NORWICH – With less than two weeks remaining until the 24th annual Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival, the Norwich based festival announced it has been ranked as one of Sunshine Artist magazine’s 200 Best shows of 2018 ahead of thousands of other shows in the country.
Dubbed “America’s Premier Art & Craft Show Magazine,” Sunshine Artist magazine ranked Colorscape as the 92nd Best Fine Art & Design Show ahead of thousands in the nation and among only three other shows in New York State based on participating artists’ surveys.
Colorscape Executive Director Celeste Friend said, “From the point of view of the artist, this is the list that artists look at to figure out, ‘Where are the best shows in the country?’ This is going to help us draw even better artists than we’ve already had.”
Sunshine Artist magazine compiles the lists of 100 Best Fine Art & Design Shows and 100 Best Contemporary & Classic Art Shows to create its 200 Best list ever year based on feedback from the artists themselves who have participated in various shows across the country.
“[Artists] get postcards at the show and they fill it out and mail it back to Sunshine Artist, and then Sunshine Artist compiles all those reviews from thousands-of-thousands of shows across the country,” said Friend.
The inclusion of Colorscape among the best shows in the nation is evidence that participating artists are profiting at the festival, said Colorscape President Melissa DeCordova.
“The fact that we’re in this ranking means enough of our artists are happy and making money and want to come back because they’re guaranteed that they’re going to be making money––not just breaking even, making money,” said DeCordova.
“We are very welcoming, very friendly, we provide lunch for all of our artists, and the comments we receive are we are one of the friendliest shows in New York State, but this isn’t about that,” said DeCordova. “This is not a personality contest, this is about becoming profitable.”
With Colorscape featured in Sunshine Artist magazine’s 200 Best of 2018, organizers are anticipating more, high-quality artists will apply to take part in next year’s festival, which will be Colorscape’s 25th and silver anniversary.
Friend said, “We’re kind of anticipating getting ready for the idea that we’re going to have more applications next year because people who will not have heard of us will go, ‘Oh, I’m going to try that!'”
In the long run, the recognition could mean a long and healthy future for Colorscape Chenango.
“Better art means more buyers,” said Friend. “More buyers means better artists.”
The 24th annual Colorscape will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 8 and 9, in Norwich’s East and West Parks.
[Published August 30, 2018 in The Evening Sun.]