Art Con Was Super Fun!

I participated in a super fun Dallas art event a few weeks ago. ArtCon is short for Art Conspiracy, an organization that holds a huge fundraising event every year. Artists can enter a lottery to be one of the 100 artists chosen to donate work to be auctioned off at the event. My name was chosen!

Each year, ArtCon finds a unique place for the event in an up-and-coming part of the Dallas metroplex. This year it was at a warehouse in The Cedars.

The Saturday before the event is the artist workday. Artists show up and are given an 18x18" wood panel and have the entire day to create their work on site at the warehouse. Abandoned WAREHOUSE! No heat. No electricity. Not really even any kind of proper flooring. 

But it was fun!


I "cheated" and mostly prepared my work ahead of time. I painted and stitched a design on a larger piece of heavy cloth. I added more stitching on the work day. Here you can see it draped over my chair (which I brought with me).


Then I stapled it on the panel. That's the ArtCon 11 logo sprayed on the back.


I added my name and contact info. I should have added the title.


Here's the finished piece.


As works are finished, they are stacked up on these display shelves.


Then the next week was the party and auction! My friend Michelle joined me.


Can you see my piece on the shelf here, waiting for auction?


We went out to dinner with friends before the party and ended up missing the auction for my piece. Boo hoo. Oh well. It sold for $120, around the average price for most pieces. Bidding started at only $20. This year the money went to Make Art with Purpose. 

I had a great time at the event. The variety of art was so inspiring and the auctions were exciting. There was live music, food trucks and fabulous people-watching.


Would I do it again? Sure. It would have been a tiny bit more fun to participate with another artist or two. Then the work day would have been more social and it would have been fun to know more people at the party. Wanna join me next year?