Arts & Crafts

My name is Chantel Weaver and I am a recent graduate from Emmanuel College. While at Emmanuel I was able to hone my skills in a wide variety of mediums, including but not limited too, Printmaking, Ceramics and Painting. From there I received my Bachelors in Art Therapy. Before Emmanuel I attended a high school of fine arts and theater. It was there that I discovered my passion for painting and upon exiting I was able to get my work temporarily placed in a local museum of Connecticut as well as winning first place in a number of contests. Since moving to Boston in 2007 I have worked on developing a trademark style of my own that would help me to stand out among the many other artists of the city. I draw my inspiration from the Pop Art and impressionist eras. I typically work with acrylics and oil on canvas or Masonite but occasionally work with wood, carving portraits into slabs of wood a technique typically used in printmaking, Since moving to Boston I've focused on developing my techniques but I have created freelance pieces for the exposure for the company the Boston Bazaar. Now that I am out of school I have more time to create. In May 2013 I made a cross country move road trip style to the West Coast. I am now located in Seattle and loving it.

I love God 1st, my family, helping people, and being creative. I believe my creative ability is a gift from God. I love sharing my creation with the world. I have been creating unique items for over 30 years, and everything I create I put time and love into it. I have always love fashion as far as I can remember. My mother would take me clothes shopping all the time, and I just always love looking at fashion, and putting it on. I like anything to do with fashion, hair, makeup, shoes, handbags, and nails. Also I love coming up with my own styles, that total look different from any one else. Fashion will all ways be in my blood. I believe when you wear different pieces of fashion it make you feel different, it makes you feel good. You know what I mean ladies, when you get your hair done, your nails, put on your makeup, and put on that new pair of shoes that match the cute outfit you just purchase. Wow! you feel good. I hope that you enjoy yourself when you are looking around in my shop, and I hope that you find something you like. Thanks for your time, God bless you and yours, stay positive, and please have fun shopping.

My name is Lewis Derogene, first name pronounced as Louise and I’m known under the moniker, PhenomenaLewis. I am a multimedia artist born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti based between both Connecticut and New York. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2019 with my BFA in Fine Arts. My mediums range from photography, performance art, drawing, sculpture, and installation art, but the latter of them stem from my poetry which will later turn into preparatory sketches before evolving into their final form. I’m greatly inspired by Dutch painter Rembrandt in which I used his style of extreme contrast exaggerating my lights and shadows to isolate and bring focus to my subject matter(s). I label myself as Afro Cogitatio, afro being the root and descendent of Africa and cogitatio being the latin word for my thoughts, meditations, or reflections. This terminology is also my guide towards better understanding my ideas, myself, and the reasoning behind both my ideas and myself; how they correlate and how I can express them to reflect the individual (myself) and a collective (a group of people that I relate to or vice versa). There’s a beauty and ugliness to learning more about your mental health as a Black person anywhere around the world. It involves breaking down systemic barriers that contribute to your mental health deteriorating and learning how to take the steps towards healing. A lot of those learning and unlearning steps revolve around the influences of spirituality, politics, sociology and other factors. I try to use these influences subtly in my artwork, but what I try to convey or capture in the single moment of bliss through my self portrait photographs that can appear so sublime even though underneath there is a layer of pain and suffering. It’s a cover which a lot of us use and go through to not fully expose our suffering to the world, and make it seem that we are strong enough to carry on with our daily lives. We tend to hide our pain and suffering with things that normally make us extremely happy, but it’s only a percentage of it while the rest: our depression, anxiety, or any negative thoughts does not allow these “things” to make us completely happy. They’re the barriers that we try to push and eliminate by ignoring them. Overtime, I’ve struggled to know what my focus was within my art practice and realized that no matter how I word it, whether it’s the “state of being human,” to the “understanding of the self,” it all has to do with mental health or just the mind. Being a Haitian (labeled Black in America) woman, I want to base my artwork on the experience of that mental health in the Black community, mainly all Black women and I mean all. I want to inspire conversations to go deeper than the surface area of asking a Black person how they’re doing, how they’re feeling and actually start to uncover layers of trauma, of silence, of pain that they can’t uncover themselves to help them towards healing. To put on a facade of being okay dampens those layers causing them to meld over into one confusing story that when asked again, how they’re doing, will not be able to answer because they won’t know for sure. Within my new discovered journey of identifying my art practice better, I find it better to start with myself hence my self portrait series, but I plan to and already started to implement others and their stories.

