NYIGF’s Handmade Welcomes New Artisans
A wider, more diverse range of handcrafted home resources – from aprons woven in Guatemala to pewter measuring cups cast in Oregon – will be offered by 475 exhibitors in Handmade® Designer Maker and Handmade Global Design at the winter 2013 New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®). Highlights of the winter 2013 market include expansion of the Fair Trade “neighborhood;” a comprehensive seminar series hosted by CRAFT (Craft Retailers & Artisans For Tomorrow); and the return of the Artisan Resource™ tradeshow providing global artisanal craft resources for volume import retailers.
NYIGF’s Handmade division is categorized by process and provenance into two distinct sections – Handmade Global Design and Handmade Designer Maker. “NYIGF offers retailers the widest range of handcrafted resources alongside thousands of complementary gift, home and lifestyle suppliers,” said Liz Beauregard, Handmade sales manager. “Many of the newcomers to the winter 2013 edition are offering more fine craft options for the home, as a complement to the division’s unique breadth of product categories across a wide range of media.”
Located in Javits Center North, Handmade Designer Maker will showcase 340 limited-production makers across all categories and media resources from around the world. Nine applicants have been accepted to exhibit in the winter 2013 edition: Alan Ardiff (jewelry); Always Azul Pottery (pottery/clay); Barbara Heinrich Studio (jewelry); Blue Hound Jewelry (jewelry); Cardtorial (wood/stationery); Crosby & Taylor (metal/pewter); Green Glass DESIGNS (jewelry); Larch Wood Enterprises Inc. (wood); MKC PHOTOGRAPHY (wall art); New Leaf Works (contemporary design bags and pillows); Not for Navigation (bags and pillows); and Tanner Glass (glass).
Handmade Designer Maker also welcomes the return of 13 artisans following an absence from the New York Market: Gleena (ceramics); David Urso (jewelry); Florian (jewelry); Exotic Sands (sand art and decorative accessories); Art of Fire (glass); Francis Metal Works (metal); Judy Jackson Stoneware (pottery/clay); Veto Jewelry (jewelry); Lois Aronow (ceramics); Sara Gallow (jewelry); Solos Glass (glass); Xenia Taler Design (ceramics); and Yardbirds (metal and outdoor art).
majority of the exhibitors in Handmade Designer Maker are based in the United States, and as part of its commitment to the U.S. craft industry, NYIGF has partnered with CRAFT (Craft Retailers’ Association for Tomorrow) to jointly develop first-of-its-kind criteria for identification of American-made crafts. This criteria, and accompanying graphic identification for qualifying exhibitors – both in Handmade Designer Maker and throughout NYIGF’s ten divisions – will be introduced at the winter 2013 market.
Following its successful summer 2012 relocation, Handmade Global Design will hold its first winter market in the Javits Center’s Level 4 Galleria. Ten new participants join the collection of 135 exhibitors with a focus on good design, traditional craftsmanship and community building: Archipelago Home (garden and home accessories); aMano Fair Trade (jewelry and personal accessories); Beads of Esiteti (jewelry); Greenola (jewelry and fashion accessories); JeevanKala (recycled baskets and decorative accessories); Kara Weaves (contemporary table linens and bath accessories); Kathmandu Imports (clothing); Marina Paper Ltd (stationery, journals); MayaMam Weavers (textile accessories, e.g. belts, scarves and aprons); and Woven Promises (fashion and home textiles). The division also welcomes two companies returning after an absence from the New York Market: Culture Shock (jewelry and han dbags) and Rhadi LLC (pillows and tabletop accessories).
Within Handmade Global Design, the “Fair Trade Neighborhood” will group 14 exhibitor-members of the Fair Trade Federation in close proximity to one another on the exhibit floor. Three new exhibitors – Beads of Esiteti, Greenola and Woven Promises – will join this collection of like-minded companies, with dozens of other Fair Trade Federation members scattered throughout the exhibit hall.
Beyond exhibits, NYIGF in continued partnership with CRAFT will offer retailers numerous educational seminars addressing timely business topics. On Saturday, January 26, CRAFT hosts two back-to-back seminars presented by a Constant Contact expert: “Social Media Marketing Made Simple” and “Using Digital Marketing Tools to Promote In-Store Events.” The CRAFT series of four “Power Hour” forums on January 27 and 28 cover image-based social media, Linkedin, “guerilla” publicity and “StorySelling.” Details and registration is available online at www.nyigf.com/programs.
Running concurrently with NYIGF is the second semi-annual edition of Artisan Resource, a tradeshow offering U.S.-based volume import retailers and wholesalers the opportunity to meet with international artisanal producers. Artisan Resource runs January 27-29, 2013, at the Passenger Ship Terminal’s Pier 92. Information and registration is available online at www.artisanresourceny.com.
Handmade is one of ten divisions presented semi-annually at NYIGF. Handmade Designer Maker in the Javits Center North and Handmade Global Design in the Javits Center’s Hall 1D run Saturday, January 26, through Tuesday, January 29, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
NYIGF is the nation’s premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,800 exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. The winter market takes place Saturday January 26, through Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94. Some 35,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 80 countries worldwide are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nyigf.com.
