Best of Southwest Crafts in Arizona

In Phoenix, where the winter months bring the most comfortable temperatures and a huge number of tourists, the OASIS Gift Show will be showcasing the very best of Southwest crafts from Jan. 23-25, 2004. Show representative Danielle Canonico says that buyers and artists should be on the lookout for some exciting new trends. “Southwest artisans are infusing ‘reinvent’ and ‘reuse’ into their designs,” says Canonico. “Some artisans are using recycled materials while others are reinventing classic designs of their past.”

In addition, Canonico says that Southwest crafts in 2004 will be about detail, nature and color. “Some of the most intricate detail is found in bracelets, handbags and home accents,” says Canonico. “Reverence to wildlife is seen in wall art [and] artisans seem able to capture the colors found naturally in the Southwest.”

In Tempe, from Feb. 27-29, 2004, the Ceram-A-Rama gala weekend will mark the second anniversary of the Ceramics Research Center at Arizona State University. Live and silent auctions, lectures by renowned ceramists and a sneak preview of the exhibition “Humor, Irony and Wit: Ceramic Funk from the Sixties and Beyond,” will draw ceramics aficionados to the area.

Publicity chair Sandra Luehrsen says that eight of the 10 studios that participated in the event’s Annual Self-guided Ceramic Studio Tour in 2003 had more than 200 visitors each.

Julius Forzano demonstrates his throwing technique during the Ceram-A-Rama weekend in Tempe, Ariz.

Colorado Artists get Resourceful

In the wake of a weakened economy, the Colorado Council on the Arts (CCA) suspended all fiscal year 2004 grants to artists and organizations. Renée Bovée, CCA’s acting executive director, says that with diminished funding, the Council faces “a long hard road to recovery.” As a result, Colorado artists and retailers have become more resourceful in their sales techniques.

When Colorado artist Mona Pennypacker wanted to expand beyond the retail shows in which she sells her hand-painted silk scarves, she turned to another artist to combine efforts. With the help of Judy Schaefer, an Internet professional and avid craft collector, she started an online crafts gallery, GoodHandArts.com, in June 2003.

In the process of building up their inventory, Pennypacker and Schaefer are looking for “functional art, such as garden art, wearable art, ceramics, baskets and other fiber art such as blankets and throws … all types of woodwork, ceramics and glass.”

In Steamboat Springs, artists can improve their skills at Laloba Ranch Clay Center. Director Judith Carol Day calls the Ranch’s programs “mentoring” and says that they are ideal for potters who are very serious about their clay work. The week-long workshops are taught by master craftspeople and students have 24-hour studio access, room, board and “killer sunsets,” adds Day.

Multi-Cultural Crafts in New Mexico

The multi-cultural influence on Southwest crafts is most apparent at Santa Fe’s Spanish Market. Held the first weekend in December and in July, the Market is a huge draw for collectors of Spanish colonial-influenced crafts. “The traditional handcrafted arts here are growing in popularity each year,” says market coordinator Kathy Madden of the 15-year-old event. “They are no longer considered just regional folk art, but rather the treasured descendants of the original, devotional and utilitarian arts practiced in this area during the Spanish colonial period and thereafter.”

Throughout 2004, the Museum of New Mexico also will pay homage to the region’s crafts in exhibitions at its various branches, among which are the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture and the Museum of Fine Arts, all in Santa Fe.

“ Jewels of the Loom: The Rugs of the Teec Nos Pos,” at The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture through Jan. 11, 2004, features the finest collection of Navajo rugs from the region. From Jan. 23-May 2, 2004, the Museum of Fine Arts is featuring contemporary art and craft from New Mexico in an exhibition called “SoQue.”

Business Skills for Utah Artists

Utah jewelry artist and gallery owner Steve Hansen says that despite limited funding, the Utah Arts Council in Salt Lake City offers substantial support to the local arts community. The Council’s series of business and marketing workshops helps to turn artists’ creative endeavors into viable businesses.

“ Not very many [college arts] programs pay enough attention to the business of being an artist,” says the Council’s assistant visual arts coordinator, Laura Durham, “so many artists leave school … and don’t know what to do next.”

These monthly Visual Arts Program workshops are free to artists and cover topics such as marketing and self-promotion, copyright laws, getting gallery representation and time management and bookkeeping.

In Park City, Hansen says that one of the best sales venues for craftspeople is the 35-year-old Park City Arts Festival, held annually on the first weekend in August. Over 200 artists and crafts exhibitors draw more than 100,000 visitors to the two-day event.

Work by Charlie Sanchez, an award-winner at the 2002 Spanish Market in Santa Fe, N.M.

Crafts ‘Thriving’ in Wyoming

Karen Stewart, director of The Art Association in Jackson says that crafts are “thriving” in Wyoming, especially metal forging and blacksmithing, ceramics, quilting, and the building of Western-styled log furniture.

The Association hosts the annual Mountain Artists’ Rendezvous Fine Arts and Craft Shows held one weekend in both July and August. The jury for the show chooses 133 exhibitors from more than 600 applicants. Event coordinator Elisa San Souci says approximately 7,500 people attend each show. The next shows will be held July 16-18 and Aug. 20-22, 2004.

In Banner, located in the foothills of Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains, artists can participate in month-long residencies at the Jentel Foundation. Mary Jane Edwards, executive director of Jentel, says that the residencies offer artists “unfettered time to further their creative process.”

Edwards adds, “If for only one month in their lives, the artists who come to Jentel feel valued and respected for who they are and what they do.” In 2003, 44 visual artists and 22 writers were accepted for residencies that host six artists at a time. Residents get private bedrooms and private studios, shared kitchen, living room and dining room, and a $400 stipend.

Heather Skelly is associate editor of The Crafts Report.