2020 Calendar of Events

Spring Art Star Craft Bazaar
Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 10th, 11-6pm
Cancelled Due to COVID-19
We plan to host a virtual show – stay tuned!

Art Star Pop Up Market at Spruce Street Harbor Park 
Every Saturday and Sunday 1-6pm May 16th – September 27th
NOW ACCEPTING VENDOR APPLICATIONS

Art Star Pop Up Market at 2nd Street Festival
Sunday, August 2nd, Noon-8pm

North Front Street Festival
Tentative date: Sunday, September 13th, 10-5pm

Midtown Village Fall Festival
Saturday, October 3rd, 12-8

Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar
November 21st & 22nd, 11-5

Northern Liberties & Fishtown Holiday Shopping Spree
December 5th and 6th

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Meet the Maker: Amelia Lui of Felt Up by Amelia


How’s it going? I’m Amelia of Felt Up by Amelia! I make colorful, fun, and sassy home decor made from one of my favorite materials: felt!

I grew up in a creative household where my mom always encouraged me to make, create, and experiment with all sorts of crafts.

About 6 years ago, I started getting more serious about my art and I made the switch from something that I only do on the weekends to something that I do every day. One of my favorite things about working with wool felt is cutting fine details by hand, it’s almost a form of meditating for me. I get lost in it and appreciate every little snip!


I like to speak my mind through my felt and it seems to resonate with lots of people! Whether it’s through my sweet but sassy “fuck off” banner or my straight to the point “pls leave by 9” banner.

My goal through making and crafting with felt is not just to add a little color & fun to your day, or make people laugh or smile, but to also be a part of special and meaningful moments of your lives. I love making that bouquet to celebrate a dance recital, a wedding, a baby shower, or a new home. I love being behind that gift that will make you and your best friend laugh together for years to come.



You can find me in Mt. Airy surrounded by felt scraps, my supportive husband Max, and my chubby dog Bandit. I can’t wait to see you all at the Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar, please come say hello to me at booth #47!

Check out my Instagram so we can stay in touch!

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Meet The Maker: Jennifer Fleischer of Ibu Textiles


Welcome to Ibu Textiles, a small batch weaving company I, Jennifer Fleischer started in Queens, N.Y.! Ibu, the Indonesian word translating to “mother” inspired me on my honeymoon to Bali to use as the company’s name. Ibu Textiles offers a line of wall hangings, scarves, mug rugs, necklaces and other hand-woven goods. Custom orders are always and happily accepted!

I have been creating hand woven goods for over 10 years now. Having learned as an apprentice for a small company in Connecticut, I continued to learn techniques from New Mexico to New Hampshire. As my work developed, I have experimented with multiple materials and structures, specializing in inlay and overshot patterns. You can find me working out of my 1 bedroom apt I share with my husband.

My textiles are available for purchase online and at various stores in New York. You can also find me teaching classes in weaving and macramé sharing my love and joy of the fiber arts with others. I’m excited to be back at the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philly, a city I have grown to love through friends & family.

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Meet The Maker: Melanie Hasan of Modest Transitions

Hi, my name is Melanie. I am the founder and botanical dyer of Modest Transitions. I get to share this wonderful experience with my husband Nur. After giving birth to our son, I was encouraged by my husband to attend Moore College of Art and Design for continuing education in fashion design. I took a course in sustainability and immediately was exposed to how wasteful we are to our planet. In that moment, I wanted to find a better and Eco-friendly way to wear hijab comfortably and create positive conversation on how one article of clothing separates people. So, I decided, “Why not build UNITY with ALL-EMBRACING scarves?”

Modest Transitions was created to reflect my transition into modesty. It is eye-opening to see that a scarf can separate groups of people and create adversity in our world. Modesty is not defined as a religious garment, article of clothing, or oppression. Modesty is a behavior, an impression of yourself and how you define your hidden beauty and self-love within the world. Therefore, Modest Transitions is for the modest woman that strives to be confident within her own transition.

 All of our products are handmade and botanically hand-dyed locally in the Northwest and Southwest sections of Philadelphia in our home studio and shared studio space at Mt. Airy’s own Handcraft Workshop.


Our products are imperfectly beautiful designed using upcycling and zero-waste techniques. My inspiration comes from the season, the integrity of the plant and the color yield. Dyeing with plants is just like cooking…it’s a trial and error process. And sometimes errors create the most beautiful color combinations.

