Artiquerque Craft Carnival

Today we went to the Artiquerque Craft Carnival and got to see lots of great handmade stuff.  It was organized by the Artiquerque Crafters. Here are some photos I took. I figured that since we didn't have any money to spend, I could at least help promote some fellow artists through my blog.

Many of the crafters sell their wares on Etsy - this one is by Bigfootlovestacos. 

Here's the booth.  These guys said they weren't the artists -- they were just hanging out. 

This is one of the organizers of the fair. She's opening her Etsy shop, Up! Sprout, on the first day of spring. The Calavera Catrina masks behind her looked perfect for our Día de los Muertos celebration next November.

There were some interesting calavera art in this corner, along with an adorable baby. The artist here is Charles "Vick" Duncan.

 

Belita Orner also teaches screen printing workshops.

 

Jessica Degruyler with her jewelry hanging on an agave stalk.

My friend Kendra Brock with bracelets, printed bags, and baby shirts with cool and funky designs.

Julia Kennedy with quilted works next to Kendra.

The incredible hula hoop lady Alaska Piper, AlaskaJ on Etsy. 

We love seeing her and her hula hooping friends at local summertime Botanical Garden concerts.

And the ever favorite Kids Crafts table. 

This fair seemed to be kind of a grass roots effort -- first time done, lots of young crafters. They were all tired by the time we got there in the afternoon -- something which often seems to be a pitfall of manning a craft booth all day long. A band was setting up as we left - I hope the music livened up the place!

The current craft movement in this country is quite fascinating. Like the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the last century, there is a trend toward the "made by hand," although this seems to be more of a "do it yourself" type of thing with an emphasis on clothing and adornment. People are knitting more; making their own jewelry; dying, painting, embroidering, sewing, and printing their clothing. Etsy has made it possible for millions of folks to offer their wares in an online marketplace - a search just brought up over four million handmade items listed. 

I remember reading this New York Times article by Alex Williams about Etsy a few months ago. It addresses the challenge of balance with expectations and reality when entering the handmade marketplace. Says Williams, "you need to maintain the morale of the labor force, which can be particularly challenging when you are the labor force." Something to ponder.