Blow Pop. Laura Chall, artist
By Julie Ann Bell
This holiday season, we invite you to stop by Trackside Studios where gift ideas from local artists can bring inspiration and joy to your shopping. Whether your list includes family and friends, mystery recipients at a gift exchange or hosts of a party, there are so many possibilities! Join us any day to see how art can make a perfect gift.
Gifting handcrafted items is like giving three gifts—a unique present to your recipient, financial support to the artist and economic strength to the entire community. When a purchase is made from a local small business, almost half of that currency continues to circulate within the community compared to only about 14 percent when purchases are made from box stores or large online vendors.
If purchasing art as a gift seems daunting, here are some of our favorite gift-giving ideas incorporating local art.
• Add stickers or magnets to holiday stockings or as a surprise extra inside a greeting card. Our newly opened Trackside Gift Shop features two walls of stickers and magnets made by our artists. You can find Sasquatch, mushrooms, bears, mountains, flowers, aliens and more.
Mike Floyd, artist
• Purchase locally made ornaments instead of something mass-produced far away. Ornaments are perfect for gift exchange events, thank-you gifts or tied with ribbon on the outside of a package for extra pizzazz. Our ornament tree is filled with painted snowmen, felted critters, wire wreaths, ceramic candy canes and whimsical holiday scenes.
• Gift small pieces of art that recipients can display on a desk, dresser or bookshelf. Watch smiles erupt when a person receives art that complements their personality, hobbies or interests. Gifts of small art pieces can minimize any worry about matching someone’s décor or fitting on a particular wall; they just brighten up a little corner.
• Seek one-of-a-kind earrings, necklaces or bracelets. Gift jewelry to others—or gift to yourself!
• Still feel stuck but want to give something artsy? Trackside Studios offers physical and digital gift cards that can be used at the studio and digital gift cards for art classes held at Trackside Studios.
Sixty local artists display original art, large and small, at Trackside Studios. Each day, artists are on site, creating new work and answering your questions. Our new Trackside Gift Shop is open daily during studio hours, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In November and December, our ornament tree will be filled with handmade decorations. From the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27, through December 13, we will be hosting our annual holiday market during which artists have additional art on display. Sweets, cocoa and hot apple cider will be part of the festivities on the weekends of December 5-6 and 12-13.
Trackside Studios is at 375 Depot Street in the River Arts District. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and by appointment. Learn more at TracksideStudios.com.