Many of our fabrics are upcycled and sustainably derived from natural fibers such as hemp, bamboo, cotton, and lyocell. We use absolutely everything for current and future projects! I get much joy from dyeing with plant dyes because of the conversation it generates. Many people are stunned that you can dye and eco-print fibers with simple things in your kitchen such as onions, avocados, beets, the list goes on. A common question: Will my scarf smell like onions? Haha.

I am so excited to be joining Art Star for the first time this year during the Holiday Bazaar. Come by and say hello! We would love to meet you! Our products are available for purchase online at www.modesttransitions.com. We are always creating new products. Follow us on Instagram @modesttransitions for all the latest!

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Meet The Maker: Hannah Cieri of Cieri Fabrication

My husband and I relaunched the ceramics portion of our business about 2.5 months ago after a three years hiatus to start a modest off-grid homestead in rural Vermont with our three kids and Australian Shepherd. So far, we’ve built two studios and a small house using recycled materials and lumber milled within a few miles of our land. The structures are small and primitive, but the minimal overhead has given us the freedom to support our family by making objects we love. It has been a staggering challenge, and we are routinely crushed and resurrected by the trials and triumphs.

My ceramics studio is powered by solar panels (a generator picks up the slack when the sun doesn’t cooperate.) Our material is sourced as close to home as possible. We believe every piece of material sourced has consequence —personal and global — thinking our way through this web of consideration is integral in our business practices. We try to be as thoughtful as possible and our thoughts are constantly on material sustainability and ecology.

I started working with clay in a serious way after the birth of my second child. I experienced postpartum depression and needed an outlet just for myself. After working out of a shared studio space for a few months, my husband built a 8’x12’ shed (which we later cannibalized to frame our house) and scavenged an old manual kiln and wheel from the 60’s. Today I’m working in a slightly larger 12’x12’ space and still use the same old kiln (after a homemade gas conversion) and wheel.

I work with porcelain because of its ability to be translucent and buttery smooth. I am drawn to the duality of the human spirit and consequently love to have contrast in my work — playing with texture and color. All of my pieces are thrown and carved by hand.

We are excited to be heading to Philadelphia for the Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar. Philadelphia is like a second home to us. My husband spent the majority of his life in Tacony and we come back often to the house he grew up in to be with family.

Find Cieri Fabrication online HERE and Follow them on Instagram @ciericeramics

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Meet The Maker: April Melchior of Albino Jackrabbit


Hello! My name is April and I’m the illustrator behind Albino Jackrabbit. My paintings are inspired by nature with a touch of surrealism. I have always loved animals and knew that I wanted to incorporate them into my work. As a child, you could find me making homes for earthworms, hunting down food for salamanders, or rescuing baby bird eggs that had fallen from their nest. When you spend a lot of time with animals, you come to love their willingness to experience life as it is, unburdened by the world around them.


I try to capture that essence in my paintings; the philosophy of living a life of purpose despite the presence of darkness all around us, and that beauty exists even where there is death.


Choosing whether I wanted to work with animals or pursue a career in art was a difficult choice, so I knew I had to find a way to give back to the animals who serve as the beautiful subjects for my work. A portion of my sales are donated to Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, an organization that provides emergency search and rescue for animals in the Philadelphia area. I have a special place in my heart for Red Paw, who covered veterinary care costs and donated food, toys and litter for my cats who were in critical condition following a fire in my apartment building in 2014.

I’m currently creating art full-time from my studio in Brewerytown. I’ve had many artistic endeavors over the years, but Albino Jackrabbit is a passion project for me, and I’m very excited to be sharing my new work for the first time at the Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar.

I hope you’ll stop by and say hello!

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Meet the Maker: James Singewald

I’ve been photographing cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore for the past 20 years. I’m from Providence, RI originally, but moved to Philly in 1998 to get my BFA from The University of the Arts. I lived there for ten years before heading to Baltimore in 2008 to get my MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. I’ve been in Bmore ever since. Back in 2005, a good friend of mine convinced me to start selling my prints on the streets of New York City outside the Met, Union Square, and Soho. I lost money, but did sell work while learning a lot and having lots of fun doing it! Eventually, I started participating in organized shows and haven’t looked back since. I also show my work in galleries from time to time. When I’m not out shooting, I work on my images at my home studio. I also have access to a professional fine arts studio called Full Circle Fine Art Services, where I work full time as a Digital Imaging Specialist. This will be my 10th year exhibiting with Art Star!

