Paper

Many wearables artists wear their merchandise and change regularly during show hours. Sometimes the switching of jackets or shawls was going on at such a pace that I couldn’t tell for a moment who was the customer and who the maker.

Randall Darwall, who weaves complex plaids with a luxurious feel and makes garments with partner Brian Murphy, was no exception. He made his own fashion show with vivid shirts. It was also fascinating to watch the two men pair scarves with jackets, not trying to match but to slightly shift the color conversation.

Okay, so I’m a late convert. I’ve been hearing about the indie craft fairs for a long time, and for at least a year I’ve been saying, privately and publicly, that I welcomed a phenomenon that made craft affordable by committing to the commercial models of internet sales and the outdoor fair. Such fairs have never vanished, not even from New York City, but they have now found forceful advocates in a younger contingent of makers. At last I managed to get to the Renegade Fair in Brooklyn’s McCarren Park last weekend. It was not exactly what I imagined, though.

"Wow, it's just one thing after another-it's just amazing," a passerby enthused at the American Craft Council Baltimore Show and as the event draws to a close I can think of no better way to sum up the experience. Except to say what a total pleasure it was to meet the artists, see their work up close and in many cases put a face to the names I often heard and somehow felt I already knew.

Today marked the first day of the American Craft Council's Baltimore Show -three public days dedicated to craft-based art. For the past 33 years, this enormous show has been humming along at the city's convention center, engaging an enthusiastic crowd with a cornucopia of talent from across the country. I arrived prior to show time and despite dire pronouncements about the economy, an eager crowd had already gathered to see their favorites, lift their spirits and get first dibs on the goods.

The 15th annual SOFA exhibition provided plenty of fodder for conversation on the current state of craft. Whether good or bad, I’m a firm believer that it is the conversation that is important and there was plenty to talk about. But after so much talking all weekend I’m feeling a little tongue-tied on this Monday morning so thought I’d leave you with my last (illegal) images (disclaimer: I didn’t see the “No Photography” signs until the last day) from a long weekend. Enjoy! And if we missed something, let us know…