2010 Crafty Jury Revealed

With the 7th annual Crafty Bastards fast approaching in 3 months, the Crafty Jury is in full effect, rating our pool of applicants to see who will be selected as our official 2010 vendors!  Now in Day 2 of the Crafty Jury process, the 7 members of the Crafty Jury are half way through  determining which crafters, out of the record 450+ applicants, will have one of the 150 available booth spaces this year.

The Crafty Jury process has been in place since the first year of the fair 7 years ago, with a new mix of jurors each year. Over the course of two full days, the each member of the Jury rates each individual applicant through a unique system that keeps the vendor selection process fair for all. We’re excited to share our Jury process with you, and please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.

How long does the Jury process take?

The Crafty Jury meets for two days, approx. 10 hours per day. How are the applications judged? Each application is reviewed one by one, with special attention paid to the 3 photos and vendor statement. From there, each juror rates the applicant on 9 craftigories; the first 8 craftigories receive a score of 1-10. The last craftigory is an Overall score, which is worth 20 points. So the best possible score for an applicant would be 100 craftaculous points! The lowest is 10. All of the applicants’ ratings are then compiled and each applicant is given a total score based on the average score from all 7 jurors. At the end of the jury process, those applicants with a score of 75 or higher are automatically accepted into the fair. We then take a look at the categories of craft that we might be missing, and try to fill in the gaps from there. For example, if there are 5 spaces left in the fair, and we have not accepted any ceramic artists, we will take a look at the highest rated potter applicant and may decide to accept them into the fair. This process allows for an excellent shopping experience for our attendees, and a profitable day for our vendors.

What are the Craftigories?

1.) Craftsmanship/Skill How well-made are the crafts? We keep in mind some things are meant to look rough or undone. 2.) Inventive use of materials? Does the crafter use pre-manufactured materials or do they make their stuff from scratch? 3.) Labor/Time Investment Does it look like there was time invested in the concept/design/product? 4.) Physical Design – How much thought was put into the aesthetics/function of the work? 5.) Alternative Subject Matter/Vision? 6.) Rarity/Singularity – How unique are the products? 7.) Excitability – Would we buy this or recommend it to someone? 8.) Appeal – Does this vendor appeal to a large group of shoppers, or would their products only appeal to a very niche group? 9.) Overall (worth 20 points)

Why do you use this rating system?

This rating system provides an equal opportunity for all crafters to have a chance to vend at the fair. Where some applicants might get a high score in the uniqueness of their work, others may get a higher score in how well their products are made.

Is there a wait list?

Yes. We usually pick a small number of applicants with scores closest to 75 to be on our Pending List. Those on the Pending List will be notified of any booth space that may open up for various reasons.

Who is on the Jury?

This year’s Crafty Jury is comprised of an award-winning, local talent which includes local shop owner Joshua Tiktin from local DC Dekka, Rachel Bone from the Charm City Craft Mafia, Liz Ecktein — one of the original, founding  directors of Crafty Bastards,  and Pete Morelecitz — past Washington City Paper Art Director and crafter extraordinairre, as well as 3 Directors from Hello Craft  — the non-profit which is powers Crafty Bastards alongside Washington City Paper.

Meet 2010 Crafty Jury:

Rachel

Rachel Bone
I am a painter & screen printer living in Baltimore, MD. I’ve run my screen printed apparel company Red Prairie Press as my full time job since March of 2006, before which I had job titles like “office manager” and “sales associate.” I like working for myself much more, and hope someday you get to try it out, if you don’t already.
I also paint and draw and show my work all over the country in both galleries & boutiques. I write a daily blog: redprairiepress.blogspot.com about my adventures. You can see the tshirts & paintings I make out of my home studio at www.redprairiepress.com.
As a founding member of the Charm City Craft Mafia & organizer of the Pile Of Craft and Holiday Heap craft fairs in Baltimore, I’m thrilled to be an active member of the craft community and after vending for the last four years, I’m honored to serve as part of the Crafty Bastards Jury.
SaraSara Dick
I enjoy fresh produce, bumpy yarn, Etsy browsing, craft brews, Frank Zappa and smart people. I make stuff and love to buy handmade.

As a crafter, I’ve sold my work at Renegade Brooklyn, Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh, Holiday Heap and Pile of Craft in Baltimore, Crafty Bastards and a handful of smaller shows in the DC area.

I’ve helped organize and curate Crafty Bastard since 2004, putting the number of CB vendor submissions I’ve reviewed somewhere in the thousands. The past two years I’ve worked with DC’s Craft Mutiny to produce the Holiday Booty Market and most recently, curated Hello Craft’s Show of Awesome.

As a handmade shopper, I am proud to have supported artisans (and filled my apartment) with purchases at craft shows like Renegade Chicago, Crafty Wonderland’s Super Colassal Holiday Show in Portland, Bust’s Spring Craftacular and all the shows of which I’ve been a participant. Can’t wait to see what I’ll be buying this year!

KimKimberly Dorn
Kimberly is a crafter and craft fair organizer with a healthy obsession with Hello Kitty, Kokka Fabric, 3mm felt and Lingonberry Juice.

