’Tis the season for Handmade Arcade
Shoppers who want the satisfaction of knowing that what they’re buying is made in or around Western Pennsylvania should circle Dec. 8 on the calendar.
That’s the date for the 15th annual Handmade Arcade, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
And it’s free. Walk right in and get ready to peruse the handiwork of 239 designers, artists and craftspeople, including quite a few who hail from the South Hills, event sponsors Artsmiths of Pittsburgh and CommonWealth Press among them.
“We don’t ever want to charge admission,” said Jennifer Baron, the Handmade Arcade’s director of marketing and outreach.
{p class=”tncms-inline-link”}Mt. Lebanon student’s artwork featured at Handmade Arcade
The Dormont resident and Mt. Lebanon High School graduate has been participating in the event since its 2004 inception, at first with her Fresh Popcorn Productions craft business. Since joining the Handmade Arcade board, she has helped promote the growth that has resulted in a record number of vendors this year.
A majority of them will be on site for the inaugural Cutting Edge: A Fundraiser for Handmade Arcade, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 7 at the convention center. One of the goals is to generate the money necessary to ensure that Saturday’s main event does remain free.
“This is really a chance to spotlight our mission as a nonprofit organization,” Baron said. Along with providing a marketplace showcasing local talent, Handmade Arcade also conducts programs supporting the endeavors of emerging artists.
New this year is the Youth Maker Scholarship Program, for aspiring entrepreneurs ages 16 to 18. A dozen scholarship recipients, including Mt. Lebanon High School senior Hannah Jones, receive free vendor space on Saturday, along with stipends and mentoring partnerships with established vendors.
Another opportunity offered for Saturday is the Craft Corridor, for 19 artists who are participating in their first craft fair, with reduced rates for their spaces.
Photo courtesy of Joey Kennedy
Everyone who attends is welcome to participate – again, for free – in the Hands-on Handmade Activity Area, where participants can try their hands at a wide variety of do-it-yourself projects. Demonstrations, mini-tutorials, workshops, games and installations also are featured.
“We encourage adults just as much as kids and families to roll up their sleeves and make something to take home,” Baron said. “That really reflects what they’re seeing in the market, some of the processes, techniques and materials.
“What’s really central to our event is having all the artists on site, having all the objects be handmade, high-quality, original,” she continued. “And you can talk with the artists. They’re open to sharing their techniques, resources, tips, how something is made.”
Those who attend Friday’s fundraiser will have an opportunity for even more one-on-one interaction during an event that also features hands-on activities, including creating a glass mosaic with artist Debbie Jacknin, making block prints with WorkshopPGH and laser cutting key fobs with Protohaven.
Photo courtesy of Joey Kennedy
Debuting that night is Crafted Apple, an exclusive collaborative release for Handmade Arcade from Threadbare Cider House and Meadery in Troy Hill. Bottles of the cider will be available for purchase Friday and Saturday.
Prior to the start of Saturday’s event is an “early birdie” opportunity, from 10 to 11. Those who attend will receive a black cotton tote bag designed by Handmade vendor Kim Fox (Worker Bird), filled with coupons and assorted items. Tickets are available for $20 by visiting www.handmadearcade.org/early-birdie.
For Cutting Edge: A Fundraiser for Handmade Arcade, tickets are $30 and can be obtained through Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.com/e/the-cutting-edge-a-fundraiser-for-handmade-arcade-tickets-51551945256.
And for more information about everything Handmade Arcade, visit www.handmadearcade.org.
• Fresh Beat/Fresh Rhymes with Refresh Collective. Step into the iPad Lab, put on headphones and make your own hip-hop beat. Write creative lyrics to describe what is “fresh” about Pittsburgh, and rap your lines on Instagram as part of an audio/visual collage.
• Letterpress posters with Bat Cat Press. Learn about the history of printing, and print a poster and using a classic Line-O-Scribe printing press.
• Holiday wrapping paper silkscreen printing with Artist Image Resource and Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6-12. Screen print oversized imagery on brown paper to design holiday wrapping paper.
• Family Ever-After Quilt with Every Child Inc. Create colorful squares for an enormous family quilt that will be displayed throughout Pittsburgh.
• Collaborative clay photo booth with Union Project. Get your hands messy expressing yourself with clay and snap a fun photo-booth image.
• Trust Arts Education Studio with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Make paper sculpture hats, wrapped bracelets and musical sliders.
• Star jars and origami star boxes with Artsy Amethyst Owl. Learn the elegant art of Japanese paper crafts, which are given as good luck gifts and also used as containers.
• Do-it-yourself phone stands and gift card holders with Assemble. Transform old cassette tape cases into colorful phone and iPod stands and make tissue paper mosaic gift card boxes.
• Animate an amphibian with University of Pittsburgh’s Lab of Ecology. Use recycled CDs to assemble an animated zoetrope of a gray tree frog calling for a mate, talk citizen science with a herpetologist and get involved with the local chapter of FrogWatch.
• Book binding made easy with Girls Write Pittsburgh. Create a homemade book to use for journaling, sketching and creative ideas.
• Create your own holiday magic blend with essential oils with Mind Body Center. Make a unique holiday blend using essential oils and learn about their uses and design your own label.
• Recycled holiday trees with Millvale Community Library. Create holiday trees using bottle caps, book pages, magazines and papers.
• Alcohol ink painting with Artists and Craftsman Supply. Create paintings using Piñata inks and Yupo papers.
• Metal stamping with Touchstone Center for Crafts. Learn the process of stamping metal and create a key fob.
Photo courtesy of Joey Kennedy