WORCESTER, MA - The Worcester Center for Crafts in Worcester
announces that their annual Holiday Festival of Crafts will be held at their 25
Sagamore Road facility on Friday, November 25, Saturday, November 27, and
Sunday, November 28, 2016. Featuring over sixty fine craft artists and
their work, the Festival is held indoors and includes free parking and an on-site
cafe provided by Bushel N Peck. The Festival is open on Friday and
Saturday from 10 AM - 5 PM, and on Sunday 11 AM - 4 PM. Admission is a $5
donation to the Crafts Center with children 12 and under free.
The craft artists in the Festival represent each of the New
England States and more, including New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.
Although some of the artists are new to the business of making craft, together
they represent over 650 years of craft experience—all under one roof!
The Holiday Festival is a true alternative and antidote to the
Black Friday shopping madness that invades malls and big box stores during the
weekend after Thanksgiving: it features hand-made work in an environment where
you can meet the maker, you can take your time, and the artist can personally
assist you. The Festival is part of the
Craft Center’s mission to sustain craft as an important part of the community by
showcasing craft and artisan gifts for purchase - ceramics, wearable art
(including scarves, shawls, and hats), photography, hand-printed stationery, glass
work, jewelry and metalwork, work by woodworkers, and much more. Many of
the artists are new to the Festival this year.
Sponsored by UniBank, the
Festival continues the tradition of the Worcester Center for Crafts as an
economic engine for artists. Additional support is provided by the
Worcester Regional Transit Authority.
“As a young person, my Mom would take
me once a year to a gallery and let me pick out one piece of handmade jewelry,”
said Candace Casey, the organizer of the show.
“There would be music in the background and I would pick. My memory is one of being surrounded by a sense
of peace and the array of beauty overwhelming my senses. It is one of my favorite memories and those
fond experiences sparked a life of loving hand craft.”
“Candace and all of the artists bring
a great passion to the work of making and selling handmade goods,” said Honee
Hess, Executive Director of the Craft Center. “Wandering through our holiday
marketplace gives you a chance to see what happens when creativity meets clay
and wood and glass and all manner of materials!” An assortment of gift ideas will be featured
at the Festival including mobiles, puzzles for adults and children, ornaments, wind
chimes, leather belts, photography, kitchen utensils, soap and candles,
photography, as well as clothing, jewelry, scarves, and creative dolls among
other things.
The Worcester Center for Crafts Gallery Store will also be open
during the Festival making work available by over 200 other artisans from all
over the country including fine glass work by Simon Pearce.
The Festival is also an opportunity to give the Gift of Craft: Festival goers can buy gift cards for use in
the Gallery Store and to sign up for a variety of classes and workshops. The
Craft Center offers instruction for adults and for youth in both six-week
classes and shorter workshops where you can learn the skills of making with glass,
metal, enamels, clay and more.
The Festival coincides with Shop Small
Business Saturday and accentuates the “Buy American/Buy Local” theme of hand
crafts.
About the Worcester Center for Crafts
The Worcester Center for Crafts (WCC) is one of the oldest
non-profit institutions for craft study in the United States. Founded in
1856 as the Worcester Employment Society to help immigrant women produce and
sell hand-crafted wares to support their families, the Center evolved over the
past 155 years into New England’s leading center for craft education,
exhibition and entrepreneurship. In 2004, the organization expanded and
opened the New Street Glass Studio – an off-campus, 8,000 square foot,
state-of-the-art, multi-studio glass facility. The WCC offers the only
comprehensive glass studio program in New England available to the public.
In 2009, WCC became partners with Worcester State University and now
hosts WSU visual arts program in its studios. The Craft Center’s mission is “to
sustain craft as a vital part of our community” by providing high-quality craft
education and training, by supporting craft artists in their professions, and
through advocacy and public education initiatives including adult education
classes and workshops, youth education and outreach programs, exhibitions
showcasing the work of established and emerging artists, artist residencies,
lectures, family events, studio rentals, Gallery Store, and major events.
The WCC is a member of the Worcester Cultural Coalition and its WOO Pass
program, and receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact
Honee A. Hess, Executive Director of the Crafts Center at hhess@worcester.edu
or 508.753.8183, x. 302 or 508-579-8564.
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| (Left to Right) Wooden Puzzle by Barbara Bitgood, Jewelry by Liz Ryan - Looka Jewelry, Silk Scarf by Brooke Stanton |
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| (Left to Right) Capes by Linda Williams, Beverage Server by Fresh Cut Glass, Felted Ornament by Smith Drygoods |
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