With the Student Art Craft Fair attracting nearly 210 attendees to the Otter Student Union ballroom, it’s safe to say that the Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) campus community was eager to support independent artists.
Featuring 15 campus and community vendors, this event was a feast for the eyes. From crocheted goodies to jewelry to a bevy of stickers depicting original artwork, the diversity of local arts and crafts was on full display this Tuesday.
First-year business major Milo Drake was the primary organizer of this event and brought their vision to life over the course of seven weeks with assistance from Student Housing and Residential Life as well as the Rainbow Raft Pride Center.
“I wanted to create an event that promoted self-expression and community connections,” said Drake. “I thought a craft fair would also be a great way to support our students financially and help them gain tabling experience.”
For some vendors, it was their very first time selling their creations at CSUMB. This was true for third-year anthropology major Aimee King. Accompanied by a display of handmade crochet sea horses, whales, otters and more, King said her table was a manifestation of her ongoing obsession with the ocean and that she was excited to see which crafts attendees would gravitate to.
Wearing a purple crochet cardigan of her own design, she reflected on the experience. “So far, my favorite part has been the networking. I’ve made a loop around and got to know some of the other vendors, so that’s been pretty cool,” she said.
Developing connections appeared to be a priority for many artists. For fourth-year computer science major and student artist Kyle Lynn, developing community holds an importance that reaches outside university grounds, saying, “The world is full of too much cynicism and irony. I think that we need to adopt an attitude of compassion and sincerity. That will help us build better connections with people, build community.”
Sporting a bright blue wizard hat and a cape decorated with gold stars, Lynn’s optimism and whimsy radiated through his work. “I think that authors that use subtexts are cowards and you should just say what you mean,” he said, displaying a framed print of a pixelated bird amongst grass with “A better world is possible” above it in yellow text.
Event attendee and third-year sociology major Gaby Weedon appreciated the spirit of connection, saying her favorite part of the night was seeing collaboration between artists and their booths.
“Just want to add, I usually don’t like to spend a ton of money, but I think it is always worth it to fund local and independent art, especially our talented CSUMB artists,” she said.
“It made me happy to see their hard work and talent be recognized and appreciated by so many others, it even inspires me to have my own booth at future markets someday,” said third-year communication design major Noelle Raneses.