directly with manufacturers about some of the innovative new products they're in the process of making. I'm always inspired by the contagious enthusiasm people have for what they do, and thankful that my artwork speaks to their visions. It's this type of collaboration that keeps me wide-eyed and eager. I came out of the show with some promising opportunities that i hope to share with you...soon!

Another highlight is catching-up with fellow artists and sharing some of the challenges and successes that we've experienced over the year. Hey, we can only help each other by sharing what we've learned, right? For this reason, i was so happy to chat with several new exhibitors. Perhaps some of the mis-steps i've made can turn into stepping stones for you. Congratulations on your accomplishments already!

Finally, i couldn't have done any of this without the love, support (and patience) of my husband, Pete. Thank you for cooking dinner when my fingers were too sticky with spray mount, for tolerating my month-long "trial run" booth set-up that took over our living room, for spending 4 long days with me in an 8' x 10' space...and for keeping your sense of humor the whole time (with the exception of the 3M incedent).
Yes, this picture was taken on the last day.
Still standing, still smiling.

But we also kind of felt like this:Next up...Quilt Market recap!