Most of you will recognize the super fun and bold stickers that Spofford Press stocks with us!
But he's primarily a printmaker, working in woodcut and relief. His uber detailed prints boldly stick out in our displays!
He also sells greeting cards!
Thanks so much to Eric for letting us tour his uber cool studio and catch a glimpse of his process. We're so glad you're part of our Craftland family!
With Love,
Heather, Nikki and Team Craftland
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With Love,
Heather, Nikki and Team Craftland
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With Love,
Heather, Nikki, and Team Craftland
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Very Best,
Heather, Nikki, and Team Craftland
]]>Ever wonder how Craftland came to be? Me too! I decided to ask the owner of the whole operation, Margaret, a few questions about Craftland’s origins.
What inspired you to start the original Craftland Popup?
Craftland was inspired by the brilliant mind and creative energy of Johanna Fisher. We dreamed up a place where we could gather so many friends who were making strange and wonderful things in Providence. We were so lucky to also collect a team of radical women who helped make the dream real.
What was it like running the original popup?
The original pop-up was all shaky furniture and things pulled out of dumpsters and covered in paint and felt and love. We threw parties with bargain cheese balls and cheap wine and people came out and supported our rickety show and "business plan". It was magic.
Why make the move to brick and mortar?
Because we relied on the kindness of landlords letting us use empty spaces, we were transient. As we grew, the work involved grew and we all were volunteers with other jobs. We were offered a space and decided to be a grown up business in 2009.
I love how much fun the Craftland displays are, especially the tables and promo art. What inspired the colors and designs?
Many hands initially went into the construction and design of Craftland's displays. It's always been fun to give people power tools and see what they can make. One of my favorite ever tables was in the shape of a blue octopus made by Allison Kyner. We chose fabrics from the bargain floor at Lorraine's and colors to brighten up the dark days of winter.
What are your hopes for Craftland’s future?
My hope for the future is that Craftland can continue to support our local artists and arts organizations with the work we do. And have fun doing it.
Want to be a part of Craftland’s community of artists? Our Holiday Extravaganza application is open for all artists and crafters. Thank you to Margaret for answering my questions and sharing some of Craftland’s past, as well as hosting such an amazing space!
Signing off,
Jude
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You may have seen this postcard floating around Providence, and hanging in a frame in Craftland. It contains references to the streets of Providence, and one-liners that the creator recalled from his friends. But few people really know about the eccentric figure behind it – The Mad Peck.
One of the few original things Peck ever drew were his letters.
His real name is John Peck, and he’s spent his life doing all sorts of odd jobs. Peck came to Providence from New York as a Brown University student in 1960. How did he pay for school? He would sell smoking paraphernalia to hippies in the middle of nowhere through a mail order catalogue with bogus advertisements.
After a delayed graduation from Brown in 1967, Peck began working at the Shipyard Drive-In Movie theater, where he got to know B movies damn well. And thus, began Peck’s venture into the pop-culture scene in Providence. He worked with Les Daniels and Martin Mull, and began making comics as a continuation of his mail order hustling ads. His comics “borrowed” characters from other comics and cartoons, which landed him in legal trouble later in his career. Why draw what you can trace, and why trace what you can paste? Peck was also known to DJ for WBRU, under the name Dr. Oldie. Dr. Oldie was also a character in his music review comics.
The Copycat Cast of Peck's comics.
He was underpaid severely for his work, as most underground artists are. But lately, his work has been receiving attention in auctions. He would illustrate psychedelic rock posters for the likes of Cream and Janis Joplin. Despite this however, Peck prefers to stay under the radar. He would rather collect niche treasures and live his life than be famous. But this doesn’t stop us from loving his legally dubious and eclectic work.
A widely bootlegged concert poster by Peck.
Since The Mad Peck is pretty averse to photographs and publicity, you heard none of this from me.
Signing off,
Jude
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1. I think it’s so interesting that your business Lumuku was partially inspired by your time running a studio for Turkish children in Istanbul! Please tell me more!!!!!
That’s totally true. I worked in Istanbul for five summers with some of the most enthusiastic, fun, and creative people I have ever met. Our goal was to help Turkish children learn English; the philosophy behind the program was that kids will learn so much more when they are actively engaged and having fun. I could not believe some of the activities that my co-workers dreamed up or the lengths they took to pull off all their outlandish ideas. The whole experience changed my life and was such a refreshing approach to learning. Although that program is inimitable, it sparked my own venture, LUMUKU.