 

When I came to Philly in ’98, all I wanted to do was get on the bike and explore the city. I was attracted to how much abandonment and ruin there was, and wanted to photograph as much of it as possible. I started out shooting with 35mm film, mostly black and white, with a Pentax KX, and then graduated to a Hasselblad and 120 film. I was more adventurous in my younger years, so I would sneak into places like vacant buildings, the piers along the waterfront, railroad tracks, etc., photographing the grit of the city. The unique thing about this body of work is that it captures the time in the city prior to the rapid redevelopment and gentrification that has taken place in the past decade. Much of what I documented doesn’t exist anymore.

I went to grad school to learn more about urban history and gear my work towards telling that story. I didn’t want to just photograph abandoned places anymore. I wanted to know what happened to those places. My graduate work was focused on the failed urban renewal project in East Baltimore known as Old Town Mall, formerly Gay Street, and now a desolate two block pedestrian mall just east of downtown. I photographed each of the buildings on the mall, essentially creating a historical document of what is left of the neighborhood after decades of decline. I researched Old Town’s history, what happened to it, and what was and is being planned for its future. I combined all of the research and photography into a self-published book titled, Old Town, East Baltimore.

For the past eight years I have been working on a project titled, Baltimore: A History, Block by Block, which is a larger continuation of the Old Town project. I’ve been photographing ten main streets in Baltimore. Using a 4×5 view camera and Fujichrome Velvia slide film, I document these streets, building by building, block by block. I find that a combination of good light and the saturated color of the slide film I’m using creates a glimpse of what these buildings once were and could be. So far I’ve documented over 100 city blocks. The long-term goal is to publish a series of books along with several exhibitions, preferably in the neighborhoods I’ve been photographing. I also want to create a comprehensive, interactive website where I can present all of the photographs and research and make it accessible to the public so they can add stories or commentary about a building, street, or neighborhood. My goal is to leave you not only with a sense of the condition of Baltimore City, but also a feeling of urgency to see that it is improved and preserved and that the rich history behind the architecture and the community is not lost, but rather embraced. You can learn more about this project at bmoreblockbyblock.tumblr.com.

I’m looking forward to another weekend at Art Star Craft Bazaar! As usual, I will have prints of various sizes mostly of Philly, and always a small selection of images from Baltimore and a few other places. You can view my full portfolio at www.jsingewald.com. I’ll be over by the Seaport Museum this year, Booth #91. Hope to see you there!

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Meet the Maker: Sokthy Eury of Oweee Baby Hats

Hello, my name is Sokthy Eury, the maker of Oweee Baby Hats. I started crafting reversible infant/toddler hats in 2016 a year after having my first born, Owen. Before we knew it, we were calling him Oweee. While preparing the nursery with a tight budget and being inspired by my need for stylish and unique accessories for my son, I immediately found use of my husband’s well worn button down shirts, transforming into hats, stuffed animals, and pillows. Since then, I’ve sought to thoughtfully repurpose fabrics from a number of sources, giving them second life through the thrill of the hunt – in finding the classic plaids, stripes, quirky, whimsy, or vintage inspired prints. My sourcing is typically via scouring fabric boutiques, Goodwill, flea markets, or donated scraps.

Since the arrival of my second child, I have taken on the role as a stay-at-home mom. “Sewing time” takes place between the kids’ feedings, nap, or bedtime. My home sewing machine has ventured through every area of the house, but mainly resides at our kitchen table – where we like to hangout the most. While trying to meet deadlines, I blend my sewing with their play-time as a way to teach the kids about my work. Thankfully, they’ve shown semi-sporadic interest in attempting to cut, measure, and sew! This journey of motherhood has undoubtedly brought me the most joy and inspiration.

With my background in fashion design as well as being the daughter of a seamstress, I have utilized the skills I’ve learned to pattern-make prototypes of the styles of hats I envision. Although Oweee Baby Hats have always been unisex, I’ve recently extended the line to include styles with a more feminine touch. By simply tweaking the classic caps, I’ve incorporated a strap to be knotted as a bow on the back as well as added wider brims to take advantage of warmer weather. From summer hats to fleece-lined ear flaps, Oweee Baby Hats has every season covered!

