Sign up for the battlefordsNOW newsletter

Annual Saskatchewan Handcraft Fest back to the Battlefords

Jul 15, 2016 | 5:49 PM

The doors had just been opened to the public, but the Alex Dillabough Centre was filling up fast as shoppers strolled in to see some of the province’s finest artisans at the Saskatchewan Handcraft Fest.

Vendors from all over the province and as far as Alberta filled the Alex Dillabough centre with an array of handmade items, ranging from jewelry, art, clothing and food.

Three corridors of vendors filled the gymnasium and interested residents wandered down the aisles and visited the booths on their search for unique items and gifts.

Janet Williams, a Saskatoon artist who has been attending the Saskatchewan HandCraft Fest in the Battlefords for just over three years said the audience attending the festival was wide and diverse. She said the Battlefords was a place where people were really receptive to her art.

“It’s fun; it’s lighthearted, whimsical and has lots of movement,” Williams said, describing her art. “And I think it’s something everybody likes. I haven’t had anybody walk in to my booth and leave it without a smile.”

Williams said she enjoyed the feel of a small town coming together to appreciate the unique and the handmade. Before she chose art as her main passion, she said she had the small town experience as a teacher in various locations throughout the province. The Saskatchewan HandCraft Fest in the Battlefords is one of her favorite stops to sell her pictures.

“There’s always a good flood of people coming in and out. And the best thing is, they are receptive to different kinds of art, even though it’s more of an older generation,” Williams said. “I’ve had parents here buy my art for their child’s room, age three to 85-year-olds buying it for their living rooms.”

Ferron Olynyk, member services coordinator for the Saskatchewan Craft Council, said one of her favourite parts of the festival is watching in how little time an empty hall can be filled with so many interesting things.

“People come from all over the province, even from Lloydminster,” Olynyk said. “I love seeing it go from an empty gym to a full-fledged market in as little as a day. There’s always something new every year that I haven’t seen before. I love the variety.”

When asked what people really go for in the market, Olynyk said it really depended on what the consumer was looking for.

“You’ll see a lot of shopping for a number of different things,” Olynyk said. “People buying wedding gifts, and that can range from a wooden bowl to a ceramic platter. Others shopping for themselves maybe are a little more conservative and they might pick up some smaller things like rings or earrings. The food is also a good seller.”

Olynyk said she is also pleased the majority of the Saskatchewan Craft Fest remains in the Battleford region.

“This is one of the cornerstones of our organization. It’s part of the foundations of the crafts council and they started it here 43 years ago,” Olynyk said. We’ve been so fortunate to have the support of the town all these many years.”

 

Colleen A.J. Smith is battlefordsNOW’s education, First Nations and arts and culture reporter. She can be reached at colleen.smith@jpbg.ca or tweet her @ColleenAJSmith. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to News Director Geoff Smith at 306-446-6397.