Sophie Zetzsche - page 4

Spring at Wesleyan one of the most exciting times of the year. Whether you are watching a game or attending a show, there is always something to do on campus. Spring also brings one of the biggest events that happens on Wesleyan’s campus, the Artist Market.
The Artist Market is a community wide event that happens every spring. The Artist Market gives people throughout the community and Wesleyan’s own faculty and students a chance to show off their talents by displaying and selling their work at this big event.
For one weekend, ever year, Wesleyan is filled with hundreds of artists selling incredible products, kids with crazy hair and face paint, food trucks and fun. Along with all of the visual artists, musical performances by both out of school musicians and Wesleyan students are constantly going on throughout the weekend. “No matter where you turn, there is always something happening. Something beautiful, original and unique. That’s what makes the Artist Market the Artist Market,” said junior Ansley Harper.
This year’s theme of the Artist Market was “Be Original Be Present #BEBOLD.” The theme encourages artists and the community to be original and live their life boldly.
The Artist Market has been a tradition for the past 20 years, each year being bigger and better than the last. Many different people helped make this event possible. Wesleyan had many different companies in the community and different families to sponsor the Artist Market. There were many different categories of sponsors. This year’s Media Sponsor, who posts about Wesleyan’s Artist Market in their magazine and online, is Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine. Wesleyan also had multiple popup shop sponsors. These sponsors helped get the word out by holding popup shops in the community. his year’s Popup Sponsors are Pottery Barn at the Forum, Williams Sonoma and Anthropology. Our sponsors also include different levels such as Diamond Sponsors, Emerald Sponsors and Ruby Sponsors, who help by donating their money and talents to Wesleyan’s Artist Market.
The Artist Market could not be made possible without all our artists. The Artist Market brings in different artists throughout the community, who sell everything from paintings, to jewelry to food. The artists who sell their work include Wesleyan parents, faculty and even a range of middle and high school students.
The Wesleyan students sold a plethora of different products. Just to name a few, eighth graders Channing Stall and Sophie Villa sold their hand sewn products, sixth grader Georgia Powell sold cheer bows, freshman Fletcher Morris sold his mixed media canvases with dominos creating a city skyline and junior Zoe Jackson sold the crowd favorite “ZoJack Soaps.”
Morris is selling “domino art—dominos on a canvas to look like skylines of different cities.” Morris has a passion for mixed media art made out on unusual things, which helped him get the idea for his domino skyline art. Morris sold his products for the first time this year.
Jackson started selling in the Artist Market a few years ago, and her soaps and other bath products are a crowd favorite every year. “I learned how to make soaps from my mom, who learned from my great aunt. Making soaps is a family tradition and I’m glad I can pass it along and share in throughout the Wesleyan community” Jackson said. Students being able to show off their talents in various ways at the Artist Market is one of the most special things about this event.
The Wesleyan Artist Market is also a great opportunity for all musicians, especially for Wesleyan student musicians. This year, the Artist Market had many different preformances from groups throughout the whole school including the Lower School chorus group, both the fifth and sixth grade chorus group and the seventh and eigth grade chorus group and The High School Chamber Singers preformed as well.
Senior Grace Halley loved selling her caricatures at this year’s Artist Market. Halley sees the Artist Market as a “great time being able to balance a small business, while still doing the thing [I] love.” This is the attitude from most artists who participate in the Artist Market. Artist participant Katie Berrigan loves having the opportunity to “walk around and talk to all of the other artists and just see what they’re creating. Seeing the beautiful things that other people are doing really inspire me to learn more and create new things.” The Artist Market is great, because it gives all of the artists a chance to show off their work while getting to be inspired by others.
The wide array of artists at the Artist Market allows it to attract people of all ages, which is just another aspect that makes the Artist Market so special. Gourmet cupcake baker and junior student Savannah Sommer loves the Artist Market “because it is so cool to be able to see people of all ages together in the same place, all able to find some form of art that captures their attention. That is something that is just so special.” Many art shows are catered to specific types of people, however, the Wesleyan Artist Market always has something for everyone to enjoy.
The Wesleyan Artist Market is always an amazing community event, and it has grown so much over the past 20 years. The Artist Market gives different generations of people a chance to express themselves and show their work. The Artist Market team is already planning for next year and celebrating their success.