Artisans Guild to host Early American Artisans Fair
The upcoming Early American Artisans Fair will take place Nov. 1-2 at Harvest Ridge Event Center. The event will feature a number of artisans who will have their skill sets on display.
The Artisans Guild in Millersburg will host an Early American Artisans Fair in conjunction with the Earlier Times Antique & Folk Art Show, a contemporary show featuring the work of practicing artisans and craftspeople from Ohio and surrounding regions.
The show will take place Nov. 1-2 at Harvest Ridge Event Center, 8880 state Route 39, west of Millersburg. There will be an antiques and arts show featuring hands-on demonstrations and exhibits. Featured artisans will showcase Colonial skills.
According to Mark Irvin, executive director of the Artisans Guild in Millersburg, the majority of artisans use hand tools, which enables them to achieve a finer level of craftsmanship than modern power tools can produce today.
“This is our first year for this, and we are very excited about giving people the opportunity to experience some of these different artisan skills in action,” Irvin said. “What we really want people to see is that they can slow down and experience a part of history. All of these creations the artisans are making would be considered art today, but back then they were simply building things that were a useful necessity for their community, and they all worked together to create these little communities through inter-related trades.”
Despite having a large number of artisans attending the event, Irvin said it was relatively easy to get them all on board because in these circles everyone knows everyone.
“We have had connections with a lot of the artisans, and they were more than ready to come in and provide what should be a great line-up,” Irvin said.
The event will demonstrate timber framing, blacksmithing, tatting, weaving, carving and rifling muzzleloader barrels.
“Many older enthusiasts view woodworking, blacksmithing or other crafts as interesting hobbies,” Irvin said. “Millennials see the artisan trades as a lifestyle, often pursued with the same passion as the farm-to-table movement. Artisans exemplify how knowledge of hand-tool skills offers a far broader array of choices in how things are made.”
Featured artisans will include wood carver David Fisher; preservation joiner Amy McAuley; 18th-century furniture artisan Charles Murray; wood-carving knifemaker Rod Hardy; the Society of American Period Furniture Makers, Daniel Hrinko, who makes hand-made boxes, chests and writing desks, and John Blazar and Drew Hocevar, who carve and restore carousel horses; woodcarver and pyrography artisan David Chapman; Dick Hetrick, who carves bowls, spoons and utensils; and Freddy Huaman Mallqui, an architectural carver.
Doug Under, a luthiery expert who works on mandolins; blacksmith Barry Wheeler; Colonial ironworker Kim Thomas; and Hocevar, who also does glass blowing, also will be there to showcase their talents.
In the fiber arts realm, fiber artists Linda Weaver and Heidi Edgington and tatter Sandra Kille will give demonstrations while members from Chelaubree Farm will work with alpaca, angora rabbit and other yarn fibers.
Period firearms will be presented by Bill Hoover, Bill Reynolds and Leonard Kille. Joining them will be multimedia folk artist Andrea Durnell, and New Towne Gallery will present painting and fine art.
In detailing the finesse, time and attention to detail that is invested into some of these crafts, featured artisan bowl carver David Fisher from Pennsylvania said, “I spend 10 percent of my time removing 90 percent of the wood, and 90 percent of my time removing 10 percent of the wood.”
“Instilling this sense of thoughtful work of deliberate choices is what the Artisans Guild is all about,” Irvin said.
Irvin said this event will serve as a way to promote the Artisans Guild in Millersburg and to share a little bit about what they do and what future plans might entail. He also said while many people venture to Millersburg seeking antiques, these artisans are basically creating modern antiques, and people can watch them in action.
“Each piece that they create has its own unique set of characters because they are hand-done,” Irvin said. “There will be a lot of really neat things for people to watch and learn while they are there, and we will also have information about classes that we have coming up in the future.”
The events will take place Friday from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be food available at the event on both days. The entry fee is $5 per person, and tickets can be purchased at the door.
Those interested can view event details at www.theartisansguild.org/2019-artisans-fair.html or follow details and updates on Facebook or Instagram.