The holiday season is starting early at the First Americans Museum of Oklahoma with the annual Winter Holiday Art Market this weekend.

Each December, the First Americans Museum holds the Winter Holiday Art Market. The exhibit showcases over 50 artists and vendors, selected as the best First American artists in the country.

From handmade jewelry, authentic food and remarkable art, the Winter Holiday Art Market has something for any and all visitors to enjoy.

The event will be held Friday through Sunday.

First Americans Museum (FAM) shares the histories of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. The museum honors the indigenous people who inhabited what is now the state of Oklahoma.

A full schedule of the event is below:

Friday

• 6 p.m. Doors open to Hall of the People
• 9 p.m. – Close

Saturday

• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artist Market – Hall of The People

Artist Demonstrations & Story Time in Five Moons Theater

• 1 p.m. Story Time with Sarah Brown, Choctaw
• 2 p.m. Metalsmithing with JJ Otero, Master Silversmith
• 3 p.m. Story Time with Sarah Brown + (Indigenous Santa Visit)
• 4 p.m. – Close

Sunday

• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artist Market – Hall of The People

Artist Demonstrations & Story Time in Five Moons Theater

• 1 p.m. Story Time with Sarah Brown, Choctaw
• 2 p.m. Metalsmithing with JJ Otero, Master Silversmith
• 3 p.m. Story Time with Sarah Brown + (Indigenous Santa Visit)
• 4 p.m. – Close

Friday marks 35 years of work to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, as the City of St. Louis Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognize World AIDS Day. First observed in 1988, World AIDS Day is a day to join forces in the work to understand the impact of HIV and remember those lost to AIDS-related illnesses.

This year’s theme is “Remember and Commit.” It encourages people to remember the disparities and inequities that continue to create barriers to HIV testing, prevention services, and HIV care. It then calls us to commit to continuing the work of centering equity as we work toward ending the HIV epidemic.

The Department of Health continues to center equity as it works to ensure HIV testing services are available at no cost and are accessible throughout the St. Louis region. Partnerships with local organizations help to strengthen the work and expand quality services to the most vulnerable populations. Today, community members can order their own HIV test kit at www.takemehome.com. Through self-testing programs, the Department of Health and its partners have distributed over 1,307 at-home test kits across the St. Louis region. Residents can also stop at the department’s Health Stop at 1520 Market or visit a local community partner to access free HIV testing.

In addition to testing programs, the department’s staff works tirelessly to ensure persons living with HIV have linkage to care, medical services, and other supportive services. The department also works together with community partners to reduce barriers to accessing those services and others to enhance the lives of people living with HIV.

In observance of this year’s World AIDS Day, the Department of Health invites you to participate in regional events and celebrations across the city.

• The Health Stop Testing and Referral Center – November 30, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. & December 1, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – The City of St. Louis Department of Health will be tabling and offering free testing at The Health Stop at 1520 Market Street.
• World AIDS Day Kickoff Event – In collaboration with Black Pride STL, WPT, Affinia Healthcare, and ViiV Healthcare, The Community Wellness Project will host a World AIDS Day Kickoff Event at MX Movies and Bar on November 30, 2023. The Red Carpet Renaissance Gala begins at 5:30 p.m. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. The movie screening will start at 7:45 p.m. Please contact the CWP team to get your ticket today at (314) 421-9600!
• Day With[out] Art: at the Contemporary Art Museum- December 1, 6:30- 9:00 p.m. – On this special First Friday, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is proud to partner with Visual AIDS, Project ARK, and Vivent Health for Day With(out) Art 2023, presented on the 35th occasion of World AIDS Day. For more information, contact Michelle Dezember at mdezember@camstl.org. (Free HIV Testing will be provided on-site)

Shoppers, browsers, curiosity-seekers and onlookers will find all the fa-la-la-la-la they need from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, when the Central PA Guild of Craftsmen presents the 46th annual Winter Craft Market at the Nittany Valley Sports Centre in State College.

The local chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen hopes the sizeable venue will attract more visitors than ever. 

“It’s a large, well-lit area, with plenty of room to spread out,” according to event committee member Christine Stangel. Since this year’s event will include more than 50 artisans, both participants and organizers appreciate the spacious venue.

Stangel goes on to explain that the guild had to cancel the Winter Craft Market for 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.

“That time period hurt artists in general,” adds Tess Clapper, who also serves on the committee, “and some had to leave the art community.”

But the enthusiasm artists have for this market hasn’t waned, and organizers take pride in the diversity and quality of work shown. Each applicant must present work to a jury, which then selects artists to participate in the market. The use of a jury maintains a high standard of well-made, unique items.

