art party

ABOUT THE SHOW

The Art Party is is an annual fall art show organized by a group of 5 artists. We have been hosting this show for 10 years. When Martha and Karen met as moms at Joyner Elementary, we started hosting this show when our kids were in 3rd grade. Now they're seniors in high school!

We have 5 artists who host the show annually, plus several new vendors each year. Everything is hand-made. This year our new space at the Quail Hollow Club House enables us to include several new artists and expanded shopping time, adding a Saturday...details on new artists are coming!

It's a great chance to get a head start on your holiday shopping, so get your gift list together and plan to bring a friend, We have lots of inventory, so it's mostly a cash & carrry show. You get to take home what you purchase that day! Augusta's will package your pimento cheese with a little ice pack. Some vendors will take special orders. Most take only cash & checks; and although some do accept credit cards.

THIS YEAR'S ARTISTS

Martha Roberts, Serve Wholeheartedly--Everyone loves Martha's wire-wrapped glass, acrylic and pewter serving pieces. Martha is especially talented on presentation and packaging...her products make wonderful gifts. What makes her pieces different is that she hand-paints her glass beads, so they come in vibrant and unique colors. I love her new photo frames and clipboards....and I always have a spreader and napkin set in my gift stash. Look for more pewter products this year.

Johnna Elstob, Hannabells---You can find Johnna's designs reproduced and for sale all across the country, but at our Art Party she will have one-of-a-kind originals that you can't find in the stores. Her hand-painted Christmas ornaments and halloween decorations always fly. Look for new designs and products this year, along with her hand-painted angels in a new size.

Erin Solomon, PrissyPots--I'm a big fan of Erin's hand-painted signs & holiday decorations. I think I have about 10 of her signs, including a huge "Pop-Up" flower on my front door. She has different sizes and shapes this year. I love her small new size, perfect for a bookshelf or wall. She has Give Thanks, Be Merry...all kinds of neat sayings.She also paints wood crosses. Look for new hand-sewn funky stuffed animals this year! www.prissypots.com.

Helen Johnson, Creative Clay--Helen creates beautiful, inspirational and functional hand-built pottery. She has a wide collection of serving pieces, decorative bowls, ornaments, advent boxes...every year she reveals new shapes and designs. I remember when Helen started her business years ago...I think I was her first "official" customer when I bought a large angular blue bowl that still sits on my bookshelf.

Alice Sharpe & Cindy Keen,, "That Sharpe Touch"--Alice has created in her home workshop for many years, always joined by her woodworker husband, Robert, and on nights and weekends by their daughter, Cindy Keen. Most of their unique, original hand-painted wooden creations has spread by friends and friends' friends all over the country. Many of you already know about "Miss Lou's Kitchen Cross," one of their most popular items. You don't want to miss this year's newest creations! We're thrilled to have this mother-daughter team in our Art Party this year.

Nicole Hanner--Nicole is a professional artist from the Carter Building on Glenwood Avenue. She is looking forward to participating in our show for the first time. The Art Party girls fell in love with her work--very unique and different from much of the jewelry on the market. Check out her website: www.art-n-designgallery.com. We can't wait to see her creations!

Lisa Hallen--Erin Solomon tells me Lisa's work is top notch. Topiaries, wreaths..all hand-made seasonal greenery. I can't wait to see it! We thought this would be a wonderful addition to all our other hand-made and hand-painted items.

Tricia Downes--is making her debut as an "artist." She has been creating hand-made gifts for years, and her friends encouraged her to be an "emerging artist" at our show. She will be sewing something wonderful, I'm sure. I can't wait to get a sneak peek.

Courtney Poetzsch--A Sanderson grad, and rising freshman at the NCSU School of Design. I have to support our artist-students! Courtney is very talented and will be creating some printed products--gift tags and little notebooks. She's also working on a "prayer card" design. Her style is so awesome, mostly done in markers or Sharpies. Her printed pieces will compliment my own Shoestring Studio, and I may even sell some of her products at future shows.

Karen Cook, Shoestring Studio--you're on my website. Inspirational notepads, painted gifts. I'll have the adorable Painted Pumpkin wood craft kids again this year. Plus I'll have hand-made earrings from my daughter Allison--she's getting good with her formed and pounded silver wire earrings. For my runner and swimmer friends/moms...I'll have a supply of notepads and hand-painted magnets that say "Gotta Run" and "Eat sleep swim," etc. A few ornaments too dedicated to runners and swimmers.

ARTIST INQUIRIES

Deadline: August 1

We love to discover new artists to add to our show. We look for a few new people with hand-made products that we think our customers will love. Since our show is held in a private home, space is always limited.

If you would like to be considered, please send a photo of your work and a brief description to karencook@mindspring.com. Our deadline is AUGUST 1 of each year. We invite a small group of our long-time customers to help us review the requests. We make decisions base on the following:

* Unique artists with hand-made products that are new or different products not found in area stores or local craft shows

* Artists in different categories (pottery, jewelry, paper products, hand-painted art, ribboned accessories, candles, etc.) that compliment what we already have

* Products that offer a good price range that balances with existing artists (both affordable items from $5-10 and higher range items)

Thank you for your interest. We work hard each year to keep a balance of favorite returning artists that our customers look for, plus a few new ones to offer something different each year!