BAZAAR SUNDAYS AT THE STATE
In October, 2013 I applied to be a vendor at the Bazaar Sunday event, which was held at the historic State Theatre in Downtown South Bend and drew a number of artists,, antiques sellers, craftspeople, and unique vendors of all kinds. I thought that my spooky dolls would be a good fit during the month of Halloween. This was my first time taking anything I'd made out in public, and I was both excited and terrified.
Imagine my surprise when people responded positively to my work! They invited me back for the November Bazaar and I continued to particpate throughout the months that it was in operation. I met so many great people and gained some much-needed confidence that enabled me to stretch and grow further as an artist. The experience was invaluable and something I will always appreciate.
The historic State Theatre in downtown South Bend.
The interior of the State Theatre in South Bend. If I win the lotto I will so buy this place and restore it.
An idea of the number of vendors at a Bazaar.
In its heyday, the Bazaar was a unique community activity.
Some vendors rotated but regulars were there every month.
One of the event flyers from 2014.
The spooky dolls were the mainstay of my early vending experiences.
The dolls are still so dear to me.
My old sign in a historic theatre. Perfect.
More creepy displays.
Friends and family were so supportive.
I tried to offer a variety of items at different price points, and learned how to interact with the public about what I do.
OK, so not *everyone* liked what I was doing, but the organizers were supportive and continued to allow me to set up every month.
Early taxidermy—of the vegan variety.
100% cruelty-free taxidermy...
I started mounting skulls and things escalated from there...
Here you can see the Racoonicorn and Jeweled Ermine skulls.
I wanted to bring Krampus to light, so I started making themed items for the holiday months.
This Krampus Tree includes handmade ornaments celebrating the horned one.
I created a Krampus costume nearly overnight and persuaded my son to wear it to the Bazaar. About halfway through we were asked to put Krampus away because of complaints, but it was fun while it lasted.
Coyote toe bones make lovely Christmas ornaments.
Betcha didn't know I also make pretty things, like these candles.
More candles, which were really popular but oh-so time consuming.
Ahhhh, here we go. Starting to work with animal parts.
Giselle is built upon a porcelain doll body that also happens to be a music box.
My spot moved around and the offerings grew with time.
I went crazy with magnets and old medical / natural history illustrations for a while.
I also made animal head and butt magnets.
Butts are hilarious.