Awa artist alley 20167/31/2023 I complained to a staff member, asking if there was any way they could please turn the AC on or if it was on, to turn it up higher. My skin was sticking to itself and nearly every attendee that walked past my table was furiously fanning themselves with a paper fan or a program book. The number of bodies in a cramped space combined with the physical structure of Kentia Hall made the entire place feel like a sauna. AC was running, although softly, and we waited for attendees to fill the room. ![]() Setup hours on day 2 felt like the air flow had improved. It was significantly cooler outside Kentia Hall, and even significantly cooler outdoors upon exiting the convention. ![]() While this continued for a few hours, the air flow had all but stopped by early afternoon, and the artist alley quickly heated up into an unbearable temperature. When I complained to a staff member, they assured us that there would be AC in the room, and sure enough, around 11am I could feel a very light breeze in my area. While I cannot be a primary source of Day 0’s conditions, the temperature during setup hours on Day 1 was hot, muggy, humid, and generally miserable. ![]() Given that we are a group of individuals that are a legitimate attraction at Anime Expo, I am disappointed that artists are not given appropriate priority when it comes to convention logistics.ĭuring setup hours on Day 0 and Day 1, there was little to no air conditioning in Kentia Hall while artists carried in heavy suitcases and built their displays. Artists are always challenged to up their game at Anime Expo, and it is a colorful and creative marketplace that is both inspiring and wallet-draining. What we, as artist alley artists, need from Anime Expo is to be treated with respect.Īrtist Alley at Anime Expo attracts some of the best international talent, from professionals to fan favorites alike, and attendees routinely express their delight by telling us that their favorite part of the con is checking out Artist Alley. Complaining that we should be moved back into the exhibit hall is not the right course of action. Can you imagine the crowding that we experienced in the AA this year combined with the traffic in exhibitors? With the events and additional sponsor activities being held on the show floor, it would have been impossible to hold that many attendees in the exhibit space. For artists who are reading, please try to understand the problem that AX is facing here. Overcrowding was a real problem in South Hall with both exhibitors and artists, and in order to expand, the only real option was to relocate the artists into their own hall. I understand completely the reasoning for moving artists into Kentia Hall. It has been steadily expanding every year to accommodate more guests, more sponsors, more exclusive content, more artists, and more attendees - reportedly over 90,000 people this year. That being said, I feel that Anime Expo and its management staff need to have a paradigm shift on how they treat their artists.ĪX is undergoing growing pains, and has been for a while. Despite being in a new location and the concerns associated with the move, foot traffic was great and there were helpful signs that pointed attendees towards the direction of Artist Alley. Opening up Day 0 for setup was helpful for many people, and the free wifi was a great gesture. I really appreciated the pre-con communication, informative emails, easy check-in, and early booking. For those who don’t know, conventions like Anime Expo are powered primarily by volunteer hours from people who choose to donate anywhere from dozens to hundreds of hours of their free time to create this event. ![]() Having been behind the scenes myself, I’m under no delusion that running an event as large as Anime Expo is anything close to an easy task. I’d like to start by offering my gratitude to the AX staff for working hard to make the event come together. I spent the last four days in downtown LA for the purpose of exhibiting and selling my artwork, as well as meeting fans and friends alike. I first started selling my work at artist alleys in the anime convention circuit in 2006, and in my professional career, I am experienced in art management and art leadership. I openly encourage debate and discussion, as confrontation will only give us the opportunity to resolve conflict and move forward as a community.įirst, an introduction! My name is Finni Chang, and I’m a 10-year veteran artist who is currently writing this while sitting at the LAX airport on my way home from this year’s Anime Expo. Everything written here is from my perspective and I am only one person. Please take a deep breath and read this (very long) letter with an open mind. This is an open letter to all the artists who participated in the Artist Alley at AX 2016, to the AX management staff, and to all the attendees who came and spent their time and dollars at the Artist Alley this year.
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