Jim Stewart, left, and Vicki Wickell sell items during the 2015 Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair. (Port Townsend Arts Guild)

Jim Stewart, left, and Vicki Wickell sell items during the 2015 Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair. (Port Townsend Arts Guild)

Port Townsend Arts Guild to host holiday arts, crafts fair today, Saturday

PORT TOWNSEND — About 50 vendors will set up shop today and Saturday during the 26th annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair.

The fair, organized by the Port Townsend Arts Guild, will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.

The event is free and open to the public.

The arts guild is a self-supporting nonprofit arts organization that offers arts scholarships to Jefferson County students majoring in the arts.

A portion of the proceeds from each vendor will benefit the Jefferson County Food Bank and art scholarships offered by the arts guild, said Donna Harding, Port Townsend Arts Guild chair.

“We take off 5 percent of all the sales that each artist makes,” she said.

In 2015, $2,600 was raised for the local food bank, Harding said.

Additionally, up to $3,000 in scholarship money is awarded to about four or five Jefferson County high school students annually, she said.

The artists participating in the fair come from all over the Pacific Northwest, Harding said.

Handwoven rugs and clothing will be featured along with gold and silver jewelry set with semi-precious gems, leather belts, purses, photography, sculptural jewelry, etched glass art, porcelain pottery, a variety of woodwork, lampworked beads and oil paintings.

“Most of these people do this arts and crafts full time, [making] their living off of them,” Harding said.

“It is not like a Christmas bazaar. There is no Santa. It is just [standard] gifts and they are all handmade by the person there.”

In addition to perusing the goods, fairgoers can paint and buy bowls from the Community Bowl Project. All funds from the bowl sales will go to the food bank in addition to the other funds raised by sales of crafts.

The project was founded in 2007 when bowls made by area potters were decorated during the annual Children’s Festival of Art. The bowls were later fired and put on sale at the Uptown Street Fair.

For more information, visit www.porttownsend artsguild.org, call 360-774-6544 or send an email to ptartsguild@yahoo.com.

________

Features Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at cmcdaniel@ peninsuladailynews.com.

About 50 vendors will set up shop today and Saturday during the 26th annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair. Shown are aprons crafted by Jean McCrea of Port Townsend during the 2015 fair. (Port Townsend Arts Guild)

About 50 vendors will set up shop today and Saturday during the 26th annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair. Shown are aprons crafted by Jean McCrea of Port Townsend during the 2015 fair. (Port Townsend Arts Guild)

More in Entertainment

Principal cellist Traci Winters Tyson will be the featured soloist Saturday with the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra. (Sara Wilson/Port Angeles Symphony)
‘Spectacular’ symphony, featured cellist set for Saturday

Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony highlight of show

Cellist Sky Gelder, pictured in summer 2023, is an Olympic Strings Workshop alumnus. (Dewi Sprague)
Music camp at Lake Crescent opens applications

These are summer days of magic, says violinist Erin Hennessey: making music,… Continue reading

First Friday Art Walk set today in Sequim

A reception for a new art exhibit, the First Friday Art Walk… Continue reading

Jane Smith uses gourds as her canvas. She uses a wide variety of techniques and embellishments in her designs, and the trinkets she uses to enhance her work come from her lifetime of collecting.
First Friday Art Walk this weekend in Sequim

First Friday Art Walk will celebrate with a red-themed walk… Continue reading

New exhibit to open during Second Saturday Art Walk

Andrea Woods will open a new exhibit, “Vietnam: People,… Continue reading

Wilson to speak at Studium Generale East

Scott Wilson will address Studium Generale East at 6… Continue reading

Neo-folk musician to play at Palindrome

Neo-folk musician Mariee Siou will perform at 7:30 p.m.… Continue reading

Billy Frank Jr. statue to be unveiled in Neah Bay

The Makah Cultural and Research Center will unveil the… Continue reading

DeCou to host lecture at Studium Generale

Rob DeCou will present “Fulbright Exchange to India” at… Continue reading

Sequim cellist, Port Angeles violist take top prizes

Thirteen-year-old cellist Travis Baros was shocked when he found… Continue reading

Strange Brewfest this weekend in Port Townsend

Strange Brewfest, a symphony performance and the First Saturday Art Walk highlight… Continue reading