Rochester Holiday Festival of Crafts

This is the largest and most comprehensive display and sale of handcrafts that the Middlesex, NY based Guild holds all year. The crafts range from functional pottery to natural fiber clothing, wooden bowls, kitchenware, and hand woven treasures. There are also folk toys, imported Middle Eastern rugs, and books for all ages to choose from. Two guest glass artists join for this show, William Glasner with art jewelry, and Nancy Newland with constructed glass mirrors, boxes, and picture frames.

“We are all looking forward sharing what we have been working on this summer,” says Nicole Hummel, potter and Guild member. “Our Pottery displays will feature our classic and well-loved styles, as well as experimental creations and new glazes. Wheel-thrown kitchenware and tiles decorated with leaf impressions and intricate carving inspired by our natural environment are some of the signature Folk Art Guild pieces. We will also be showing off the increasingly popular textured crackle glazes and ash glaze experiments, as well as a line of intriguing geometric disc sculptures.” The prolific Pottery Shop has been active with teaching classes, and bringing in a new apprentice, Jessie, who lives locally.

The Weavers are preparing a wardrobe of natural fibers to keep you warm this season, including colorful ponchos, shawls, and scarves. Weaving row by row on beautiful wooden looms, the artists work with wool, bamboo, alpaca, silk and cotton. They will also be offering hand-woven blankets and place mats, as well as an array of hand-knit wool hats for all ages. “We are going to have a lot of beautiful hand-woven accessories. We are very excited about this year’s display,” says weaver Noelle Miller. “People can look forward to comfortable and unique shawls and ponchos. We also have fashionable new items for your newborn, and we will have a nice selection of bamboo scarves which is an exciting new fiber we are working with.”

The Clothing Designers, working alongside the weavers in the fiber studio, have also filled out their inventory. Unique collage jackets incorporate wonderful and sometimes unexpected combinations of patterns, stripes and hand-dyed pieces from the archive to create a beautiful garment. Designer Claudia Welbourne, tells about a recent department excursion: “We took a tour of specialty fabric stores in Massachusetts and Vermont, and stocked up on soft and textured wools in black, white, red, and gray colorways for our flattering Twisters. This shawl stays in place with a twist sewn in. We visited Delectable Mountain Cloth in Brattleboro, VT, a tiny shop with every square foot, filled with every variety of silk fabric imaginable. We came away with 2 dozen stunning, shimmering yards of different silks, which we stitch into circular scarves.

For this Festival, Guild Woodworkers have produced a line of end grain cutting boards, which mimic the colors of the fall foliage. The thin hardwood boards are for serving, and thicker ones are for chopping. The craftsmen work with a variety of local and recycled woods to create bowls and furniture, including cherry, ash, maple burl, osage orange, cypress, douglas fir, and mulberry. The furniture display is enhanced by an impressive collection of oriental rugs from Afganistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and China.

Do not hesitate to bring along the kids, because an array of wooden children’s Toys will also be available to play with and purchase. The toys are drawn from various folk traditions, and are both fun and educational. The block tunnels promote intellectual development by teaching object permanence, and the hand-painted dancing men will be sure to cause a laugh.

In addition to these crafts, the Guild will present an array of Books, including a variety of children’s books and myriad books on spirituality and art. “Although diverse in topics, the common thread is that these are unusually beautiful books that may be difficult to find elsewhere, especially grouped together,” says Paul Schliffer, who carefully chooses the titles. The Guild always has some special surprises and even CDs of the music of Guild musicians.

Hope to see all of you folks there!