The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis normally showcases art. Tonight, it doubles as a local marketplace.
Craft Spree began five years ago as the Holiday Etsy Sale, partnering with the local Etsy branch, Show Me Etsy, to bring in vendors. Now, under its rebranded name, it's brought in jurors from the Rock N Roll Craft Show, Firecracker Marketworks, and STL Craft Mafia to help select vendors.
"They were looking at the quality of the work," says Unitey Kull, the museum's director of marketing and audience development. "We had a limited number of spots, so they were picking from a wider application range and narrowing it down slightly." The resulting vendors sell food, housewares, clothing, art, photography, jewelry, and more
Besides the vendors and contemporary art, there will be a cash bar and live music from Googolplexia and DJ Rob Levy. New members will receive an ornament crafted by Third Degree Glass Factory and be allowed inside an hour before doors open to the public.
In the past, the event has drawn guests who don't normally visit museums, notes Hull. "It’s partly an audience-development initiative," she says, "and it’s partly a way to work with local artists and artisan communities that are making and selling goods."
Considering the event's past success and the fact that the museum has done Etsy sales in the summer, could this be a regular happening at the Contemporary?
"It’s a great fit for the holidays, and it’s possible that we would generally want to do more," says Hull. "But this will be the main event."
Craft Spree runs from 6 to 9 p.m., with members allowed in beginning at 5 p.m. Click here for a full list of participating artists and additional event details.
