Holiday CraftMorristown returns to Armory
It is the Catch-22 of crafters: If they do not display their work, they will not get customers. And without customers buying their products, they will not be able make anything to display.
For that reason, artists and designers such as Jennifer Jordan Park of Mt. Olive appreciate events such as the annual Holiday CraftMorristown.
“It’s super-important to have places that show your work,” says Park, an award-winning crafter who specializes in cloisonné jewelry and other enameled pieces. “These are your potential customers.”
“If we can’t show and sell our work, we can’t keep doing it,” Park adds.
The annual Holiday CraftMorristown, produced by Artrider Productions of Woodstock, New York, will return to the Morristown Armory this weekend, today through Dec. 13.
More than 160 exhibitors from 20 states – including 25 crafters from New Jersey alone – will showcase and sell their wares this weekend. Items run the gamut from fabrics and wearable crafts to ornamental products to functional pieces.
Laura Kandel, assistant director of Artrider, points out that the plethora of products provides the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind, handmade items. She singles out such idiosyncratic crafts as the sterling silver jewelry in the form of bugs created by Ricky Boscarino of Sandyston. Jake Pfeifer of Gladstone will display hand-blown glass tumblers and vases.
Several exhibitors have distinguished themselves in their respective fields. For example, earlier this year, Jennifer Jordan Park received the Saul Bell Design Award for enamel work, presented by Rio Grande, based in Albuquerque.
Park, whose background is in graphic design, started making enamel crafts about 15 years ago. She is drawn to creating pieces that are especially colorful.
“I do transparent enamels over silver,” says Park. “It has a luminescent quality, almost like a gemstone.”
Park has exhibited at shows at the Morristown Armory in the past, and she says she appreciates the fact these events are not limited to the priciest products.
“You can find something for almost anyone,” she says. “Some (pieces) sell for several thousand dollars, but you find some that start at $75. It’s not just high-end.”
In addition, Park says she enjoys the sense of camaraderie that exists among exhibitors. “It really is a community of artists,” she says.
The fact that the community extends across the country is another one of the appeals of Holiday CraftMorristown, according to Laura Kandel.
She singles out such artists as Gina Pannofri of Illinois, who creates colorful felted scarves. Greg Roche of California makes and sells leather handbags in a variety of styles and colors.
Ahrong Kim of Pennsylvania will be represented by numerous ceramic items that may be ornamental or may serve as kitchenware.
Besides giving attendees the chance to see and buy interesting products, Holiday CraftMorristown also provides the opportunity to see how the crafts are made.
As they have done for the past several years, members of the Potters Guild of America will offer demonstrations of throwing pots. Another crafter, Anna Upston, will show how she turns hand-dyed wool into yarn.
Kandel says that she finds that the Morristown shows produced by Artrider attract a savvy audience, and she appreciates being able to reach a knowledgeable and interested group of buyers.
HOLIDAY CRAFTMORRISTOWN
WHEN: 4 to 8 p.m. today;
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday;
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Morristown Armory,
430 Western Ave., Morristown
TICKETS: $9; $8 for seniors, free for children under age 6. Free parking.
INFO:www.artrider.com