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They won’t be open at 11 p.m. on December 24. But artist-run holiday markets offer gifts so lovely, you could almost skip the wrapping
By Dayna Crozier
Photographs courtesy of Firecracker Press and the Rock ‘N’ Roll Craft Show
Maybe we’re weary of that pop gun going off the day after Thanksgiving. Weary of weaving through overcrowded mall garages, searching for a spot to park. Weary of dodging overstuffed shopping bags; weary of trudging up and down escalators; weary of swiping cards and drinking hazelnut coffee in food courts. Whatever the reason, there’s been a surge in young, independent artist-run holiday markets in St. Louis over the past few years. Based on events like Chicago’s Renegade Craft Fair, the merchandise—including hand-knit scarves, letterpress posters, hand-bound journals, purses, lamps, jewelry, paintings and photographs—is far closer to art than to craft (so banish those images of beaded jute plant hangers from your head). Prices range from $1 to $300, which—if you consider that in many cases, you’re buying a piece of art—is pretty darn affordable.
During the first weekend of December, people will flock to the Rock ’N’ Roll Craft Show Holiday Extravaganza and the Independent Art Market to buy pottery, home goods, stationery, accessories and clothing, then to catch live music, readings and variety shows. The organizers of these shows spread merchandise about the gallery-like boutiques rather than confining products to artist-manned booths, and purchases go through centralized checkout systems. Sara Arnold of RRCS finds that in this setup “people aren’t intimidated to shop,” since it’s not a typical art-fair booth, where “you feel like you’re judging this person as they watch you look at their stuff, and if you don’t like it, you feel weird.”
The RRCS began when a few friends decided to exchange crafting skills during their ladies’ poker night. RRCS co-organizer Jessi Kelley owned the now defunct vintage store Junk Junkie, and in October 2005, the friends set up shop in the parking lot. The show has been growing ever since, and last year’s curated event featured 75 vendors and 12 local bands and drew more than 5,000 shoppers. Kelley, an artist and photographer, firmly stands behind the craft movement, ready to defend its validity. “You want to be able to legitimize your art,” she says. “But why not make your artwork into small, affordable, accessible pieces that could be spread throughout the town? There’s a pleasure in knowing that someone has bought something you made just because it’s something he or she likes.”
The three married couples behind the fine art–leaning IAM try to keep their number of vendors down to about 20. “We tightly edit our entries,” explains co-organizer Eric Woods of Firecracker Press. “We’re looking for a specific quality of work, something well suited to an aesthetic that the six of us hold.” Fortunately, even prices of these finer works are accessible enough for buyers to bring plenty of gifts home.
Kung Fu Chicken’s Carmelita Nuñez, also part of IAM, describes its beginnings four years ago: “We were neighbors at Art Outside,” she says, “and we had an epiphany that we should have our own show.” They set up a holiday studio tour and, surprised by their success, immediately began planning the next show. Since then, the market has been housed under one roof at a time, although that roof changes every few years. New spaces act as refreshing makeovers and help attract a variety of new shoppers. Products fly out the door. “Toward the end of the weekend, things start to look a bit sparse,” Woods says. “But that’s great, because it means we’ve sold a lot! It encourages people to come early so they can get what they want.”
This December, one group that won’t be selling to the public is St. Louis Craft Mafia, the local outlet of the national
Craft Mafia organization. They threw their first event, CraftaNostra, this past August, and some members are participating in the other December sales, including Skinker-DeBaliviere’s German carnival and crafts fair, Wintermarkt. The Mafia’s next show will be Indie Valentine in February. For now, they’re creating crafts and winter items for charity as they plan for the only local market that will be dedicated to the fertile holiday of love.
Independent Art Market
December 7–9
6 p.m.–midnight Fri, noon–10 p.m.
Sat, noon–6 p.m. Sun
Lofts at 315, 1000 Locust
Rock ‘N’ Roll Craft Show
December 8–9
11 a.m.–9 p.m. Sat, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Sun
Mad Art Gallery, 2727 S. 12th
Wintermarkt
December 8
11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council
6008 Kingsbury
314-862-5122
AND IN 2008: Craft Mafia’s Indie Valentine
February 9
Tentative hours: 7 p.m.–midnight
CooperElla, 2743 Sutton
