BAA Artisan Christmas Faire Dec 2 and 3 — Support Your Local Artisans

I am personally putting together a really special weekend event in Grand Forks, to give you an artistic taste for the holidays.  I’ve partnered with the Art Gallery, local musicians, and local artisans to give you The Boundary Artisan Christmas Faire.  This isn’t your usual Christmas Craft Faire with the same old Christmas baking, generic crafts and pushy neighbors – not the one that reminds you of the farmer’s market and the flea market rolled into one.  No, way!  This is the 5th Annual Boundary Artisan Christmas Faire.

My friend Silvia told me that she looks forward to the Christmas Faire every year.  She comes with her friends, has a cup of coffee and fresh Christmas baking, listens to the live musical performances, browses the booths of original, local art and picks out a few special gifts for herself.  Its one of the high lights of her season.

Come to Gallery 2 in Grand Forks for the Fifth Annual Boundary Artisan Christmas Faire, Friday December 2nd 10 am to 8pm and Saturday the 3rd, 10am to 4pm at the Grand Forks Art and Heritage Gallery. This two day event features the original work of members of the Boundary Artisan Association. This isn’t the “same old, same old,” contrary to rumours you’ve heard. This year’s gathering of spectacular local talent promises to be the biggest and best show to date.

With artists and artisans in every room of Gallery 2, live seasonal music, refreshments by Habitat for Humanities, photo op with Santa on Saturday morning, it will be the highlight of your Christmas traditions. This is your only opportunity this season to speak to the artists and artisans about their work, learn about their motivation to create and find out what makes their work distinctive. Wood turner, Alex Semenoff, will tell you his work is created with local wood and inlaid with Doukhobor brick, Rock Candy crystals, or Phoenix mine ore to create a vessel with warmth, beauty, and historical significance. Copper Artist Tim Poste will tell you his work is inspired by nature and created in the unique medium of copper with an organic feel, through his self-taught style. Artist Vivien Browne uses a multi-layered technique with paint, hot wax and fibre to enhance the light effects of her work and she’ll be demonstrating her encaustic technique during the show. Leta Bak reveals the family heritage side of the Boundary in her singular style. “Local people, agriculturally based in the Boundary area. The idea is to promote what we are already accomplishing: people helping each other out, families having fun, local food production.”

There are 3 jewellery artists at this year’s show with amazing beauty and sparkle. Jill Gunnarson, who is inspired by aboriginal artists, has created awesome sterling silver ear cuffs — worn without piercing, with gemstone glitz. Sonya Wood has her own inimitable style with semiprecious stones, feathers, and wire. Take a look at her feathered earrings, a hot fashion accessory. Tracey Jory displays both her jewellery and her stained glass decorative pieces that sparkle with colour and texture.

3 potters grace the show, with whimsical pieces, functional dishes and beautiful sculptural work to add warmth and colour to your home. Sandy-Jo Lewis is new this year, with her hand painted, whimsical dishes, bird houses, and vessels. Marita from Pottery Etc. brings her hand built and wheel thrown pottery, functional, and decorative work and cats. If you love cats, you’ll need to have a close look at Marita’s work. You’ll find Erika Vonbank in the Gallery meeting room with her fanciful, humorous pieces in earthy glazes. One of the favourite places in Erika’s booth is the special bin, where everything is $5 and under. This is a great place for kids to shop for wild flower vases, dishes, and tiny vessels for Mom.

Enter the Heritage Gallery and the wild rose scent will welcome you. Locally made goat’s milk soaps and natural hand balms are extravagantly displayed in the Joybilee Farm booth, next to their local wool and mohair socks, hats, and felted scarves and bags. This year beautiful felted accessories and home decor are the highlight of this family’s craft.

Upstairs in the Richard Reid Gallery, Elliot Teskey’s landscapes and wildlife photography offer a panoramic view of nature seen through the eyes of a gifted photographer. Elliot’s years as a Fisheries’ officer inform his work. In this room, you’ll also find offerings of cookies and Almond Roca, made with organic sugar.

Harper, Jen Fenn will be playing her harp between 11 and 2 on both Friday and Saturday.  The hall will reverberate with the heavenly sounds of the harp, to enhance your experience.  I’m so excited that Jen will be participating in this year’s Christmas Faire, since I am in my second year of learning to play the harp.  What a treat to be able to listen and talk to a talented and experienced harper.  You will really love the atmosphere that the harp creates at this show.

The show is open late for the Santa Claus parade, so view the show during the day and pop over in the evening to pick up that secret gift from the Boundary Artisan Christmas Faire on Dec. 2nd and 3rd at Gallery 2, in Grand Forks.

Other places you’ll find Robin, Chris and Sarah Dalziel — aka: Joybilee Farm — this season are the Oliver Christmas Craft Fair in Oliver at the Rec Centre on November 25 and 26.

The website is open till December 24th.  Or phone our toll free number 1-866-965-9665 to order soap, healing balms, wool roving.  Next week I’m putting up the Gift Gallery on the site — so if you can’t make it out to the Artisan Faire you can still get what you’re looking for through the website.

Thanks for reading this far.  Have a great day.

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