Great Art ~ New Start!

This is a celebration of modern day masters who handcraft jewelry, textiles, metal, glass, wood, home decor and more. These are one-of-a-kind collectibles to be treasured forever. No wonder they say today’s crafts are tomorrow’s antiques. It’s a term used to describe the many wonders at the Contemporary Crafts Market. Discover unique objects of beauty you won’t find anywhere else.

The Contemporary Crafts Market has been selling handmade crafts for nearly 30 years. The longest running show of its kind in Southern California is a traditional favorite. It only comes to the West Coast twice a year. This November, Pasadena will have its first taste of the famed market. It is the perfect place for history to unfold. After all, the Contemporary Crafts Market takes place in the center of historic Old Town Pasadena and neighboring Bungalow Heaven, where the tradition of handmade craftsmanship is part of the landscape and is a treasured tradition. .

Open to the public, The Contemporary Crafts Market will be held from November 1–3, at the Pasadena Convention Center. It will feature more than 200 of the nation’s finest artists showcasing their unique approach to design and handcrafted excellence.

“There’s something for everybody in the show, things that you can admire and wonder about and wish you could own. The best part is so many of these beautiful objects have prices that everyone can afford” says Roy Helms, founder and CEO of the Contemporary Crafts Market,.

“We have some wonderful furniture in the show. Also, we have some incredible jewelry makers, one in particular, whose work is in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. She’s been showing with us for the last 28 years and has grown up with our market,” says Helms, talking about jewelry maker Marianne Hunter, whose work has matured in parallel to the Market.

The Contemporary Crafts Market is a wonderland of discovery, a feast for the eyes with something for everyone from jewelry and metalwork to glass, wood, textiles, home furnishings, ceramics and more. Imagine! Not a mass produced product or mall in sight!

“History has been very unusual. At one time, of course, everything was handmade and later ‘machine made’ products were something special because they were so unusual,” says Helms. “Today, what’s handmade, something you can hold and admire as a legitimate work of art, has become the rare and treasured.”

At the Contemporary Crafts Market, the artists themselves will be in attendance, says Helms, “That’s what makes it so educational because with the artist there, they can talk about their work with you.”

Thirty years is a long time, and the Market’s longevity can be attributed to the public being “delighted with what they see and what they find at our show,” says Helms. Simply put, “if the crafts weren’t selling, we wouldn’t be there,” he adds.

Just as collectors need a place to find handcrafted works, the artists too need a place “to have their work survive and a way to meet the public,” says Helms, “by pulling together a group of artists that are on this quality level, it makes a pretty exciting show.”

It’s certainly a wonder how Helms has turned a humble crafts market into an empire, thriving in the competitive business of art. How he survived and flourished though, is a work of art in itself.

The Market exclusively sells American crafts and artists who participate, come from all over the country. For the Pasadena show, Helms says there are artists who come from as far as New Hampshire and Ohio, but most are from The Western States including California, New Mexico, Arizona and other nearby areas.

Helms has made it his passion and business to seek out and curate the best handcrafts and artists he can find. Promoting the artisans who create these beautiful works is a joy. Suffice to say, he has an eye for beauty and excellence, and it shows. Seeing is believing. All of The Contemporary Craft Market items have been jury-selected for quality, ensuring that only the best are sold.

The exhibitors undergo a rigorous screening process to qualify as participants. All of the artwork must be of the finest hand-made designs and quality. Not just anyone can join as an exhibitor at the Contemporary Crafts Market. This gives the show’s exhibits an air of museum-like quality.

Open to the public, in time for holiday shopping, “everything will be for sale, says Helms, with prices ranging “from $25.00 to several thousand dollars.”

The show itself is priceless.

To learn more about The Contemporary Crafts Market, visit:

Website: http://craftsource.org

Pinterest Site: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=CONTEMPORARY%20CRAFTS%20MARKET

Video Link http://craftsource.org/artist.html

or call (310) 285-3655.

The Pasadena Convention Center is located at 300 E Green St.

Admission will be $8 with children aged 12 and under getting in for free.