Craft Fair Showcases Staff Talent

Middlebury College staff members will show off their skills outside of the workplace at an arts and crafts exhibition this Saturday, March 15 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Middlebury College Staff Council, with support from the Office of the President, is hosting the show that will showcase work from nine members of the staff and faculty in the Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts.

The display, which will be the first of its kind in at least a dozen years, had originally been planned as a December holiday gift fair, but was ultimately moved to March.

“The general idea of having [an event] for people not only to sell things but to just do things for fun was very much supported by … the Staff Council and people in the administration,” said Electronic Resources Manager and Library Systems Specialist at Davis Family Library Arabella Holzapfel, the primary organizer of the event. Holzapfel is also co-secretary of the Staff Council, an organization that represents the College’s roughly 1,300 staff members.

Holzapfel and others were inspired to plan the event because a number of people on staff have side pursuits, which some use to earn money. By creating an organized exhibition, the artists, mostly Middlebury staff members, will have an opportunity to share their passion and work with others.

“I think this particular kind of activity helps students, faculty members and our colleagues [understand] what we do when we’re not at work,” Holzapfel said.

In addition to planning the fair, Holzapfel will be displaying some work of her own — a few hand knit items, including some lace knits, which she creates exclusively as a hobby.

MiddCORE Marketing Director EJ Bartlett agreed with Holzapfel.

“I think there’s some really cool stuff happening in this community that I don’t know about,” she said. Bartlett will also be showcasing her work at the exhibition.

In her spare time, Bartlett creates letterpress prints, an interest that started with the creation of a Snow Bowl print in 2008. Using a photograph to get an idea of perspective and match true details of location, Bartlett’s prints are created entirely using illustrating software.

While selling of arts and crafts will not be permitted at the exhibition, Bartlett and some other exhibitors do sell their pieces. Bartlett plans on directing potential buyers to her website, where all of her prints can be found for purchase.

Trish Dougherty hopes to inspire visitors with a different motive. Dougherty, the coordinator of the Classics, Philosophy and Education Studies departments wrote via email, “I hope to share with others how rewarding it can be to step outside your comfort zone.”

For Dougherty, pottery was way out of her comfort zone until three years ago, when her husband gifted her lessons for Christmas.  Since then, she’s been crafting and baking artwork at her instructor’s studio in Orwell, Vt.

“I also want to convey how fun it is to put on old clothes and get muddy, especially after a long day behind a desk,” Dougherty said. “People are always ridiculously pleased to get a bowl that’s a little wobbly or a mug with a wonky handle just because it’s handmade. Handmade things are cooler.”

Other items on display will include sci-fi and fantasy drawings, quilts, jewelry, and furniture pieces. The exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to meet with artists, browse and enjoy a light reception with wine, beer and appetizers in the lower lobby of the Center for the Arts.