Rosemont International Gift & Collectible Expo 2002
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After 27 years as the "International Collectible Exposition", or ICE for short, the name was changed this year. The convention will now be formally known as the "International Gift and Collectible Expo",  to define what has become a blurred line in this industry. The 2002 show was enjoyable as always, but it was smaller than previous years. Hard to believe that just 3 short years ago there were about 200 exhibitor booths at the show, last year it fell to just under 100 booths, and this time it was less than 90.
The significance was not so much in who was there, but in who WASN'T there.  Some of the companies which chose not to participate this year were Disney, Dept 56, Lladro, & Greenwich Village Workshop, just to name a few. Many people were disappointed that some of their favorites weren't there - popular artists such as Will Bullas, Mary Engelbreit, Adam Binder and Paul Cardew were missed by fans. I missed my old Rosemont bud Chris Spice - the official crowd pleaser & greeter (his appearance was always sponsored by Brian Baker, who was absent also this year)!
But, on the flip side, the loyal crowds turned out in full force. The atmosphere was status quo ~ full of excitement and lots of positive energy! The lines for signings were long, but the crowds seemed very polite and patient. There were lots of beautiful things to see, and many pleasant surprises in store for collectors.

Expo Calendar

NOTE: to view photos, simply hold your mouse over the underlined link, when done viewing, move your mouse away. DON'T CLICK!

Thursday June 27 - Set Up Day
I went out to Rosemont to help my friend Les set up the Selkirk Glass Booth. Unfortunately artist Peter Holmes was unable to make it. Peter - I missed hanging out with you this year! The convention center is like a huge maze with all the large crates, boxes, ladders and people running about. You must be careful - don't run into anything!
Took a sneak peek at the Boyds Booth that day, too. They must have worked hard because their booth was done early, as was Marie Osmond's.
There is always a fun event on "set-up" evening called The Taste of Rosemont. Everyone is invited to the main hall for 2 hours of free drinks, wonderful food from all the area restaurants (entrees, hors d'ourves, desserts, salads), and live jazz music. I had to restrain myself because I had dinner plans for later. I would have loved to have indulged, though! Yummy! It's a nice relaxing opportunity to meet and chat with some of the artists (not all of them attend, but some do).

Friday June 28 - Retailer Day
Some of the artists were in attendance this day, and it's a great opportunity to get things signed (and take photos) before the crowds hit. The was the only day I could get close enough to snap Marie Osmond & Liz Smith. This of course is an important day of the show, as buyers and retail store owners consider what new merchandise they are going to order in the near future.

Saturday June 29 - Public Day
The 9 am crowd was large, but orderly. Within a short time, the Expo hall was brimming with collectors! Many popular artists were on hand for signings, which kept the lines snaked around the center for hours! The line to buy the event pieces was very loooong! Peter Holme's beautiful paperweight creation sold out on Saturday. There were some fun and generous "give-aways" this year - my personal favorites were Larry Fraga's blown glass fruit ornament (is it a sugar plum?); the "growler" from Hermann (Columbus International); and the Rosemont '02 resin snowman ornie from The Memory Company!

Sunday June 30 - Public Day
Whew, by Sunday I was tired of the long hot sticky commute from the city, but I dragged myself back for one more day of photo taking, chatting and gawking. As usual, I totally forgot about visiting the hospitality suites. Darn it! Anyway, I hope the show will be perceived as a success. Perhaps next year world and economic conditions will be different, and companies will return to the Expo. Be sure to mark your calendars now for the International Gift & Collectible Expo, June 28-29, 2003.

Art & Artists

NOTE: to view photos, simply hold your mouse over the underlined link, when done viewing, move your mouse away. DON'T CLICK! I was unable to get shots of ALL the artists, but here are some of my favorites:

GM Lowenthal
Congrats to The Head Bean Hisself on being the recipient of the 2002 International Collectible Achievement Award! Check out the "offishal" plaque !  Hey, did THB make  an unscheduled visit to Rosemont?

Liz Smith / Boyds Booth
Liz did signings on Friday and Saturday at the Boyds Booth. Is that our Storm in this photo? Since there are bound to be lots of Boyds pix on the 'net, I only took a few for this page. Who's that helping out in the Boyds Booth? It's BNB celeb Janet Bryan - how ya doing girlfriend?

Larry Fraga
Wow! I was very excited to see how Larry Fraga's line of gorgeous hand blown glass ornaments has expanded this year! Larry has a creative style that is very clever and whimsical - he brings a much needed blast of fresh air to this kind of collectible. I am crazy for his signature "spikes", it's hard to describe, you really have to see the line in person to appreciate the talent involved. His display was one of the most beautiful at this year's show. Larry's a very generous guy, too - can you believe he had a drawing to give away a beautiful wreath loaded down with ornies? Excuse me, Christopher WHO?

Kevin Francis Face Pots
My photos of the face pots did not turn out, but be sure to look for them in stores. They are delightful! Here's a pic of the Kevin Francis design team (there is no such person as "Kevin Francis").

Marie Osmond
Probably the largest draw at the Expo once again this year. Marie designed one of the special event pieces this year. A two hour wait was the norm to get a signing - but the collectors were very happy for the chance to meet Marie.

Tim Wolfe
The very talented Tim Wolfe has recently launched his company, Tim Wolfe Sculpture. He creates beautiful wildlife artwork in both bronze (love the Otter!) and resin. He is currently doing work with Coca-Cola and NASCAR; picture those cool Coke Bears dressed as a pit crew- it's great fun!  I had the pleasure of hanging out and lending a hand for a short time at this booth. The response to Tim's artwork from the collectors was very enthusiastic - keep your eyes on this guy! Here he is again, signing away!

Robert Olszewski
Intriguing and fascinating only begin to describe this sculptor's amazing miniature work. He has recreated in miniature several scenes of the classic Disney movies such as Pinocchio and Snow White. He is currently working on recreating Disney Land in "z scale", which will be released over a 10 year period. Robert told me the first piece will be Sleeping Beauty's Castle, to be unveiled in the fall. Can't wait to see!

Dean Griff
The ever popular Dean Griff of Charming Tails never lets his fans down. He signed 3 hours a day non stop. Charming Tails celebrates it's 10th anniversary this year - congrats!

Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has done "signature" bear designs for The Hard Rock Cafes, Cartier, Mercedes-Benz, just to name a few. His booth was overflowing with great bears dressed to the nines!

Gretchen Clasby
Inspirational speaker and artist Gretchen Clasby is a remarkable Amercian success story. As a divorced mother, she first sold her bluebird drawings for $5 at art shows. After gaining a strong following for 10 years with her cards and drawings, her figures were transfered to resin and are know as Sonshine Promises. If  you ever get a chance to meet her, or hear her speak, please do it.

More Artists
Jim Wainwright from The Anheuser-Busch Collection signs one of his special event Rosemont Steins.

Teddy Bear artist Deb Canham poses with Prickles, a very cute bear limited to 200.

Beautiful artist Patricia Rose looks like one of her dolls.

Bartons Creek Collection artist Johni Jacobsen holds one of her delightful mohair creations.

Martin Hermann of Columbus International signs bears and growlers for the masses. This company also owns one of my favorite lines - Cool & Company!

Emanuele Fontanini was signing for collectors. Have you seen the almost life-sized navity by Fontanini? It's incredible.

I kept thinking I would get a better view to snap Harmony Kingdom's (and this year's Artist of the Year winner) Peter Calvesbert, but I never did. Got a quick pic of HK handsome honcho Noel Wiggins, though.

Related Links & Artist Sites
Sally's Rosemont ICE Pages: 2001 | 2000 | 1999
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