Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Meander took the form of an online art auction, allowing artists to put up to three items up for bid on the auction and giving shoppers the chance to browse and buy items from the comfort of their homes.
$23,740 Total reported Meander art sales as a result of Meander Art Auction 2020 (35 artists)
2019 reported $116,944 Meander (In-person) art sales with 35 surveys returned
$9,230 Sales to Meander artists during the Meander Auction (31 artists) $881 was donated to local food shelves
$14,510 Additional sales to Meander Artists in response to Meander 2020 marketing.
$765 Average reported art sales per artist. ($2,911 in 2019)
$9,000+ Amount spent in the five-county area to implement the Meander including printing, paper, advertising and contracted services. Does not include UMVRDC staff time.
From 83 survey responses from registered bidders:
The overall experience of the Meander Art Auction received a 4.3 average rating out of 5 stars
63% of customers said the quality of the art was excellent (75% in 2019)
29% did not know the artist personally (24 bidders)
33% contacted or plan to contact the artist to purchase artwork directly
55% went to an artist’s website to view more.
19% reported bidding more because the artists were donating to the food shelf.
84% would participate if Meander did an auction again the future
30% reported that they have never been on the Meander Art crawl
70% reported that they want to come to the Meander Art Crawl in future years.
From 211 total registered bidders:
27% came from within 5-county area (38% in 2019)
22% came from greater Minnesota (outside 5-county area) (25% in 2019)
21% came from the metro area (22% in 2019)
31% came from out of state – 22 different states (15% in 2019)