(Courtesy of Alexandra McDonell)
Arts and crafts vendors filled the area of Kings Highway and Tanner Street for Haddonfield’s annual two-day craft and fine arts festival last weekend.
The festival is a joint effort by Downtown Haddonfield and Renaissance Craftables that featured more than vendors with a blend of old and new, and a small number of food vendors. Work available for viewing and purchase included ceramics, glass, jewelry, wood, fiber, paper, drawings, paintings, photography and wearable art.
To prepare for its 30th festival in 2024, this year’s event also featured a new emerging artist program for students in ceramics and glass programs at Camden County and Salem Community colleges to showcase and sell their pieces.
“Adding this new element of emerging artists is a way of introducing a new generation both to the craft festival and the economic development side of crafts, both introducing the artists to the festival and people to the arts,” said Partnership for Haddonfield’s Executive Director Michael Marciante.
Like last year, attendees were also able to participate in the second annual cookie eating contest held by Downtown Cookies of Haddonfield and to adopt pets through Misfit Angels of South Jersey.At King’s Court. Kids could get their face painted, receive balloon art or glitter tattoos or participate in a make-and-take craft with Markeim Arts Center.
Marciante noted that many people picked up crafting as a hobby during COVID and turned the activity into a full-time business. Others found out about the craft festival at the Halloween Night Market last October.
“That’s why last year’s festival was so successful and there’s more and more crafters doing these types of events,” Marciante explained. “So we just want to keep that momentum alive by introducing people to new audiences, new artists both locally and within the neighboring counties.”
Artist demos included live wood carving with Richard Turner of Turner Wood Designs, lampworking with Madeline Rile Smith and glass students at Salem County College, and live fashion illustrations by Denise Fike.
“We think it has a lot of potential to grow,” Marciante noted. “Not just within Camden County artists, but hopefully within South Jersey as a whole.
“We want to foster that environment of arts and education.”