After serving on the Crafty Jury for the last 6 years, she’s found a deep appreciation for crafters that successfully combine cute with functionality.  While on the Jury, Kimberly is looking for crafters that take an innovative approach to whatever they do. Her favorite category to review is Housewares, because she likes to see how design ideas fuse with functional pieces.

Her background in crafting started with a BFA in Sculpture from SUNY Albany, which eventually turned into printmaking, which led to photography, and now also includes knitting, paper arts, making hair accessories, silk screening, and leaving trails of yarn, felt, fabric and other craft bits all over her house.

As one of the Festival Directors behind the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair and the Handmade Mart, as well as being the Executive Director of Hello Craft, I’m excited to once again serve on the Crafty Jury.

Pete

Pete Morelewicz
Pete is the former art director of City Paper and currently designs several magazines you’ve never heard of. You may have seen him at Crafty Bastards’ in the past, whether squishing Crafty Bastards pennies, selling his paintings of Bob Ross, schlepping tables in the pre-dawn darkness, or just generally harassing the vendors. This is the fifth year Pete has had the honor of sitting on the Crafty Bastards jury, offering another opportunity to write of himself in the third person.

Kelly

Kelly Rand
Kelly covers visual arts in and around Washington, DC for DCist and is editor of Crafting a Green World. Kelly has also been published by Bust Magazine and you can find her byline at Indie Fixx and Etsy’s Storque and has taught in Etsy’s virtual lab on the topic of green crafting.

Kelly helps organize Crafty Bastards: Arts and Crafts Fair, one of the largest indie craft fairs on the East coast and has served on the Craft Bastard’s jury since 2007. Kelly is also co-founder of Hello Craft and her responsibilities as a Director of the organization include programming for the Summit of Awesome and coordinator of the membership program. Kelly resides in Washington, D.C. and believes that handmade will save the world.

Josh

Joshua Tiktin
I am just a dude.  A Husband, a father, and a guy trying to create the best possible life I can.  Throughout my life you would find me either in the DC or Miami area, except when I spent 6 great years in Atlanta or when I went on vacation.  In those cities I would be working on music and art, in one form or another.  I am the owner of DEKKA, which is a Fashion + Art + Music Collective space in DC and we just opened our 2nd location near Miami, FL.

My most successful art projects are the Obama (recycled) Vinyl Record pieces which were created during the inauguration.  100’s of one of a kind units were sold and placed by their owners in about 10 countries, 4 continents, and in the White House as well.  They were also featured in Nylon Magazine, Thrillist, and Artomatic.  An earlier project was an ancient Bible code made in graffiti  and sold in originals and prints.  500 units were purchased by the Kabbalah Centre and sold internationally.  Madonna, Monica Lewinski, and Argentine actress Reyna Reech are a few of the celebrity owners of this work.

ARTS ON N STREET – Call for Arts Vendors

An exciting new outdoor arts market brought to you by the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is looking for arts vendors.

They are looking for DC artists and crafters to help activate the Shaw neighborhood for two weekends in August (7th & 8th and 14th & 15th) by selling their works and wares!

There is space for 22 vendors each day (it is not required to do all four days. People can chose their level of participation). Space is FREE.

In addition to the craft fair, there will be an affordable art fair called Paper Pushers where we are looking for artists to sell original works on paper (size restrictions do apply- no bigger than 20″ in any one dimension and nothing priced above $200) where people can buy the artwork right there and go. Artists will receive full sale price of artwork less any processing fees that may occur.

They are also looking for people who would be interested in leading workshops with kids – live painting, decorating your own skate deck, bike repair, juggling, dj-ing.

If you have an idea or would like to apply, please contact Beth Baldwin to participate.

Apply Now! Crafty Bastards Application Deadline is July 4th!

Don’t tell me you are waiting until the last minute. You are, aren’t you?! What are you waiting for? The deadline to apply for booth space is July 4, 2010. Get more info and submit your Crafty Bastards application here.

There is a $10 non-refundable application fee. The jury will review and score all completed entries on various criteria from design and craftsmanship to saleability and alternative subject matter. Applicants will be notified of their status by July 26th. If accepted through the jury process, vendors will pay a $165 booth fee. Both fees are non-refundable. Crafty Bastards will take place Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 10am-5pm.

The application process is a little different this year. Most notably, you will be asked for 5 images, rather than 3. Your 5 images must be 200K max each. Remember to prepare and choose your images well!

Questions? Check out our FAQs or send an email to craftybastards@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Pile of Craft. Baltimore. Saturday. Go!

Baltimore’s super fun indie craft show, Pile of Craft, will be happening this Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 10am to 5pm at 2640 St Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21218, inside St John’s Church.

This year’s fair will have over 40 of the best local and national crafters, as well as craft and printmaking demonstrations, a free photobooth, and a raffle to win a huge basket full of goodies. Don’t forget to check out the vendors before you go.

And did I mention the photobooth?

Petworth Community Market Launches Friday

Petworth Community Market

The brand new Petworth Community Market will launch its opening season this Friday, June 25, 2010 from 3:00-7:00 PM. The market will be located on the 4100th Block of 9th Street, NW at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street and will run from now until October 29, 2010.