2. Is there meaning behind LUMUKU?
The name LUMUKU is actually a tribute to my coworkers from Istanbul. We became such close friends while working together over the summers, but also had to spend so much time away from each other in the off-season. It’s tough to be far apart from the people you love and so as a way to express our affection for one another, we began to sign off our emails with “Love you, Miss you” and other variations of that phrase. Eventually we simplified it into acronyms and “Love you, Miss you, Kiss you” became LUMUKU. So, the name LUMUKU is a reminder of all the many people I love and miss from my time in Turkey.
3. Your bilingual playing cards have been very popular with our customers. Please tell me how you developed the cards and what the feedback has been!
When I first started brainstorming ideas for dual language ways to engage children, I actually had envisioned wooden toys. I’m not a woodworker, though, and quickly realized that learning a whole new trade was not the place to begin! Although I’m inexperienced at working with wood, I have over a decade of experience as a printmaker! So, the question was: How can I combine print with some of the basics of language learning? I arrived at playing cards. They’re printed on paper and incorporate numbers, a simple but essential piece of knowledge when learning languages. It just took a little design tweaking to make them into dual language learning tools. The feedback has been great and I’ll be printing a new edition of the French and Portuguese cards soon!
4. We carry your English-Spanish, English-Portuguese and English-French dual language playing cards. How many languages do you speak?!
In addition to English, I speak German and Spanish. They say getting past the third language is most difficult but who knows what the future holds! Years ago when I was studying in Berlin, I actually took a Spanish language class at the university to keep up with my Spanish. It was a weird challenge because the professor would speak in Spanish 90% of the time and then explain herself in German when the class needed help. When she would do this, it wouldn’t dawn on me right away that she had changed languages; I was comprehending both. It was a cool experience!
I also know a tiny bit of Turkish and Russian too. As far as LUMUKU goes, though, I’m fortunate to have a lot of friends who have translated the card games into their own mother tongues. I am super grateful for their help!
The artwork above the table is by Lara Henderson
5. I would love to hear more about your Hands Are An Extension of Our Hearts and Change Is Within Reach prints and your experience and involvement with AS220.
After the murder of George Floyd, I was spending a lot of time pulling prints for the protests. For a while, I had been helping by re-printing one of my old designs and also printing the poster designs of other people to help prepare for marches. Nafis White, who was leading the effort, gave me some really valuable insight and said, “Rye, this is important work but I also want to see what else is inside of you.” After hearing her words, I reflected a lot. It led to these two posters and a few more.
6. I’ve loved seeing your recent public work and exhibition at AS220! What projects are you working on?
Thanks so much for that support. The public work started as a way for me and Lara Henderson to collaborate and have some fun during the winter; we felt like the city needed a little boost of energy… and a painting of a rainbow doing a backflip will do that! Why shouldn’t there be a squid with a jetpack flying around downtown? Who doesn’t like prismatic diamonds scattered all around? We’re happy to keep adding to our city’s visual landscape.
My recent exhibition Out of the Box stemmed out of that too. Originally, I had planned for it to be a show of silk screen prints but opted to make my little characters into masonite cut-outs that I created with a laser cutter and paint. They felt like they had more presence that way. Now that the exhibition is over, some of those are going to become public art too!
7. What music/album are you currently listening to?!
I’ve been loving anything by NOVA ONE. Actually, they released a cover of Sade’s “By Your Side” at some point during the pandemic and in all honesty, I struggle to find the words for how beautiful it is.
Also Kufa Castro’s new song, “Vámanos” featuring Violeta has become the song of the summer. Please do yourself a favor and check that out if you don’t know it. It’s always playing when I get to work in the studio because it lifts my mood and energy. Kufa is another incredible local artist who inspires me!
8. I’ve been excited to see a growing number of Craftland artists creating work in Spanish. I would love to hear your thoughts on the recent push/motivation/priority for artists to use their medium to connect with bilingual and Spanish speaking customers!
I think it’s awesome and super important! Languages are beautiful! I imagine that what you're seeing in Craftland stems from a desire to connect. Personally, I hope my language learning games bring people together on many levels. Card games are a way to share space and have quality time. We communicate naturally while playing, even without words when we laugh and smile. I’ve found that games are an effective way to learn too, because taking risks is both an inherent part of playing games and is also necessary in learning languages! So, my hope is that people not only bond through playing together but also learn along the way!
