F
or M elanie Little, each sh ow is a
family reunion.
"O ver the years,
I've
w atch ed children grow ," says Little,
the American Craft C ouncils show
director, w h o has witnessed numerous other
milestones,
h appy and sad,
in her
2 6
years
with the Council.
"I love the personal connection I
have with the
artists and their families. There are so many
people each year w ho I
just can't wait to see."
Little b e g a n at the Council in the show
finance department.
N o w she's in ch arge
of the five largest craft events in the country
- tw o in
Baltimore (a w h o lesale sh ow of
4 0 0
artists and a retail sh ow of
6 5 0
),
and on e each
in Atlanta,
St.
Paul, and
San Francisco.
"W hen a show opens,
I'm doing a lot
behind the scenes, but my favorite part
is just being out on the floor talking with
people.
I
have formed such wonderful
relationships over the years," she says.
S T O R Y BY Kristen Powell
P H O T O BY Arm our Photography
" T o w a t c h
a
v e n u e
t r a n s f o r m
i n t o
a
r o o m
fu ll
o f
b e a u t i f u l
w o r k
a n d
f a b u l o u s
p e o p l e
in
j u s t t w o
d a y s
is
a
t o t a l
j o y . "
The evidence fills Littles hom e in Port Ewen,
N .Y., about
8 0
miles north of N e w York
City. "I look around my hom e and see the
pieces I've bought over the years, and its
a great feeling to know
the person w h o created
it.
I
can reflect on the
conversations I've had
with that person.
It ad d s
so much m eaning for
me," Little says.
O n e of her favorite
purchases is a set of
placem ats by Shirley
Edidin.
"Shirley w a s in her
8 0
s and still doing
shows. She lived in Florida, and she would
drive herself to Baltimore.
I
still remember
her unloading and setting up her ow n
booth," Little says.
The fiber artist passed a w a y in
2 0 0 9
; now,
says Little,
"I get those placem ats out, and I
think of her an d smile."
M a n y w h o visit Augusts San Francisco
sh ow will b e smiling, too, as they focus on
the country's leading craft artists show casing
their latest handm ade work.
And that's how Little wants it.
However, a show of this magnitude takes
months of work before it can com e off
seamlessly.
Som e tasks are obvious,
like working
with venues, m anaging the application
process, and selecting the artists. Others
are less apparent, but equally important -
hiring security,
m anaging the box office,
decorator, catering, and first aid.
Little and her staff meticulously m an age
every detail.
Kristine G o ld y handles much
of the communication with artists
throughout the year.
Oliver C h a p o y
oversees technology for the shows,
and Ashley M organ m an ages show
booth assignments,
including the many
special requests from artists.
But despite all their careful planning, they
know to expect the unexpected.
In
2 0 0 2
, for exam ple, w hen the A C C
w a s holding show s in Sarasota,
Fla.,
construction of a n ew convention center
m oved the show to the fairgrounds. Artists
set up booths in tents outside.
"A torrential rain m oved in and tents
flooded. It w a s awful. W e w ere all
scrambling, going into booths,
rescuing
artists' work," Little says.
" W e w ere up all
night, vacuuming the booth floors.
It w a s a
mess.
" N o w you know w h y I
love indoor venues,"
she says with a chuckle.
O v e r the years, Little has seen many
ch an ges - from the increasingly
sophisticated booth displays to how artists
market themselves.
But the top-quality work that visitors see
at A C C show s remains constant.
In fact,
Little thinks the vast and grow ing number of
choices makes today's show s even stronger.
"Artists are having to work harder to
ch a n g e and be creative. They have to keep
com ing up with n ew work. I
definitely see
more innovation than, say,
1 0
years a g o ."
As the San Francisco sh ow draw s closer,
Little feels that familiar flutter of anticipation.
She wants to be there and see it all com e
together. The end of a show ? That's a
different story.
"At
5
p.m. on Sunday, to see it all
disassem bled in a matter of hours - there's
a sadness to that for me."
But Little and her team can't dwell on it.
After all, they have another show to plan.
