ORIGINS market a chance to shop creations handmade by Black artists
Browse and buy handmade creations by Black-owned creative businesses from across the region during the ORIGINS Virtual Marketplace, which goes live online today and runs through Sunday. For a chance to shop in person, stop by the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty on Saturday.
The ORIGINS market is a collaboration between Bridgeway Capital’s Creative Business Accelerator and Handmade Arcade. Online shopping will be featured at handmadearcade.org using the same platform Handmade Arcade created and used for its own digital marketplace events since the start of the pandemic.
“The partnership with the Handmade Arcade felt like a really natural alignment,” said Katie Johnson, the Creative Business Alliance’s associate director.
The Creative Business Alliance launched the ORIGINS program more than two years ago as a way to help support, promote and accelerate the work of Black artists and entrepreneurs. Those in the program work in cohorts and get access to mentorship to help them achieve their respective business goals.
Beyond the educational component, ORIGINS strives to help cohort members increase their visibility and sales, particularly during the pandemic. That’s where the idea for the online and pop-up marketplaces came from, Johnson explained. The Creative Business Alliance worked with cohort members to help them prepare for the event by providing support with product photography and website updates.
Nearly 20 creatives will participate in the marketplaces, with products ranging from accessories and artwork to clothing and ceramics.
“There are some very unique products that you just can’t find anywhere else,” Johnson said.
The in-person market will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday in the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. The event will coincide with the opening reception for the “MAGNIFICENT MOTOWN!” exhibition by Women of Visions, an organization for Black women artists of African descent that turns 40 this year.
Whether people check out the ORIGINS market online or in real life, Johnson hopes they are inspired by the talent and determination of its featured creatives.
“They have taken their passions — whether it’s designing, sewing, painting — and turned it into a profession,” she said. “These are people who are really committed to creative entrepreneurship.”
To learn more about the ORIGINS initiative and to view a full list of participating creatives, visit originspgh.org.