HOLIDAY MARKETS
Local artists, artisans featured at Saratoga Arts series
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. » Saratoga Arts is hosting a series of Holiday Markets at its Broadway location.
The Markets will run every Saturday from noon to 4 pm through Dec. 19. Each week a selection of artists and crafters will have their work on display and for sale.
“We have eight different artists here each week, about 30 in total,” said Saratoga Arts exhibitions and membership coordinator Rebecca Zeh. “All the artists have their own supply of hand sanitizer at their tables, and everyone has to follow all safety protocols.”
The Holiday Markets follow a one-way path through the display area in the Dee Sarno Theater, with ample room for social distancing. Zeh says the idea for the Markets came after so many of the city’s regular events, including First Night, had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
“A lot of the time during this time of the year, our theater is rented out for performances, but this year there was nothing going on, so it’s space we can use,” said Zeh. “We put out a call for artists and they responded immediately. It’s great that we could give the artists this space and this opportunity, especially since all our normal events had to be cancelled.”
Zeh says the main challenge in getting the Markets up and running was finding the safest way possible to lay everything out, but everything seems to be working well so far.
“We’d love to do this again, even after COVID,” Zeh commented.
The artists featured at the Markets are happy for the opportunity to show and sell their work, a rare chance given all of the event cancellations this year.
“It’s been great,” said Anthony Richichi. “There’s a lot of good talent here. All the people have been really nice. It’s good to see people shopping around locally, and it’s great for us artists to have a place to show safely.”
Richichi hails from Glens Falls, but spends much of his time showing his work in Saratoga Springs. Last year, he won Best In Show at Saratoga Art’s Art in the Park event. Richichi is a surrealist painter, a comic artist, and more recently, a children’s book illustrator.
Timothy Sauter and Frank Hults were also glad for the opportunity to display their work.
“The traffic in here is hit or miss, a lot depends on the weather,” said Sauter. “But it’s a great concept. Having small shows like this are great - it gives a chance to focus on what we’re doing. We’ve been very happy with the Arts Center.”
Sauter owns Big Yellow House Designs with his wife Dianne. They create paintings of landscapes and wildlife in the Adirondacks and whimsical painted and sculptured gourd art. Their gourds can also function as bird houses and feeders.
“This is fantastic, I like this,” said Hults, whose company, FranksWorks, features woodwork and woodburning art. On display at the Holiday Market is a selection of his wine caddies and cutting boards. His daughter Skylar, who assists him with his business, is showing an interest in crafting herself, particularly in soapmaking.
“It’s a good setup,” Hults continued. “I end up doing a lot of my shows here. The people here are fantastic.”
“I love working with my dad, it’s one of my favorite things to do,” added Skylar. “I think it’s really special when something comes from a small business.”