“We also have to limit each media,” Clapper continues, “so you won’t see too many silversmiths or too many fabric artists.” Instead, participants will present varied types of art.

Diane Maurer, internationally renowned paper artist, says she feels “great about participating, knowing that this show is well-juried.” Continuing, the Spring Mills artist says, “You’ll find good, high-quality work here. Good artwork and fine craft.”

Maurer excels in marbling, collage and surface design, a type of print or design used on a surface such as a wall or book cover. In 2018, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City purchased 40 of her papers.

“They’re now preserved and protected in archival sleeves,” she says, “and I consider that the high point of my career so far.”

Her biography also includes an appearance on Martha Stewert Living and a design purchased by Godiva Chocolatiers for worldwide distribution. Additionally, she has authored numerous books detailing her work, her methods and her sources.

Maurer finds much of her inspiration in the outdoors. “I could see objects—streams or foliage—cut into images and made into a paper collage. Or I could trace an image in a 15th-century German work and use that in a paste paper.” 

She says she appreciates the way artists at this show take the time to talk to visitors about their art.

“They feel so passionate about their work,” she observes, “and enjoy explaining their techniques and what inspires them.”

New York native Bonnie Hedden designs jewelry, incorporating gold, sterling silver and a variety of gemstones. The bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings she develops draw the viewer’s eye with gleaming metal, flowing compositions and richly hued stones.

“Some artists will sketch things out,” she explains. “I let the stones speak to me—like putting together puzzle pieces.”

Some of her pieces feature imagery from nature. You’ll see leaves, vines, daisies and other flowers. Other items seemingly echo, twist, wind and coil, according to the shape of the opals, pearls, topaz and other gemstones Hedden uses. Armed with her snips, files, vices and torches, she approaches her work with a precise mastery.

“Details embellish the focal points,” she says, “and I just keep working until it’s done.”   

An avid exhibitor attending 18 shows annually, Hedden won two prizes at the 2022 Lewiston Art Festival in New York state. She took home First Place for Artistic Craft as well as Best in Show.

“I really never expected it,” she recalls, “and I was just thrilled.”

Hedden has set up her cases and displays at the Winter Craft Market for 10 years. And she appreciates the guild’s dedication to staging an event so consistently brimming with high-caliber work.

“The Centre County Chapter of the PA Craft Guild does such a great job,” Hedden says, “and the organizers work hard. And I enjoy seeing such quality work from all the artisans.”

Master artisan Ted Walker fabricates and designs silver jewelry in southcentral Pennsylvania.

As his business name, Reflections in Silver, suggests, each silver pendant, ring, earring and necklace shimmers as light rebounds from it.

He describes his work as “flowing and calming.” Walker says the designs themselves simply come to him. “Sometimes I’ll see a shape in a dream or a daydream,” he says, “and I’ll start working with the silver and just see what happens.”

Spirals, coils, curls and waves, all in silver, make up many of Walker’s pieces. He frequently adds accent points like a lapis bead tucked into the crest of a wave, or a green onyx nestled against a long loop, or a moonstone perching on the round of an earring.

“I feel flattered when someone spends hard-earned money on something I’ve made,” Walker says, “and a part of you goes away with that buyer. It makes me happy and honored when a person feels strongly enough to buy from me.”

His interest in silversmithing evolved from his mother’s talent for jewelry-making and his “rock-hound” grandfather, who ran a small shop in Lancaster.

“From a sort of family tradition, I found myself designing and making jewelry,” he recalls.

Walker, like other artists, felt the sting of loss during the years COVID shut down the Winter Craft Market. “I’m glad we’re back again,” he says. “Events like this need continuity. It’s always good to see familiar faces when you’ve developed a stream of good customers. And this is a really nice venue.”

The Sports Centre offers a size that appeals to vendors and organizers alike. Stangel adds, “We have plenty of free parking. We do ask a $5 admission fee that helps cover promotional activities.”

The Boy Scouts of America will hand out wristbands to those attending. The bands will allow patrons to leave the Sports Centre, check out some of the other events in the county and return later.

The Clef Hangers, a vocal group from Mount Nittany Middle School, will serenade shoppers and enhance a festive atmosphere.

“This is a team effort from start to finish,” Clapper says, “and we like to say, ‘Shop local and buy handmade this season.’” T&G

IF YOU GO…

WHAT: Winter Craft Market
WHEN: 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2
WHERE: Nittany Valley Sports Centre, 177 Champion Drive, State College
ADMISSION: $5 cash only; free for children 12 and under
INFO: wintercraftmarket.org

Anne Dyer Walker is a Bellefonte freelance writer.