Stowe Foliage Festival 2024 Aftermath
In the early morning hours of the second day of the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival, a strong gust of wind collapsed the main event tent onto the booths of the 100+ artists exhibiting our work. While there is a lot to be thankful for in that the tent was empty, the propane and electricity were off, and it wasn’t raining, the loss of display setups, inventory, and sales is significant. My losses were moderate compared to many others (especially those working in glass or ceramics) – while very few of my pieces were destroyed, many were damaged in ways that will take significant time to repair/restore. Yes, I had insurance, but that is rarely as clear cut as it seems it should be. Many artists carry only the required liability insurance, which does nothing for loss of one’s own equipment and inventory. Policies that do cover inventory, often only cover the cost of materials and not the hours and hours that can go into turning those materials into a piece of art. Even the policies that do cover inventory are also designed to cover theft and weather loss, not damage caused by, for example, a neighbors tent blowing into yours. In that scenario, the neighbor’s liability policy would likely be on the hook. In this case, the damage was partially wind but largely the result of the event tent collapsing. I do not know at this time how this will be sorted or how the contract language of the event limits claims against the tent vendor’s policy. The situation is complicated, and my faith in insurance companies paying out in complicated situations is not strong.
As I sort through my inventory, I’ll be posting a few of the pieces that survived unscathed (and maybe some ‘seconds’). Many lost much more than I did, both in terms of inventory and expected sales so please consider seeking out some of these exhibitors via their online stores, galleries that carry their work, or other platforms and start your holiday shopping a little early this year. A full listing of exhibitors can be found here https://stoweartsfest.com/exhibitor-listing/