9. What’s next for you?!
Good question! In addition to creating more public art, I’m aiming to release two new dual language games by the end of the year. Be on the lookout! One will focus on things around the house; the other will feature the great outdoors! I’ve been working on the illustrations for a while and I think people will enjoy them. I certainly do! Wish me luck!
Thank you to Ryan for a delightful interview. We're so happy you're part of our Craftland family! You can find Lumuku's work at lumuku.co or on their Instagram.
With Love,
Heather, Nikki, and Team Craftland
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The man himself, H.P. Lovecraft.
Howard Philips Lovecraft was born in 1890, and his writing career was active from 1917 to his death in 1937. After he married his wife, he moved to New York and found himself in the Kalem Club of writers, which evolved into the Lovecraft Circle. However, New York has always been expensive, and Lovecraft made next to nothing off his writings. So in 1926, he returned to Providence. This is where he wrote some of his most famous work, such as The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness, and The Shadow over Innsmouth. He continued writing until 1937, where he passed away due to intestinal cancer.
But what’s a Cthulhu?
That’s where this gets fun. Lovecraft was known for writing some weird stuff. Like Cthulhu! Cthulhu is one of the “Great Old Ones” of Lovecraft’s own mythology he built up. In The Call of Cthulhu, he was a god from before humanity even existed, and there have been small cults throughout history worshipping him waiting for his return. The story revolves around the discovery and awakening of Cthulhu, in the lost city of R’lyeh.
Cthulhu is depicted as a mix of an octopus and a dragon. That's where the tentacles come from!
Now I won’t spoil the fun for you. Read some of his work. Get spooky! I recommend The Call of Cthulhu, The Shadow over Innsmouth, and The Silver Key.
He has influenced many, MANY contemporary writers, artists, game designers, directors, you name it!
King's "The Dark Tower" Series is known for having a vast world and mythos.
Stephen King is a huge Lovecraft fan. His large, interconnected world of books and creatures should remind you of the large cosmology that Lovecraft created. This is called the Cthulhu Mythos, and is a collection of both Lovecraft’s original works, and contemporary continuations of his writing. While Stephen King has his own legacy and reputation, he is still connected to his previous horror writers.
Coraline has probably been many children's first venture into horror.
Another contemporary writer inspired by Lovecraft is Neil Gaiman. I read The Graveyard Book when I was young, and ever since then I’ve been enamored by Gaiman’s macabre themes. Remember Coraline? Yeah, also by Neil Gaiman. All of Gaiman’s weird beings beyond death, in our dreams, and outside of Earth are inspired just a bit by Lovecraft. I mean, the Other Mother? A demon that preys on children’s desire for a better life under the guise of their mother? Now that, that is fantastically terrifying.
One of the covers for Uzumaki, a manga series inspired by Lovecraft.
Even the Japanese are big on Lovecraft! Junji Ito is a famous horror manga artist that takes inspiration from the surrealness of Lovecraft’s work. His most famous work, Uzumaki, is about a town haunted by the pattern of a spiral. It’s also being adapted into an anime by Adult Swim. Chiaki J. Konaka is another notable writer, who has written his own Cthulhu Mythos stories, but is also the mind behind Serial Experiments Lain, and Digimon Tamers.
Lain Iwakura is a middle schooler who discovers the wonderful world of computers. And the terrifying truth behind them.
Who's an artist inspired by Lovecraft? Yours truly, Jude Bigboy. I like to depict myself as a "human Cthulhu" in some of my comics. Instead of Jude, I'm J'Glocht, a nervous wreck of an eldritch god sent to earth to chill with the humans.
Woah hey, is that me? You bet it is.
That’s all I’ve got to say on H.P. Lovecraft for now. But trust me, there’s way more than this single blog post. Do some reading and you’ll find some weird things that you will hold near and dear to your mortal heart. Now that you know about the spookier side of our city, maybe you'll want to keep it a little wacky?
(Note: We are aware of Lovecraft’s racist views, and we do not condone of them. However, many artists are able to find inspiration from his work but still make their own unique product separated from his views. Nothing we sell promotes racist organizations, and all proceeds go towards our artists and keeping the store running.)
Signing off,
Jude B.
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Your pronoun pins have meant a lot to our customers. We have had numerous people purchase pins as gifts or to help coworkers identify their pronouns easily. I would love to hear how you got started!
I had used a laser cutter before, but when I got my own, I was unsure of exactly what to start making with it. In a recent class I had taken, the teacher had us write our names along with our pronouns on a piece of tape to wear during class. After class I stuck the tape on my filing cabinet, which I see when entering my studio. I love pins, and so I thought to make pronoun pins.
