Annual Wards Bakery holiday sale offers more artists, unique gifts

YOUNGSTOWN

The halls and studios of Ward Bakery Building on lower Mahoning Avenue were filled with a variety of art Saturday, all of it handmade by local artists.

Included were ceramics, paintings, sculptures, photos and more.

The open studio shows take place twice a year by the Artists of the Mahoning Commons.

Tracy Segreti, an artist who’s had a studio in the downtown building for 22 years, participates in each show.

“It’s been really great, because no one knew what this building was about before that,” she said. “It’s nice. We get a great turnout. And who knew that anyone cared?”

Segreti started out making wood block prints, and still does some of that work. Then she started painting on silk. At Saturday’s Holiday Open Studio and Art Sale, she offered silk scarves, paintings and wall hangings.

“The scarves are probably the most popular thing I’ve ever made,” she said. “Everybody loves the scarves. So I keep making them. To me they’re paintings when I’m doing them; I don’t really think about them as scarves.”

Todd and Lisa Smith of Poland have attended the Artists of the Mahoning Commons shows for a couple of years.

The crafts are unique, Lisa pointed out.

“You always see something different, whether it’s pottery or painting or something done with fabric. So it’s interesting to come and see what’s new,” she said.

She found items for both herself and to give as gifts.

“And it seems like there’s new people every year, too, and that’s what makes it fun,” she added. “You don’t know what’s here until you show up.”

For more on the show, which continues Sunday, read Sunday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.