American Craft Council Show: Baltimore

Hello! I took a little break to find a new job but now I'm back!

Yesterday I went to the American Craft Council Show right here in Baltimore. Some kind soul gave me and two of my friends free tickets right outside the show so we poor artists could save some money!

The show itself was really inspiring. The fact that people can still make money on craft items in this economy is completely mind-boggling to me (and obviously very uplifting to someone who can't find an art-related job to save her life). But, there was some really amazing work that I definitely would have bought myself if I had had the cash.

As a 3D illustrator, I was really drawn to the sculpture artists, although there was some incredible work across the board. I think my favorite artist was Nicario Jimenez, the 'Artist of the Andes'. He combines traditional retablos with modern-day ideas or scenes. Not only are they interesting to look at, they are really beautifully made. At the Show, he had a massive one chronicling the important events that took place in America that allowed Obama to become president. There were what looked like thousands of little people in it, which he says are made from boiled potato and gypsum. Awesome.

Some other notables at the event for me were Tom Nussbaum (who told me I could eat an Aquaresin sandwich and live to tell the tale), G Todd Vaughn, Tom Wargin, Carol Owen, Mary Miller, Dona Dalton, Chris Antieau, Reina Mia Brill, Marilyn Andrews, and Jeff Hall, but really there are too many to mention. I would recommend going to the Craft Council website and looking through the exhibitors page if you're looking for something beautiful and unique to buy.