I have a bunch of art and craft sales I’m doing this summer- the next ones are @thesteelyard art market on July 3rd 10-3, then July 17 @waterfireartscenter art market 11-5 and then July 24 @rockandrollyardsale in downtown Providence 1-7pm. Beyond that, just going into the studio everyday and making more jewelry!
Thank you @designwhat, we’re so happy you’re part of our Craftland family! ️️
You can find Design What Have You on their website, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as in store and online on Craftland!
With Love,
Heather, Nikki, and Team Craftland
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As Mother’s Day approaches, I usually say, “hug ‘em if you’ve got ‘em”, but in these socially distant times I realize that might not be safe or even possible. Virtual hugs are so not satisfying! To those of you lucky enough to be on lockdown with family, you may appreciate more than ever the million ways that your mom is spectacular.
In either case, now is the time to shower your mom with love and thanks and gifts! Craftland is here to help! We are loading up our website with all sorts of gifts from feminist totes to fantastic stay-home times puzzles and so much more, and, we are waiving shipping charges! We have gift cards in any amount for all of you who want to share the experience of our technicolor dreamboat shop when we re-open. As always, we are offering handmade cards from heartfelt to hilarious. We are also offering to hand write your special love note on a card and send directly. Order by Thursday May 6 for guaranteed shipped delivery by Mother’s Day. Local orders offer same-day delivery until Mother’s Day and beyond.
Perhaps in these strange times you, like me, are reflecting on connection and how to show care and love to the people in your life from afar. It is especially hard for all of us at Craftland to not be able to open our doors and see your beautiful faces. We are looking forward to the days when we find new ways of being together again.
All our love,
Margaret, Darrien, Heather and Sara
]]>It is with heavy hearts that we have closed our doors. We have taken steps to sanitize every surface and engage in best practices of social distancing and excellent hygiene, but the risk that anyone would contract covid-19 within our community is not something we take lightly. We look forward to the time we can reopen and see your beautiful faces again!
In the meantime, you can purchase the very same wonderful sparkly handmade objects made by our fabulous makers and artists in our online shop. We will take turns going into the store to ship out orders weekly being sure to adhere to all CDC guidelines when packing up your orders. We are currently offering FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS!
You can also buy gift cards on our website to send to friends and family. Use them now or save them for later.
If you don't see something on our website but have seen something in an Instagram post - get in touch and we'll get back to you! We will continue to add things to the website too.
We will be posting these new product updates to our instagram and facebook as well as sharing some fun, creative and inspirational links to help keep you motivated.
Stay safe and take care,
xoxoxo, Craftland
(greeting cards by Ghost Academy, Ladyfingers Letterpress & Modern Printed Matter)
]]>Some people might prefer to relax after a long day by curling up with a good book, but Angela unwinds by making these adorably kitschy & crafty vignettes. The end result are Hot Glue Heroes, now available as tree ornaments at Craftland. These dioramas may be tiny, but by golly, they deliver big delights!
Each diorama is assembled from vintage figurines, trinkets, and baubles, decorated with fancy art paper, trim, tinsel, glitter, and all held together with (you guessed it!) generous amounts of hot glue. Filled with things like plastic unicorns, teeny Tabasco bottles, vintage Santa figurines, and mini Kewpie dolls, Hot Glue Heroes ornaments have been delighting Craftland customers and staff from the moment they arrived in the store.
Our favorite part? Each diorama is made using a repurposed pet food tin. We love it! As artist who repurposes materials in surprising ways, a whiz with a hot glue gun, and a pet lover, Angela is a woman after our own crafty hearts.
Angela's passion for craft and vintage goes beyond Hot Glue Heroes. She's also the organizer of the Craft & Kitsch Winter Market, now in its second year. The market pops up on December 8th and 9th from 10AM to 4PM at the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative and will feature 28 vendors selling vintage clothing, handcrafted goods, original artwork, and a whole lot more!
You can learn more about the Craft & Kitsch Winter Market on their website, craftandkitsch.com, and RSVP at the Facebook event page.
The Craft & Kitsch Winter Market is only one of many upcoming holiday pop-up sales happening in Rhode Island this weekend. We hope you'll attend Angela's event and help us support her and all of Rhode Island's independent artists this holiday season. Find more group artist sales happening this month using our 2018 Holiday RI Pop-Up Sale Map!
