The Local Clay Potters Guild, Bloomington Glass Guild and Bloomington Spinners and Weavers Guild will join forces at the Bloomington Convention Center to show off their respective members’ wares and educate the public about their crafting styles.
Karen Stone, president of the Local Clay Potters Guild, said the three groups have previously had holiday shows on the same weekend as one another but in distinctly different spaces. Last year, Stone said, the Local Clay Potters Guild faced a roadblock.
“We had our annual sale over at St. Marks for maybe the last 12 years, and last year, when we went to set up, they told us they were remodeling,” Stone said. “We were just absolutely slammed. We thought: what can we do? People left because the lines were too long to pay.”
Abby Gitlitz, president of the Bloomington Glass Guild, said she faced similar issues with her previous location. She said when Stone approached her about possibly combining their shows she took no issue with the idea.
“We have too many glass artists now and last year it was really tight, so we said, ‘Woo-hoo, let’s all move,’” Gitlitz said. “Once we decided on (moving), we contacted the weavers. We said, ‘If two of us are moving, all of us are going to move and it’s going to be fabulous.’”
Karin Lauderback, coordinator of the Bloomington Spinners and Weavers Guild, said the format of each show will not change too much from past shows.
“We all have our own rooms so the shows will be very similar to what people are used to but they have the opportunity to go from one to the other,” Lauderback said.
The coordinators said in addition to the traditional exhibition, this year the guilds will provide attendees with live music and a café for drinks and lunch.
The musicians playing are students from Bloomington North High School and Bloomington South High School. In addition to a café inside the venue, the Big Cheeze food truck will make a stop at the convention center.
Stone said the vast array of crafts at the event will cater to all tastes.
“You’re going to see both functional and sculptural ceramics,” Stone said. “We’ll be setting it up pretty much like a gallery or store.”
In addition, Stone said, the spinners and weavers will display clothing items ranging from baby hats to winter wear while the glass guild will sell jewelry and other “whimsical” glass creations.
The artisans said each guild will also provide educational workshops to help the public understand what goes into their respective crafts.
Lauderback said the weavers would give out small starter sets for those interested in starting out in the weaving world.
“I hope (attendees) come back with a different sense of what weaving is about, and we will have demonstrations,” Lauderback said. “We also have ‘Mug Rug Kits,’ which are little things for a coffee cup or glass. Primarily we’ll be giving them to children, but for adults that want to get into weaving, it’s a good way to start.”
Lauderback said the educational material will be related to how different materials transpose into yarn to be knit or woven with.
Gitlitz said there will be a variety of glass art forms for attendees to view, ranging from jewelry to torch work to different types of mosaics.
“Glass requires more equipment than a lot of other art forms, so not as many people do it,” Gitlitz said. “If you look at Indiana, we’re the only glass guild. We have glass artists coming to us from all over the state.”
Stone said though the groups’ interests varied, in the last 10 months of planning she has developed a close relationship with her fellow coordinators.
“We did not want to change the base of our show,” Stone said. “All our potters are professionals, we have a membership process and they do their things. So they wanted to protect their interests, we wanted to protect ours. We’ve been working very well together and have become friends.”
Stone said she is interested in examining her collaborators’ wares.
“It’s going to be pretty amazing,” Stone said. “I was just so excited because I’m going to be able to see their shows for the first time. What I’d like people to take away is that we have some very dynamic and very talented artists that live in this area. The art scene is alive and well.”
The show starts Friday with the opening ceremony, which lasts from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Saturday, the artists will display their work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