We’re beyond ecstatic for our first showing at Art Star Craft Bazaar! Stop by our booth #32 to show some love.

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Meet Rebekah Joy of Flux Bene

Hello! My name is Rebekah and I am the founder and designer behind Flux Bene, a zero-waste line of clothing and accessories handmade in Pittsburgh. Flux Bene was founded in 2017, after many years of fantasizing, planning, and brainstorming about creating a clothing line that was gender neutral, highly functional and creative- without creating a lot of waste.

The Flux Bene design process begins by thinking about the clothing that we need. What do we wish was different about the clothing that we have? What doesn’t seem to exist yet, or is there not enough of? For me, the answer has always been pockets. More of them, and bigger!

We seek out high-quality vintage and second hand garments, specifically looking for items that are unlikely to be worn in their present state. Next, we repair and sometimes dye those base garments before pairing them with second-market fabric (remnants and unused donated fabric) to recreate them into one of our original designs. In this way, we are able to give a second life to garments and fabrics that otherwise were going unworn and unused.

I strive to create work that will be worn day in and day out, and will help people to move confidently through the world. Transforming something unusable into a highly functional and well-designed piece is the most satisfying part of my work. Also, hearing “It has pockets!” when customers first try on my pieces is very rewarding : )

I was incredibly lucky to find an apartment and a separate studio space within the same building, so most of our design work takes place here. Every Flux Bene piece is sewn by myself and a small group of talented independent designers around Pittsburgh- and one who just moved to Philly!

Due to using second market materials, all Flux Bene pieces are one-of-a-kind. This means that each one only exists in one size, and that sometimes it takes a little while to find your ideal Flux Bene piece. Because each one is so individual, it is very clear when someone finds the one that is meant for them. It’s a special moment, and getting to witness that first hand is my favorite part about selling at markets.

This will be my first time vending at the Art Star Craft Bazaar and I am so excited to share my work with all of you! You can find me in booth #79 with my good friend Mary of Vandalia Metal. You will love her jewelry! See you soon = ^ . . ^ =

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Meet the Maker: Cody and Ali of Untitled_Co

Hey there! We are Cody and Ali of Untitled_Co! We recently relocated from Brooklyn to open up shop here in Philadelphia. Untitled_Co is our collaborative passion project that we are hoping to turn into a lifetime of rewarding work. We design through an artist’s lens to create furniture that is the meeting point of utility and art. We are looking forward to meeting you at the Art Star Craft Bazaar on Mother’s Day Weekend at The Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing – booth 73.

We met each other at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn: Cody studying sculpture and Ali, Art Direction. When our dreamy school days came to a close, we quickly settled into our full time jobs in the creative workforce. After 10 years of hustling in the city, tired and overwhelmed, we were ready to turn over a new leaf and do something for ourselves. Cody decided to take off work for a few months to live simply and ride his bicycle to California.

Finding a renewed sense of clarity from the bike trip, Cody decided to press pause on sculpture to focus on creating furniture and functional wares. Starting Untitled_Co was a way for us to tangibly fulfill our creative needs. At the time, we started with what was available; working after hours and on weekends using materials that were salvaged or recycled. Bringing materials back to life became a driving factor. We put our creative backgrounds to work by challenging ourselves to develop high quality products using discarded materials: byproducts of the manufacturing world.

The name Untitled is a nod to the artists of the minimalist movement, who didn’t find urgency in naming their work- there is something beautiful about having the desire to create with your hands + heart and not being able to describe it with words.” Each of our products are named after an artist: GUSTAV Klimpt, YAYOI Kusama, JASPER Johns, JUAN Gris, DAMIEN Hirst, THE BECHERS). It is our admiration for art that is at the center of Untitled_Co.

Our workflow and rhythm have changed with our relocation. Cody has taken on Untitled_Co full time, ramping up production, fulfilling orders, and prototyping new designs. These days we work separately, coming together to talk through ideas and troubleshoot designs. Currently we are working on boiling down our product line to introduce more ambitious products. As we grow we are also challenged to find new ways to incorporate and acquire sustainable materials. In the meantime, we are looking forward to a summer that is bright, sunny and full of outdoor markets. You can find our products at Art Star and online at www.untitledco.design and definitely follow along on our journey through Instagram @untitled_co_ .

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