Elinor Atkins, freelance artist and vendor on this yr’s Coast Salish Christmas craft market (submitted).
The Coast Salish Christmas craft market went digital this yr, so people may nonetheless take part and help native companies this vacation season.
Hosted by the Coast Salish Arts & Cultural Society and the Museum of Surrey for the third yr, the market is working from Nov. 12 till Dec. 19 and options 43 distributors, promoting the whole lot from artwork and residential decor to style, kitchen and bathtub equipment, jewelry, and home made items.
“There’s an actual variety of distributors,” says Sandra Borger, the customer expertise coordinator on the Museum of Surrey. “You will discover one thing for 5 {dollars}. You will discover one thing for a couple of hundred {dollars}.”
Describing her work as “up to date Coast Salish model artwork,” Elinor Atkins’ Indigenous heritage shines in each bit of art work (submitted).
Attributable to COVID-19, the choice to transition the occasion on-line was made in the summertime. The museum has a webpage the place hyperlinks are supplied to distributors’ social media and web sites. Prospects can discover a wide range of objects by way of picture gallery after which contact the seller instantly in the event that they’re involved in inquiring about or buying a product.
“The Museum of Surrey is a individuals museum,” says Borger. “We’re by the individuals of Surrey, for the individuals of Surrey, reflecting the individuals of Surrey.”
Borger says they “are actually grateful and honoured” to have shut relationships with native INdigenous creators and that other than the market, the museum has additionally labored with the Coast Salish Arts & Cultural Society to showcase Indigenous artwork, demonstrations, and voices.
“The craft truthful simply form of got here up naturally out of our current relationship,” she says.
Artwork by Elinor Atkins (submitted).
There’s numerous returning distributors, but in addition a crop of newcomers. Borger says one profit to going digital is the infinite quantity of house, whereas the museum can solely accommodate 20 to 25 distributors.
“It’s undoubtedly a privilege. I’m excited as a result of I’m simply beginning off in my journey,” says Elinor Atkins, a contract artist and second-time participant of the Christmas craft market. “I’m an rising artist, and so any sort of alternative for publicity is wonderful, and particularly as an Indigenous artist, I believe there must be extra illustration.”
Of Coast Salish and Kwantlen heritage, her conventional identify is Miməwqθelət, which interprets to “the music the primary chook sings within the morning.” Atkins says her love for artwork was nurtured by her mother and father, and remembers childhood pictures the place her “ft weren’t even touching the bottom, and [she] was sitting there, drawing.”
Artwork by Elinor Atkins (submitted).
She describes her inventive ardour as “up to date Coast Salish-style artwork” and “neo-traditional tattoo model.”
“Elinor is unbelievable,” says Borger. “She’s so younger, and so proficient.”
A novel problem confronted by the craft market would be the lack of an in-person sensory expertise that folks have when bodily procuring, and a lack of human interplay the place Atkins and prospects would focus on her artwork collectively.
Borger says that ensuring the hyperlinks to distributors’ socials and webpages are energetic is time consuming, however “so price it.”
Atkins feels the digital market provides her extra freedom,as her catalogue of art work is on-line, and he or she’s not restricted by bodily house.“I believe it provides individuals extra of an thought of the vary of labor I’m able to doing,” she says.
Artwork by Elinor Atkins (submitted).
The craft market has been fairly profitable in earlier years, and each Borger and Atkins are optimistic this yr’s market will even be successful, particularly as a result of prevalence of on-line procuring and the trendiness of shopping for locally-sourced items.
Craft distributors usually promote their merchandise from October to December, however as a result of pandemic, in-person markets have been briefly shut down, which diminishes artists’ sources of revenue. Borger says the cornerstone of the market is selling native enterprise people who find themselves going by a troublesome time.
“Our mission is to attach numerous voices collectively,” says Borger.
Folks involved in exploring this yr’s Christmas craft market can accomplish that on the Museum of Surrey’s webpage.
