OJR Friends of the Art Craft Show to be held March 4-5
SOUTH COVENTRY >> For the 37th year, the Owen J. Roberts Friends of the Arts Annual Craft Show will usher in spring by transforming the OJR Middle School into a marketplace for handmade goods.
This year’s show is slated for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 4 and 5, at the middle school located at 881 Ridge Pike. It will feature over 70 new and returning crafters selling a wide variety items in just about every medium imaginable: baskets, fabric art, pottery, jewelry, wood, metal, glass, photography and more.
“We work hard to have our customers come back year after year by making sure we have a good mix of artists and high quality crafts,” explained Danielle Ewing, who serves as Friends of the Arts treasurer and craft show chairwoman.
A unique highlight this year will be a booth set up by OJR 1981 graduate Mark Collins, who will be selling the children’s books he’s authored and illustrated. “He’s a success story. Friends of the Arts enriched his life while he was in school at OJR. He attributes his passion for art to his teachers,” said Susan Deegan-Watson, a volunteer for Friends of the Art which organizes the show. Collins has visited district elementary schools to speak with students about his work. Those visits were sponsored by OJR Friends of the Arts, which provides schools with funds for art-related programs. The annual spring craft show is the organization’s biggest fundraiser, raising money for artist visits, art supplies, field trips and scholarships.
Key to the success of the annual craft show is maintaining a blend of newcomers and returning crafters, Ewing said. Shoppers look forward to seeing their favorite vendors and discovering new ones each year.
New to the show this year is Robert Moss’ Whittling Whimsy Woodcarvings, specializing in creatures made from found objects. Also new is Creations by Connie, who sells tumbled marble coasters with matching wine charms.
Old favorites from year’s past will include Carol’s Custom Birdhouses, selling painted gourds, and Fulton Design Studios, peddling quilts and fabric art, as well as a number of jewelers like Tonya Lov’s handcrafted porcelain jewelry, and Purple Gem, of Birchrunville, who incorporate unique stones and fossil into their pieces.
Another secret to the show’s long history of success lies in both the quality and diversity of crafts that are juried in, Ewing said. In order to participate, crafters must first be accepted into the show by a panel of artists. Acceptance is based on the quality of workmanship and uniqueness of the crafts, as well as the appearance of booth displays, Ewing explained.
Ewing has helped organize the show since 2000. Over that time, the craft show market has changed, but the OJR Annual Craft Show has maintained its popularity. And while having a good assortment of well-made items is certainly a draw, the show’s timing — held the first weekend of March each year — is also part of its appeal. “It is the first show of the year,” Ewing noted.
For customers, it’s an opportunity to shop for unique spring gifts — earrings, purses, garden accessories, for Mother’s Day and Easter. And crafters are often introducing new items that they’ve been working on since the holidays.
Another factor in show’s success? Bause Catered Events serves up gourmet food that shoppers can enjoy during the event, or take home for afterwards. “It’s not just your typical hot dog and chips,” noted Ewing.
While the show serves as a fundraiser for Owen J. Roberts Friends of the Arts, it is also meant to be much more than that. Organizers see it as a way of bringing artists into the schools, and introducing the community to the talented crafters — many of them local.
“It’s a way of keeping art in the community,” said Ewing.
What’s more, it provides an opportunity to showcase student art, which is on display throughout the school. This gives district students a firsthand experience at having work in an art exhibit. High school students also assist at the show, helping set up and take down displays, and covering booths while artists take breaks.
“They learn that they can make art a career,” said Ewing.