BY PAUL BICKLEY
For the third consecutive year, the Local Clay Potters’ Guild, Bloomington Spinners and Weavers Guild, and Indiana Glass Guild will collaborate to present the Artisan Guilds of Bloomington Holiday Show at the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center, 302 S. College. The show will be held over two days, starting Friday, November 4.
Prior to 2014, the guilds each held separate holiday shows, then venue problems led to a collaboration for one big show. Combining the shows has been a real boon for each group, says Abby Gitlitz, former president of the Indiana Glass Guild. Karin Lauderback, Bloomington Spinners and Weavers show coordinator, adds, “People get to see the three arts at one show and incredible work from the Bloomington area.” The show is an opportunity for the guilds to demonstrate their artistic processes and to sell their works to the public.
The Spinners and Weavers, the oldest of the guilds and the largest with 51 members, was founded in the early ’80s; this will be its 31st annual show. Members will demonstrate both spinning and weaving during the show, and the group will exhibit a “fiber trail” that explains how plant and animal fibers become artifacts. On Saturday, members of the Local Clay Potters’ Guild, founded in 1997, will offer teapot and mug handle demonstrations. “People like seeing something develop from a lump of clay,” says guild president Karen Green Stone. The Indiana Glass Guild, founded in 2011 and celebrating its sixth year at the event, will show a video demonstrating the art of glass blowing.
More than 75 artists will display and sell both functional and decorative handmade wares, including clay tableware, cookware, and sculptures; fiber clothing, table runners, tapestries, and paper art; and glass tableware, mosaics, jewelry, ornaments, whimsical sculptures, and stained glass.
There will be an opening reception featuring refreshments and live music at 4 p.m. on Friday, November 4. Holiday show hours are Friday, November 4, from 4–9 p.m., and Saturday, November 5, from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. The Convention Center’s café will sell food and beverages, and each guild will distribute door prizes during the event.
For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page: Artisan Guilds of Bloomington Holiday Show.
