Friday through Sunday, Spring Fair welcomed over 80 arts and crafts vendors on the Gilman quad, their works ranging from bookbinding and painting to quilting and metal sculpture work. The diverse range of goods presented at the fair made clear the unique talent the artists possess and how much time they devote to their work.
The vendors offered visitors the opportunity to engage with their varying art forms, sometimes even by guiding potential customers to make their own piece of craft.
While many artists expressed some disappointment with regard to the rainy weather on Friday, Saturday and Sunday seemed to be better days for them in terms of sales.
Nevertheless, many of the artists expressed their appreciation of the feel of community that the event radiated. Not only did they feel like a part of a community of artists, but they were also given the opportunity to engage with the Baltimore public on a university campus, a location which supports creative thinking and new ideas.
Larry Stevens, a painter selling some of his prints, explained that people are his inspiration. He aims to create paintings that have true emotional value for an individual.
“A painting should go deeper than just a pretty picture. It goes into your psyche; it becomes your best friend,” Stevens said.
Stevens had prints ranging from paintings of Jimi Hendrix to abstract paintings of women. He presented a print of a painting showing Hopkins’s Gilman building with the words “Hopkins. Success is the only option” written across it, and this piece sold out as students identified with this slogan.
Debrah Wiggins and her mother, Esther Wiggins, sold handmade quilted pieces from comforters to placemats and runners. Their work was detailed and precise, with intricate patterns and colors sewn together to create a beautiful whole.
This was Debrah Wiggins’s first Spring Fair, but she has been quilting for nine years and sewing from the age of nine. Quilt sales went well, especially because customers could actually see and feel the product, as opposed to when they shop online.
Scott Perlstein, who has owned a business for 19 years selling CDs that he also collects, has been a vendor at Spring Fair for over five years.
He sorts through an endless amount of CDs to select ones that will sell and sells each for four dollars. During a time when iTunes seems to dominate the music buying industry, Perlstein’s business seems especially difficult.
According to Perlstein, depending on what music he plays at his stand, people are more likely to buy or not buy a CD. Jack Johnson, Jason Mras and other relaxed pop tunes attract buyers.
Perlstein does not limit his CD sales to Spring Fair, however. Throughout the year, he makes appearances in the Levering Courtyard to market his CDs to students.
Ingrid Schindall, who graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2012 and owns her own studio called Noctural Press in the Mt. Vernon area of Baltimore, specializes in bookbinding. Schindall’s bound books are made with great attention to detail and creativity. This was Schindall’s first Spring Fair, and she expressed that it was definitely worth coming.
Schindall described herself as process-oriented and also expressed her pride at being a “craftsperson.”
“There is nothing like getting a perfect fold on paper,” Schindall said.
In Schindall’s opinion, the label “artisan” is a modern word that seems to have replaced the former, but she thinks it is positive to be viewed as “crafty.” This is a word that should not be lost or replaced.
Lonni Ingram, founder of Lonnetrix Wire Art, has worked with wire sculpture for over 25 years and invented his own style. He and his partner, Kia Ingram, a Hopkins graduate, enjoyed their Spring Fair experience and reported that sales were good. The wire sculptures were surprisingly sturdy, and the Ingrams created figures ranging from animals and people to musical instruments and flowers.
Because Spring Fair attracts mostly students and the economy is not as good as it has been previous years, overall sales were slightly slow.