Paper Arboretum Pinwheels Spin! Paper Arboretum spins to the music of life! They can embellish your garden. They can celebrate your mother and father. They can grace the aisle-way on your wedding day. You can surprise people on their birthday, Valentine's Day and Christmas. They bring cheer to your desktop since they never need watering. They brighten up a hospital room and help you or a family honor the memory of loved ones. You can give a pinwheel – well, "just because"! I have been fortunate that I get to make art brings a little bit of joy to precious moments. On walks in my neighborhood or other places I have traveled I take photos of flowers and leaves. Sometimes I find other images as well. I apply my artistic flair using my computer and turn real leaves and flower petals into surreal images in various custom shapes and sizes. My art is then sent to a printer and afterwards cut and hand assemble into pinwheels and floral arrangements. Look to buy the pinwheels that delight you or are just the right one for those special someones in your life! Thank you for shopping on Paper Arboretum!

Hello, I am Jasz I have a passion for Senegalese culture for more than a decade, after I received several items as gifts from relatives that traveled from Senegal to stay in my hometown; The Bronx, NY. Among these, was a beautiful handmade basket, crafted with care, just for me. Throughout my life, I have faced my share of adversity, and have always found strength within the diverse community of other women who have rallied around me. My goal with Tackussanu was to start a business that would not only give me, and my three daughters a sense of pride and stability, but that would help female artisans in Senegal access the global market. Tackussanu came into being after a friend, Cheikh Biaye, helped to facilitate a relationship with Artisan women living in rural Senegal. His depth of knowledge in the basket-weaving tradition, eye for detail and love for his native Senegal, formed the basis for an extraordinary collaboration. Cheikh Hello I am Cheikh Biaye, born and raised in Senegal with the nickname of Teranga. The word Teranga is wolof commonly used , meaning hospitality or welcoming in generosity. It's one of the many reasons that make Senegal special to me. I arrived in the United States of America in 2016 bringing that same welcoming spirit with me and the hope to chase my dreams. I meet Jasz while ago who always keeps her head up high her passion, joy, always taking care of her family and courage & freedom that one would admire she came up with the brilliant idea of tackussanu Senegal. I have seen how investing in women and supporting women in general is a powerful way to transform communities. May 2019 tackusssanu Senegal started from our own personal incomes. We combined our passions focusing on how to bring beautiful handmade basket goods and empowering women. We both share that spirit of Hospitality and the same vision of bringing that spirit into your home. It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we present to the world TACKUSSANU SENEGAL Founder Jasz & Cheikh

Phoebe Collings-James’ work often eludes linear retellings of stories. Instead, her works function as what she calls “emotional detritus”: they speak of knowledges of feelings, the debris of violence, language and desire which are inherent to living and surviving within hostile environments. Recent works have been dealing with the object as subject, giving life and tension to ceramic forms. As young nettle, a musical alias, she loves sound that totally envelopes her and is part of B.O.S.S., a QTIBIPOC sound system based in South London. Drawn to high octane sensual emotional sound, with heavy bass and wild lyrical flows. She has played in clubs, museums and house parties, alongside making original music productions. Including Sounds 4 Survival, an undulating live performance work created with SERAFINE1369, which asks the question of what an anti-assimilationist practice might look and sound like.

UTILITY OBJECTS IS AN ATLANTA BASED POTTERY DESIGN STUDIO. Since 2018, Aleisha Ellis has been designing and making a line of minimal ceramic tableware. These objects draw inspiration from modern works of Japanese ceramics resulting in pieces that highlight functionality and the natural beauty of raw clay. Starting as a hobbyist potter, Aleisha transitioned the brand of Utility Objects in the summer of 2020 into a pottery design studio. She now works full-time as a production potter in hopes to master the craft of pottery. FEATURES -- Her work has been showcased at Swan Coach Gallery in Atlanta and shared amongst publications such as: New York Magazine, Architectural Digest, Ceramic Review London, and West Elm where she has been taken on as an artisan maker.

Domonique is a contemporary pop artist from Pomona, California. She creates energetic portraits that defy traditional pictorial representations. As an illustrator, she works from the ground up, layering markers and acrylic strokes until she carves out a colorful portrait. Domonique’s art is a celebration of diversity. Her portraits showcase men and women of color, so people can see a depiction of their identity and feel empowered.

I’m Mezay Ugbo! I run this one woman show called The Everyday Print Co. I am a Nigerian-Indian artist based in India and My world revolves around my art, niece, fashion and dogs - not necessarily in that order. My creative journey as a fashion illustrator began in 2011 but I soon moved on to become a handbag maker. I soon found my way back and started The Everyday Print Co. in late 2019. My illustrations are inspired by fashion and things we love about ourselves and struggle with as black women combined with what I call the "earth" palette. I am on Instagram (@theeverydayprintco) so if you enjoy the platform and are interested in knowing more about my process and life come say hi! You can also find me on Pinterest here, I dare you to find a better looking feed :)

I am a California based artist who uses art to cope with life. I started painting as a way to cope with my struggles with anxiety and depressive episodes. Most of my pieces, from the process to the finished product, give insight on my state of mind during that time. Through therapy, art, and faith, I have found a way to turn my pain into purpose and I hope that my art not only inspires you, but also reminds you that you are not alone. Remember to be kind because everyone is fighting a battle that no one knows about!