Suloff Juggles, For Art's Sake

In the days leading up to this weekend’s , its organizers are working feverishly to make sure the event goes off without a hitch. At the same time, its exhibiting artists are scrambling to make sure they create a well-organized, eye-catching booth and have their strongest work available.

Mill Valley jewelry maker Sarah Suloff is in both of those camps.

As president of the festival’s board and a longtime participating artist in the 55th annual event in , the 42-year-old Suloff can be excused for being a bit frazzled this week.

“Honestly, I don’t mind - I just love this festival,” Suloff says. “I grew up in Sausalito, went to and live here in Mill Valley. This is my backyard festival and I take it very seriously.”

Suloff’s amiable tone and frequent laughs mask that seriousness in conversation, but she’s made strides in her five years on the board to help move a 55-year-old organization – and some committee members who have been involved for as long as 30 years - into the digital age, including of the past two years and a digital marketing presence.

While the festival’s executive director Steve Bajor and the larger festival committee oversee the day-to-day operations of the event, the board serves as its financial watchdog.

“We’re behind the scenes to make sure the festival is as great as it can be,” Suloff says.

That means managing a budget the board is constantly revisiting. According to financial statements filed with the Internal Revenue Service for the 2009, the most recent year available, the organization generated approximately $122,000 in revenue, primarily from exhibitor fees and ticket sales. Its expenses for that year were $141,000, most of which centered on festival-specific costs around the days of the event, including facility rental, shuttle buses and advertising and promotion.

“It’s been hard these last couple of years because people just don’t have as much time to volunteer anymore – we are constantly looking at our budget,” she says. “You have to be much more careful.”

The hours spent on board meetings and budget monitoring has changed the weeks leading up to this fall arts festival for Suloff.

“As an artist, I’ve always worked well under pressure and been able to build up a stock of jewelry in advance of a big show,” she says. “This puts a little bit of a monkey wrench in that plan.”

But Suloff laughs off the burden, saying she’s as excited about her jewelry work as she’s ever been. Her husband Stephen Ludin is the chief architect at Akamai Technologies, a position that affords Suloff the luxury of focusing less on what sells and more on what inspires her. She also allows for plenty of time for her sons Tomas and Liam.

“I feel very fortunate that I can follow my heart with what I’m making,” she says.

Despite navigating the high-wire act of a multitude of roles, Suloff says she’s thrilled with the success she’s had in a business that she “stumbled upon in a fluke” while searching for an elective at San Francisco State.

“I just fell absolutely in love with it,” she says. “I was able to relax and stop thinking about what I was going to do when I ‘grew up.’ It was just, ‘oh, I’m going to do jewelry.’”

The 411: The takes place Saturday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Old Mill Park. Admission is $10 and $5 for students and seniors. Kids under 12 free.