The market will feature farm fresh produce from neighboring Virginia and Maryland, locally produced baked goods and prepared foods, hand‐crafted products, art, musical entertainment, and youth activities.

Wanna get involved as a vendor? The Petworth Market is continuing to recruit local farmers and other vendors. If you are interested in becoming a vendor, please go to www.petworthmarket.org or contact the market at manager@petworthmarket.org or 202‐386‐0896.

Weekend Handmade Shopping: Art Star Craft Bazaar

This weekend there’s a fantastic buying opportunity for those willing to take the short roadtrip up to Philadelphia. Art Star Craft Bazaar is this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The vendor line-up is spectacular and there is a jam-packed schedule of bands set to perform throughout the weekend.

Personally having so many of my favorite vendors in one place makes me giddy. Here’s a sampling of who I’m really excited to see (I had to limit myself to three or I’d just rewrite the entire vendor list):

Giant Dwarf

Figs & Ginger

Fisticuffs Leather

For all those planning to visit the City of Brotherly Love, who are you looking forward to seeing this weekend?

Apply Now for Crafty Bastards 2010!


We are super excited to announce that applications for Crafty Bastards 2010 are now being accepted. The deadline to apply for booth space is July 4, 2010. Get more info and submit your Crafty Bastards application here.

There is a $10 non-refundable application fee. The jury will review and score all completed entries on various criteria from design and craftsmanship to saleability and alternative subject matter. Applicants will be notified of their status by July 26th. If accepted through the jury process, vendors will pay a $165 booth fee. Both fees are non-refundable. Crafty Bastards will take place Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 10am-5pm.

The application process is a little different this year. Most notably, you will be asked for 5 images, rather than 3. Your 5 images must be 200K max each. Remember to prepare and choose your images well!

In the past we have received around 400 applications for the 100+ spots available at the show. All applicants are strongly encouraged to submit clear images and descriptive work statements. For helpful hints on applying to Crafty Bastards, check out “Wowing a Craft Show Jury” over at Hellocraft.com

Questions? Check out our FAQs or send an email to craftybastards@washingtoncitypaper.com.

CraftweekDC

If you’re not familiar with CraftweekDC, it is probably because it was just declared by Mayor Adrian Fenty just last year. Occuring April 19 to 25, this proclaims it “was organized to coincide with two major American studio craft events that occur every April in Washington, DC — the Smithsonian Craft Show and the James Renwick Alliance Spring Craft Weekend…”

Events for CraftweekDC keep getting announced and the Crafty Bastards Blog has a rundown of interesting picks:

Caos on F

  • When: Wednesday, April 21 to Saturday, April 24
  • What it is: Extended gallery hours through CraftweekDC. Each day there is a featured participating artist from their current exhibit “Live Edge & Selvage” which features hand painted fabric on silks and cottons, handmade wood furniture and kiln-formed glass works.
  • More info is here.

The Meaning of Making

  • When: Wednesday, April 21 from 4 to 9 p.m.
  • What it is: Drop-in crafting social with Hello Craft’s Make Something Awesome Area (pictured at right) followed by a panel discussion with members of the local handmade community and moderated by Betsy Greer. Full panel line-up is available here.
  • More info is here.

Special Free Demonstration: Matt Szosz – Inflating Fused Glass

  • When: Saturday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to noon
  • What it is: Free demo showing how to inflate fused glass
  • More info is here.

Social Networking and Marketing Your Art

  • When: Saturday, April 24 from 1 to 3 p.m.
  • What it is: Seminar on how to use social networking to sell your work, get shows and secure press coverage. Instructors are Tim Tate, Lenny Campello and Crafty Bastards Alum Rania Hassan.
  • More info is here.

Plush Class this Sunday with Beth Baldwin

There’s an awesome plush class this Sunday with Beth Baldwin (voted in WCP’s Best of DC Poll as Best Local Crafter 2009 & 2010) as part of the Albus Cavus Classroom. The class is available for a suggested donation of $25 and the focus will be creating plush dolls by hand. Expect to learn tips on creating your own ideas, technique and hand sewing. Interested attendees should bring a pencil and sketch paper — fabric, tools and other notions will be provided.

bloomer3

Plush Sculpture and Toys Class with Beth Baldwin
Sunday, April 11 at the FREEZER
633 E Street Rear SE
2 to 4 p.m.
$25 suggest donation

Apply Now! Fenton Street Market

Fenton Street Market
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Runs: April 17 through October 31
Located on the corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue

Open to all crafters and makers and vintage collectors! Silver Spring, Maryland’s Fenton Street Market is back and will be having markets every weekend this season.

fentonstreet

The market will have more than 60 vendors selling everything from antiques to handmade crafts to imported goods to food. There will also be live music and special events for the community. Fenton Street Market will consider all applicants and they are particularly looking for those “with an emphasis on quality and variety of product to keep the market fresh.”

Apply Now!
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the market ends in October and are available online here.

Questions? Contact Debbie through the Web site.