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Fine handcrafts bring buyers back to Butler’s annual show
YOUNGSTOWN
Sisters Nicole Hopper of Mineral Ridge and Brittany Zetts of Boardman and their mother, Judy Hopper of Mineral Ridge, said the Butler Institute of American Art’s annual arts and crafts show has become a family Christmas tradition.
“It kicks off the season,” said Nicole and Brittany, who visited the event Saturday.
They said their particular interest was the jewelry, but the highlight of their day was a concert by the Youngstown Connection, a group of Youngstown-area students.
The Butler’s 44th annual American Holiday Arts and Crafts Show and Sale, itself a long-standing tradition, continues today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum at 524 Wick Ave. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12.
With 98 vendors, there is something for everybody, said Cynthia Anderson, former Canfield High School French and English teacher and a docent at the Butler.
Anderson, chairwoman of the show’s preview party and involved in the Chance Auction, said the show is a celebration of American art and that all of the vendors’ items must be handmade.
A wide variety of items, including metalwork and woodwork, photography, pottery, ceramics, drums, wind chimes, clothing, food items, Christmas ornaments, holiday decorations and, of course, jewelry are featured, she said.
Among the vendors are Chris Romeo of Youngstown, a graduate of the Pittsburgh Art Institute, who designs and creates environmentally friendly sculptures of animals, birds, fish and holiday-themed items using 100 percent post-consumer recycled hard-surface materials, such as Corian.
Internationally known woodcarver Joe Leonard of Garrettsville is a first-time participant at this year’s show.
Among his works are 17 armored horses for the carousel at Disneyland Paris. The works are 7 feet long, 61/2 feet high and weigh 250 pounds each.
Also, he created a 9-foot-long by 81/2 foot high armored Pegasus, which is part of New York City’s American Museum of Natural History’s traveling exhibit that has been crisscrossing the United States and Canada for seven years and been as far away as Sydney, Australia.
Anderson said the revenue from the Chance Auction and arts and crafts show helps support the Butler’s free admission policy and educational programs such as the Good Neighbor Program, which in 2015 will be in 15 schools in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
Docents go to schools once a month to talk about and teach art and also conduct tours of the museum in English, French, Spanish and German, if wanted or needed.