Two Lawrence creatives are opening new avenues for local art to flourish, beginning with a winter market that’s set to feature around 100 artisans and small businesses.
Artist and community organizer Moniquè Mercurio, Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation, said safety to create within a community is paramount.
“I’m excited to just kind of unfold this space for people to walk into and know that they’re walking onto solid ground,” they said.
Mercurio, owner of Merc Tribe Designs, worked alongside Kassidee Quaranta, owner of KQ Design Co. LLC, among others at the former Art Love Collective. When the collective closed its doors at 646 Vermont St. in July, several artists had been without payment and a Lawrence arts staple became fractured.
In the aftermath, Mercurio felt the community could be rebuilt. It had to be, they said.
“We really had the momentum of something great,” Mercurio said.
With Quaranta’s support, the collective has now transitioned, being renamed as Art Love Continued. Mercurio and Quaranta wrote that “we are still here” in a post on the collective’s original Facebook page, reflecting the name change.
Art Love Continued aims to connect creatives with one another and help small businesses grow. Mercurio and Quaranta have planned an upcoming makers market, the Inclusive Winter Market, as their first major event since the transition. Last winter, the inclusive market was the first of its kind in Lawrence and drew support for 107 vendors.
This year, the focus is more narrowly on makers. Around 100 vendors are registered and will be selling their handmade jewelry, paintings, ledger artwork, food and more. Mercurio and Quaranta said they were intent on centering Black and Indigenous artists and queer artists, among other artists who create while living in the margins.
“I fundamentally believe that when you have the experience of living with a disability or living in a marginalized group, that when you create art, it has so much more heart and soul, and you can feel it and see it,” Quaranta said. “And I want to support those artists.”
Securing sponsorships and funding from a city grant have supported a non-negotiable for Mercurio and Quaranta: accessibility. Many artists and small business owners also rely on their craft as a source of income, and many have never had access or been welcomed into vending events. Vendors in the Inclusive Winter Market do not pay any fees and are provided with a table and access to additional resources.
Mercurio said they hope the timing of the market catches families who are home for the holidays. All are welcome.
“I want to create a space where people can just come and be together and just enjoy each other and enjoy what a beautiful, faceted community we have,” Mercurio said. “Like, we really are so blessed with the amount of everything we have here, and that in itself, is a reason to celebrate.”
The Inclusive Winter Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22 at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive.
Businesses and organizations that are interested in becoming sponsors of the market can reach out via email, inclusivemarketspace@gmail.com.
Stay up-to-date with Art Love Continued on the Facebook page, facebook.com/ArtLoveContinued.
If our local journalism matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
