From the U.S economy to the Brady Bunch, John Travolta’s career to IBM, “The Comeback” is in full effect at the end of the millennium. It’s as if we all want one last shot at our favorite stuff before the big odometer in the sky flips to all those zeroes.
And among all these comebackers, one of the biggest — in our book at least — is crafting.
For many of us, crafts are part nostalgia — say from kindergarten or summer camp — and part quaint country pastime — a trinket shop in Leland, Mich., you once stopped into on your way to the Upper Peninsula.
In fact, crafting is a huge industry in this country. According to Barbara Arena of the National Craft Association, Americans spent $10.8 billion on craft materials in 1996, and 84 percent of U.S. households report at least one member engages in a craft or hobby. Arena says most popular crafting niches are home decor, wreathmaking, rubber stamping, stenciling and fabric painting.
Not only are many of us taking part in crafts, but there are indications that crafting is becoming somewhat trendy. With the perception of crafts morphing into more of an art form and less of a little old ladies’ hobby, younger people are becoming curious about the industry, and slowly changing its image.
A relatively new crafting idea that is rapidly becoming fashionable is interactive craft stores. Kaput Kapot, 717 W. Armitage Ave., is in trendy Lincoln Park. Owned by sisters Kim and Kelly Schaefer, 28 and 27, respectively, Kaput Kapot is a paint-it-yourself ceramics store. The premise is simple — you pick out and pay for a ceramic piece or bisque on display, then for $6 an hour, the Schaefer sisters provide you with paints and plenty of space and atmosphere to unleash the Picasso trapped inside you.
“We’ve been open two years, and now host all kinds of private parties,” says Kelly Schaefer. “We get lots of showers and bachelorette parties, but we’ve also had companies use us as a retreat for their employees to come in to paint and have lunch together.”
The youth movement in crafts is felt by those who make a living in the industry. Mike Rockouski is vice president of Art Plus in Burr Ridge, a production, promotion and coordination company for arts and crafts events. Art Plus manages 35 to 55 craft fairs and events per year, and Rockouski sees a trend developing as crafts become, increasingly, moneymaking hobbies.
“The craft industry has grown exponentially in the last 15 years,” he says. “Those people participating in crafts are more widespread and diverse. I think as people started to see crafts as a potential moneymaking exercise and less of a hobby, the industry got more competitive and saw a surge in the number of enterprising young people getting into the act.”
Craft fairs, in fact, are the primary way crafty people connect with each other and develop a sense of community and network. According to Greg Lawler, publisher of the ArtFair SourceBook, which lists the top 500 craft fairs and shows each year, there are thousands of shows in the U.S. each year.
One of the most exclusive craft fairs, according to Lawler, is the American Craft Exposition in Evanston. Pat Frey is the 1997 chairman for the exposition, which occurs each year during the last weekend in August and is considered, in craft circles, a sister fair to such name craft fairs as the Smithsonian League Craft Fair and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Fair.
According to Arena, the latest craft project gaining popularity in the country is creating memory books.
“Each page is hand designed and decorated, often with clever captions to enhance the photos or treasures mounted on the pages,” Arena said.
Perhaps a page can be inserted into our American memory book recalling a time when crafts were thought of as an activity only suited for the very old and the very young.”
Area craft fairs
Oconomowoc Festival of the Arts, Oconomowoc, Wis. Aug. 16-17. 414-567-1243
American Craft Exposition, Henry Crown Sports Pavilion, Evanston. Aug. 22, 23 & 24. $10 for a 3-day pass. 847-570-5096
Greenwich Village Art Fair, Davis Park, Chestnut and Wyman Streets, Rockford. Sept. 6-7. 815-968-2787. $1-$3 for non-members.
Wasau Festival of the Arts, Wasau, Wis. Sept. 6-7. Free. 715-842-1676.
Cedarhurst Craft Fair at Mitchell Museum on Richview Road, Mt. Vernon. Sept. 13-14. $2. 618-242-1236.
Pheasant Run Craft Fair, Megacenter in the Pheasant Run Resort, Ill. Hwy. 64, St. Charles. Oct.17-19. $5. 630-325-8080.
Arlington Racecourse Art, Craft & Folk Fair, Arlington Racecourse, Euclid Avenue East of Ill. Hwy. 53, Arlington Heights. $6. Nov. 20-23. 630-325-8080.
Lamb’s Farm Art and Craft Folk Fair, O’Hare Expo Center, River Road and Int. Hwy. 190, Rosemont. $6. Dec. 4-7. 630-325-8080.
