Naperville residents traditionally look forward to September as it brings a blow-out end-of-summer celebration followed by a top-rated art fair to the downtown area. But 2020 has been anything but normal as COVID’s hand has wiped the event slate clean.
After the Jaycees Last Fling was canceled in early June, art lovers and festival goers held onto one last hope for the Riverwalk Fine Art Fair (RFAF) and waited for an official statement from the Naperville Art League (NAL), host of the show. Trying to get a jump on the story, this Positively Naperville columnist used her personal connection with show director Deborah Venezia to get the latest update on the beloved event.
PN: How has your 2020 show planning experience differed from that of previous years?
DV: Each year, the art fair comes with a different set of challenges. In 2008 when, four days before the show, heavy rainfalls plagued Naperville, causing the DuPage River to flood the downtown streets of the City. Miraculously, the waters receded by Wednesday, and on Saturday we were able to host a beautiful event. Other stressors we have encountered include Riverwalk renovation, street construction, hurricanes that prevented artists from traveling to the show, my chemo treatments, and Sept. 11’s impact. COVID was tough in 2020 – its mercurial nature caused us to reappraise and rewrite our strategies almost daily.
PN: With so many unknowns, will there be a Riverwalk Fine Art Fair this year?
DV: Yes! But it won’t be what you expect. With the support of the City of Naperville and NAL, we were determined to host an in-person event. All components were evaluated. What if we reduced the number of artists and spread out the booths? What if we cordoned off the footprint of the show, created entry and exit points, implemented one-way traffic flows, enforced mandatory mask wearing protocols, and provided hand sanitizer for all the vendors?
The list of safety measures kept growing. Eighty artists from across the country were eager to participate – many of them make their living off show sales and are suffering due to show cancellations. The breaking point came when I sent an email informing artists residing in spiking states that they would need to self-quarantine for 14 days. Twenty-four hours later, 43 artists dropped out of the fair. Income generated from the remaining participants would not cover our expenses, so we executed Plan B.
PN: Please tell us – what is Plan B?
DV: The Riverwalk Fine Art Fair will be virtual this year! The online event is scheduled from 10AM to 5PM for Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20. Attendees can log onto BoothCentral.com during that time period, click on “Find Events” and scroll down to Riverwalk Fine Art Fair to browse through the booths of the participating artists online. Vendors can engage in video chats with customers, conduct sales, and host demos from their studios. As the promoter, we will be live streaming and will do all that we can to bring community members and artists together for our annual celebration of the arts. It is a diversion that most of us could use right now!
