It is the time of the year where you are inundated with ads, ranging from Black Friday inserts to an endless stream of emails offering the best discounts on products typically available at big box retailers.
But it is also the time the year where you have the chance to score a very unique gift that not only ensures you are shopping local (and getting all the healthy economic benefits of spending your cash within our city), but that you are supporting the cultivation and sustaining power of the artists who call West Michigan their home, too.
Back again for its 24th year is Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts’ (UICA) Holiday Artists Market (HAM), located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.
This annual event features more than 60 artists presenting works from diverse mediums including jewelry, fiber arts, prints, ceramics, and so many other unique surprises.
This event is free to the public starting Friday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m., but if you want to gain a leg up on the rush, then become a member of UICA and enjoy the benefit of “members only” access starting at 3 p.m. on this same day.
Saturday is Family Day from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public with fun activities for kids, including a drop-in clay ornament workshop, an abominable snowman ice cave photo booth, and a holiday book reading nook.
The roster for the 2012 HAM event includes these curated artists: Catherine Bemis, Bonnie Blandford, Abbey Blodgett, Amy Brower, Cat Campbell, Dianne Carroll Burdick, Alaina Clarke, A Blair Clemo, Cydney Colvig, Vicki Cook, Collyn DeBano, Andrea Dirheimer, Erica Eddy, Elyse Flynn, Elizabeth Forrest, Hal Froot, Jeff Gendron, Taylor Greenfield, Alynn Guerra, Evan Hinze, Steven Huyser-Honig, Amy Johnson, Robyn Kayne, Michael Kifer, Shelly Klein, Susan Klein, Jacquelyn Kroll, Debra Lanning, Ashley Lieber, Casey Lockman, Aron Lowe, Nicole MacPherson, Rachel McKay, Anthony Mead, Rosemary Mifsud, Jarrod Napierkowski, Lisa Price, Lindsay Jones, Ryan Greaves, Steven Rainey, Kathryn Roberts, Christina Root, Jeff Rottman, Julie Sanford, Jenn Schaub, Kate Simons, Allen Spencer, Megan Stubbs, Jennifer Surine, Emilie Tromp, Joash Tuinstra, Cheri Van Vongeren, Victoria Velting, Jacob Vroon, Elyse Welcher, Steven Wheeler, Wendy Withrow, Paige Wright, and Hyun Yoo.
Also on Saturdays December 1 and 8, the 2012
Vinecroft Studios Holiday Artists Market (1614 Vinecroft NW) will be open to the public from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Vinecroft is a working studio of “Mr. Festival” of the Arts superstar Fred Bivins, who hosts a weekly gathering for artists in his space when they are not hosting their open studio sale. This annual event featuring 10 artists once again gives the public a chance to peer into the world of one of the most amazing champions of our local arts organizations.