A full Circle Moment:
Naperville's RiverWalk Fine Art Fair is the show my mother, Artist: JoAnn Deck, aspired to be accepted into...the show she felt endorsed a person as a professional Artist.
When she and I first ventured out to sell our work, we did it together...mom with framed paper collage and me with my Fiber Art Wearables. Craft shows were our primary venue (early to mid 1990's) and indeed wearable art was NOT an invited medium on any show prospectus billed as "Fine Art" (like RiverWalk)
Surprisingly and happily, in 1998, Mom and I were both invited to exhibit at RiverWalk! It was big and scary for me...it was the first time they opened it up to my medium. I felt insecure and worried that people would not appreciate my presence. The show was 3x more expensive then any other show we'd done. I was desperate for good sales to support myself. We were blown away by the amount of support and enthusiasm our work generated (the best sales we'd had to date) AND they invited us back two more years.
During this time my mother was experiencing phantom aches, pains...exhaustion, concentration problems and other symptoms... later diagnosed as fibromyalgia. She needed to discontinue the physical demands of all outdoor events. The third year at RiverWalk, I was on my own in the tent...it was the weekend immediately following 9/11. I was still grieving the loss of my father 8/2000 and the loss of my mentor 7/2001. It was a somber weekend.
I've not applied to the show since then....for this, that or another reason...always managed to scheduled myself at a different show. With the passing of my mother...I find myself nostalgic for our early years together and the show that first endorsed me as a professional ArtWear maker......this year I return to RiverWalk.
CLICK HERE FOR MY COMPLETE 2015 SCHEDULE
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