Crafting a Community

The Questions:

Why do you have to travel for art and craft festivals? Why can’t we have Art in Rockingham County?

The Answers

The answers are complicated and simple all at the same time. Sounds like a crazy mix to me!

Rockingham County has crafters, artists, musicians, dancers and other creative talents. Rockingham County has Makers Markets, Festivals, special events and more. The trick is to populate these events with artists, performers, vendors and have them attended by the community and tourists.

How do we do that? (Back to questions again!)

Probably increasing awareness of the events (advertising) and presenting things that folks want to see, hear and experience. Probably reminding the community that if you want to have local events you need to patronize them. Probably reminding artists that we are working to build up events and there will be some sales, some stipends and even more social capital built as folks come out.

Why is this coming up now?

Well, thanks for asking! We have a LOT of events coming up. Western Rockingham is advertising Markets for crafters and local produce. We need to support these events and the community that is putting them on! MayFest in Wentworth is a project that the Arts Council started from conversations with artists that wanted to set up. (The funds all go to advertising the event- it is commerce for artists.) Charlie Poole Festival is open for crafters and vendors to set up during this well-attended music event. Two Rivers Craft Fair is coming up  inEden for local crafters, too.  The Pottery Festival in Eden is in June, attracting a greater scoop of local exhibitors. The Fine Arts Festival just wrapped up their event and have some community events coming up.

There are many more events coming up, too! For these events to be prosperous we need artists to participate, we need community members to attend, we need parents and grandparents to bring their kids out in the community, meet people in “real time”  and learn how to be good neighborhood supporters.

What is the point of all this?

To keep our community close, supportive and friendly. And find out what everyone is up to! We meet new people, we learn new things and ways to celebrate where we are. I admit, the world news has me a bit shaken. This spring is so very beautiful. The projects I see folks working on as I read posts, folks bring work by the art market and the stories of what they have going on in their lives sends a twinge of what we have to share in a wave.

And the answer is: Support your community, support local art- visual, performing literary with young, old and everyone in-between! Setting up events takes a lot of work for the organizers, crafters, performers, artists, authors, dancers and vendors. Be sure to choose several of our upcoming events and head out for a good time with neighbors, artists, kids and our wonderful Rockingham County Community!!!