Handmade Arcade announces official list of makers for its dynamic new Virtual Marketplace
Nisha Blackwell of Knotzland
Since 2004, Handmade Arcade's highly-anticipated annual in-person winter convention has connected over 200 makers with more than 10,000 attendees every year, showcasing a curated marketplace of unique handmade goods along with opportunities to learn new skills in its hands-on activity area. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization quickly realized that to continue to meet its mission of supporting Pittsburgh's creative economy, they needed to pivot its successful in-person model to a new online model: Handmade Arcade Virtual Marketplace. Jurors reviewed hundreds of applications from Pittsburgh and beyond, handpicking over 130 top makers to ensure that all products in the market are well-made and represent a diverse range of handmade products. Beginning on November 28 until December 6, consumers will be able to shop the marketplace for high-quality handcrafted goods across 15 categories.
See the complete list of makers for the 2020 Handmade Arcade Virtual Marketplace.
Now in its third year of being a year-round professional arts nonprofit, Handmade Arcade provides support to a broad constituency of more than 300 regional makers - many of whom link their participation in HA's events with overall business growth and a significant portion of their annual income. In 2019, Handmade Arcade's winter convention generated approximately $500,000 of revenue for the region's makers. Being able to reimagine the in-person event as a cohesive, compelling, virtual marketplace has the power to help keep the region's makers sustained during a time when their annual schedule of physical marketplaces (and chances for revenue and increased audiences) continues to disappear. To help makers prepare for the switch to e-commerce, Handmade Arcade has partnered with Bridgeway Capital's Creative Business Accelerator to develop a comprehensive maker curriculum that includes webinars, videos, downloadable pdfs, and live panel discussions with the Pittsburgh region's top creatives.
"A compelling virtual marketplace doesn't just help makers this winter but also helps Handmade Arcade better serve makers year-round and into the future. Each in-person market now has the ability to have both an in-person and online component, allowing makers to reach more consumers, and making shopping more accessible for those who wouldn't otherwise be able to participate. “ says Tricia Brancolini-Foley, Handmade Arcade's Executive Director.
Highlighted Makers
LaVerne Kemp
LaVerne Kemp Studios
Kemp’s award-winning textiles have become iconic in Pittsburgh’s fiber arts community, from woven clothing to greeting cards, sculptural dolls, and home goods. She incorporates on and off-loom weaving, handmade felt, traditional and Japanese Shibori dying techniques, and beading to enhance her work.
Hannah Woo
KikiReadsComics
In 2018, Woo earned a Handmade Arcade Youth Maker Scholarship, making 2020 her 3rd year as a participating maker. Woo's hand-sculpted polymer clay charms, figurines, and jewelry are inspired by objects she finds around the city of Pittsburgh, food, and nature.
Allison Glancey and Craig Seder
strawberryluna
This design & printmaking studio duo focuses on vibrant art & illustrations. Their designs are all done the "old fashioned way" by laboriously hand pulling each print. Glancey and Seder have been with Handmade from the very beginning, with 16 shows under their belts.
Andrew Jowdy Collins
Jowdy Studio
Collins' medium is porcelain and stoneware clay, and his practice utilizes the traditional ceramics methods of wheel-throwing, slab, coil, and slip-casting. From marbled bowls to mid-century urns, all of Collins’ pieces explore a tension between line and form, as well as art and function, and are handmade by from start to finish at his studio in Pittsburgh, PA.
Handmade Arcade Virtual Marketplace
DATES: Saturday, November 28 — Sunday, December 6, 2020
ADMISSION: FREE
WEBSITE: handmadearcade.org
Handmade Arcade Virtual Marketplace is curated, and all goods will be made by hand, hand-crafted, or represent each vendor's creation. Products will include jewelry and accessories, artwork, bath and body products, clothing, children’s products, housewares and home decor, paper goods, gift items, pet products, greeting cards, toys, ceramics, metalwork, glassware, and more!
Mission Statement: Handmade Arcade celebrates the cutting edge of craft by connecting creators and consumers through making, sharing, and learning.