Former art fair organizer says critics are off base

by Ed Felien

    Former Powderhorn art fair organizer Robert Sharp broke a long silence and talked Friday, June 22, about his activities with the Powderhorn Festival of the Arts for the past few years:
    “When I took over the Art Fair there were 30,000 people who went. Last year there were 100,000. My skills and work brought it to where it is now.
    “There were no management problems. Every year we surveyed the artists. Ninety-eight percent of the artists were happy with the management of the event. Every year we won awards for being one of the 200 best art fairs in the country. The only complaint we had was from the prior art committee from 1991. Every year they whined about problems and tried to make my job more difficult. We asked them to join the process. I was always trying to mend fences. I reached out to the very people who were critical. We did everything we could to reach out to the community.
    “I’ve never received a salary. I was a volunteer. The work on the Art Fair was about four hours a day, every day, beginning about the week before Christmas. When I got the Art Fair, I got crap, nothing. I built it from zip.
    “Every year we reported the revenues of the Art Fair to the community in an ad in Southside Pride. We also asked for volunteers. We also posted what we made. We reported it in the same way as Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, and they go through millions and millions of dollars every year. The Park Board always got a report. In the past 24 months we contributed $31,486.89 to park programs in Powderhorn Park.
    “The process was always open. A tabloid newspaper went out to over 15,000 homes. We got a lot of good feedback. When the Neighborhood Revitalization Program came along, I worked with PPNA to improve the ballfield at Powderhorn. That’s how I got involved.
    “They say the artists’ needs were not being met. The evaluations speak for themselves.
    “They say I was charging vendors different rates. Well, you can’t charge a popsicle vendor the same as a standing restaurant, and we did give new businesses starting up a little break. It was a sliding scale.
    “I just want my name cleared. I’ve been here a long time,” Sharp said.