Question for My Con-going Readers

[drpaisley]

The new art show maven for ConQuesT has proposed moving the art auction (currently held at 5p on Saturday) to later in the evening, like after the masquerade (roughly 9p). Have any of you seen this done at other cons, and if so, how did it work for you, whether as consumer or part of the art show workers union?

Comments

Re: is the art show held for the benefit of the art show staff?

[bat-cheva.livejournal.com]

...is the art show held for the benefit of the art show staff? Or the benefit of the artists and the attendees?

Depends on how many willing souls you have to work on your convention. They are all volunteers after all. If you're in a town where volunteers are scarce, and fewer by the year, you don't tick them off so they don't come back. Do that enough and the Art Show dies.

my question was a bit rhetorical

[parrismcb.livejournal.com]

I attended my first convention in the 70's. I've worked on conventions, slept inside an art show when we couldn't get proper security and locks for the safety of the artwork. Now I can no longer help do setup or tear down, so I send brawny men and canny women to help thanks to the Bros, and I can concentrate on evaluating the art presented and decide if I want to bid. I have been known to spend several thousand dollars at an art show.

I do see that in some instances that certain groups can become so insular that no new people can comfortably fit in to share the work and excitement of working on their section of programming and events. Perhaps more outreach to get people interested in working and making sure there is a welcoming attitude would make the burden less on the 'same old' volunteers.

my question was a bit rhetorical

[parrismcb.livejournal.com]

I attended my first convention in the 70's. I've worked on conventions, slept inside an art show when we couldn't get proper security and locks for the safety of the artwork. Now I can no longer help do setup or tear down, so I send brawny men and canny women to help thanks to the Bros, and I can concentrate on evaluating the art presented and decide if I want to bid. I have been known to spend several thousand dollars at an art show.

I do see that in some instances that certain groups can become so insular that no new people can comfortably fit in to share the work and excitement of working on their section of programming and events. Perhaps more outreach to get people interested in working and making sure there is a welcoming attitude would make the burden less on the 'same old' volunteers.

Re: my question was a bit rhetorical

[bat-cheva.livejournal.com]

We would welcome anyone who showed up and wanted to work with us. Good luck getting them away from their specialty cons.

Most of it is the graying of fandom. I'm sure you've seen plenty of talk about it. The kids aren't interested in our kind of convention. People always had their own areas of interest, but the only place they had to find their own few kind was at a general fan run Con. They tended to run around with the few people who shared their own particular interest but at least they were at the Con and they could be exposed to other areas of fandom and be wheedled into helping out with things.

Times have changed. The internet lets people get together virtually. It lets them find even more people who share their interest and only their interest. They can connect with each other without having to go through the intermediary of a SciFi/Fantasy club that only meets once a month, or the yearly convention. They can organize their own Con, and now they don't have to put up with our weird obsession with books, or old movies or tv shows they don't care about when they can get all the anime cosplay and voice actors they want at their anime con a couple miles away.

They know we're here. They just don't give a damn, because their needs are already being met.