It was more than Studio Fair, it was Studio Outstanding.
By the time the three-day artisan market closed on Sunday afternoon, near record numbers had come through the door and the vendors left with cash-induced smiles on their faces.
The final numbers are still being counted, but organizers know already that more than 9,000 paying customers crossed the Civic Centre threshold and there were few preprinted tickets left to be had. It's the second year in a row that the attendance numbers have surpassed the 9,000-mark. This despite the Community Arts Council fundraiser event going up against Halloween, a construction zone in the plaza out front, and a warm November weekend for the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.
"We were absolutely thrilled," said project co-ordinator Lisa Redpath. "The response was amazing, so that really talks to us about the popularity of the event and we got a lot of feedback on how diverse the vendors were, so that's another strength we have. The jury has obviously done their job to select a strong field of vendors."
The vendors told stories of Studio Fair success. Heidi Rupprecht, proprietor of Heidi R Birdhouses, proclaimed her results in a rapid-fire series of one-word exclamations.
"Awesome. Amazing. Outstanding. Thank you," she said a day later after she caught up on her sleep. "I have six birdhouses left. Six."
"Prince George really supports the arts," said Kyle Cooper of Blink Chocolates, up from Vancouver for his fourth Studio Fair. "You have all these guilds, you have the Community Arts Council, you had all these dignitaries here Friday morning for the grand opening, and so many people come to buy from me or the other booths. It gets just packed in here. I come here because I know the community of Prince George gets it - supporting the arts."
His is not the usual kind of art, when thinking traditionally, but there was a whole district of Studio Fair devoted to culinary creations. There was also several examples of fibre works, and also practical items crafted by hand like game boards made of wood, do-it-yourself soapstone carving kits, metal signs embossed with Prince George Cougars logos and other pop-culture imagery, just to name a few. There was also a heavy dose of the more traditional concepts of art, such as paintings, jewellery, photographs and carvings.
"It marries a whole lot of different arts, the visual and sculptural, but also the culinary arts, the clothing arts, the things that enhance everyday life," said graphic designer-come-potter Karen Heathman of Indigo Pottery. "It is about quality, and approachable art, and seeing how good art has a place in our world and is affordable and accessible for you and your own home. Studio Fair educates the public a little bit about how much work it actually takes to make something that might look simple. There is no instant gratification for these artists here. It takes years to develop the skills and then a long time working with the skills to create the item you see in the booth at Studio Fair."
The arts council had 93 vendor boutiques inside the Civic Centre this year, the most ever.
