American Craft Council Show, St. Paul

There is less than a month to go until the American Craft Council Show in St. Paul. Things are coming together! When I stop to think about it, I'm very impressed with how much I've accomplished so far this year.

The Show

If you've never been to one of the American Craft Council shows, they are impressive! And big! There are four American Craft Council Shows every year (Baltimore, Atlanta, St. Paul, and San Francisco). The show in St. Paul is actually on the smaller size, and it is the only one in the Midwest. This year marks the 30th annual show in St. Paul, where there will be over 225 top contemporary artists from all over the country. Categories of art you'll find at the show include ceramics, clothing, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, stone, and wood. I've been accepted under the Fashion Accessories category.
​

• You can find out more about the St. Paul American Craft Council Show here.
• Purchase advance tickets to the St. Paul show here.
• If you are a member of the American Craft Council, your entry is free. I highly recommend becoming a member. The magazine alone is worth it!

​

New Designs

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably know by now that I'm debuting all new work at the ACC show. In the past year I've sold a few small prototypes under my MinneBites label (in fact, you can still find a few of them for sale in my Etsy shop), but the work I'm debuting at the Craft Council Show is all new. This is the first time these designs will be available for purchase! 
​
In my new line of handbags and accessories I've been contemplating my education in architecture. Working as an artist for the past few years, I've realized that my creative style may be different from artists with other education backgrounds. I like straight lines. I like crisp, clean edges. I like structure. I like things to be tidy. So, my repetitive use of parallel lines and crisp edges in this work takes me back to my days at the drafting board.

I also love to work with color.  And I like to consider architecture, as well, when I choose colors to use in my art. For instance, I imagine how a surrounding landscape might reflect off the facade of a building at different times of the year, and in different light. Then, I create color ways that bring this idea to mind. ​

​Hello, my name is Mary. And I'm a DIYer.

As a solopreneur and an artist, I guess I'm used to DIY, because I continue to do it all. I'm always short on time and I never get a chance to do all the research I need to do to hire people to help me. Also, perhaps, I like the variety of work that DIYing requires.

Eventually I would love to hire a photographer, and a model, and a day in a photography studio. But, since the ACC show is just a month away, I really needed to get some photos taken quickly so I could send my promotional postcards and business cards to the printer!

So, I became photographer for a day (again), used myself as a model (again), and did all the editing as well (again). You do what you have to do when you're in a pinch. My printed postcards haven't arrived yet, but you can get a sneak peak of them below. (Did I mention that I'm also my own graphic designer?)

Let me know your thoughts! And if you are planning to come to the show, please let me know. Not only do I look forward to meeting you, but I can also offer guests a promotional code to get 50% off a one-day pass!

P.S. You can receive email updates about my upcoming events. Simply sign up for my newsletter!