At Craftland, we offer original, handmade gifts all year long, and we're excited to support organizations that develop the original gifts of our community's young people.
Join Craftland to support the work of Girls Rock! RI through Fundraising Fridays! During the holiday season, Craftland will donate a portion of our sales every Friday 5-8pm to Girls Rock! Rhode Island.
Oh yeah!! ( Insert guitar solo here )
Girls Rock! Rhode Island is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that offers creative experiences to girls, women, trans, and gender non-conforming individuals. For a decade GRRI has organized local musicians to volunteer their time to help young people learn to make music and encourage critical thinking, collaborative relationships, and healthy identities.
GRRI's flagship program is Girls Rock Camp -- over 5 transformative days campers learn an instrument, join a band, write an original song, and perform it in front of a live audience of hundreds. Whoa! Campers learn how to rock, and also attend workshops on issues like power and privilege, media literacy, and healthy relationships. Ladies Rock Camp is a similar 3-day experience for adults who want to rock. If you have not explored your inner Joan Jett, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a camp!
GRRI also offers year-round group music lessons, discussion groups, and after-school programming. Young people can borrow equipment through the Gear Loan program and get support from volunteer musicians during free Youth Drop-In sessions.
On Fundraising Fridays, Craftland will donate 25% of all proceeds from evening sales to each Girls Rock! RI and Youth Pride, Inc. Shop at Craftland from 5PM to 8PM on November 30 and December 7, 14 and 21. We'll take care of the rest!
We know that creativity is a powerful avenue of self-discovery -- and everyone deserves a chance to rock! Spread the word, and support GRRI by shopping at Craftland on a Friday evening this holiday season. Together we can help Girls Rock! RI prepare a new generation of leaders who can get loud!
Thank you, Girls Rock! Rhode Island, for everything you do! YOU ROCK!
FUNDRAISING FRIDAYS
5PM to 8PM
November 23 and 30
December 7, 14, and 21
View on Facebook
Craftland is delighted to support the work of Youth Pride, Inc. and Girls Rock! RI through Fundraising Fridays! During the holiday season, Craftland will donate a portion of all sales on Friday from 5PM to 8PM to these great organizations.
Youth Pride, Inc. (YPI) is an affirming space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and questioning young people to find strength, build community, develop connections, and be themselves.
For over 25 years, YPI has provided free programs, including counseling, basic necessities, leadership training, wellness activities, and social events to LGBTQ+ youth throughout Rhode Island.
YPI also supports LGBTQ+ students in schools and advocates on behalf of young people -- on both individual and institutional levels -- to end the homophobic and transphobic environments where they live, work, learn, and play.
On Fundraising Fridays, Craftland will donate 25% of all proceeds from Friday evening sales to each Youth Pride, Inc. and Girls Rock! RI. Shop at Craftland from 5PM to 8PM on Fridays starting November 23. We'll take care of the rest!
We think young people have a fundamental right to express who they are. We are delighted that YPI exists to nurture and defend that right in our community. Help us spread the word about YPI, and support YPI's mission by shopping at Craftland on a Friday evening this season. Together, we can make a huge difference.
Thank you, YPI, for all the work you do -- day in and day out -- in support of our community's incredible youth!
FUNDRAISING FRIDAYSAt Craftland, we are honored to showcase the work of so many talented and industrious artists and makers from Rhode Island. We believe in our creative community and we want to help it thrive!
This year we created a 2018 Holiday Rhode Island Pop-Up Sale Map to connect local holiday shoppers with the artists, crafters, and makers in their community. Our online map features dozens of group sales events in Rhode Island throughout November and December.
Find the map on our website here: 2018 Holiday Rhode Island Pop-Up Sale Map
“Craftland is operated by artists, and we know that sales during the holiday season can make up a large part of an artist’s annual income," said Margaret Carleton, Craftland's owner and founder.
“We wanted to help raise the profile of all of the amazing opportunities we have in our community to buy beautiful handmade gifts created right here in Rhode Island.”
You said it, Margaret!
We hope you'll join us this season in supporting the independent creators who help make our state magical.
Buy Local. Buy Handmade. See you at Craftland!
]]>Craftland is honored to once again to have a stunning original artwork by Jen Corace to usher in our HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA. Jen lives in Providence and was one of the early members of the Craftland team. An illustrator, painter and educator, Jen has created the Craftland HOLIDAY EXTRAVANGANZA design for several years.
You can find her beautiful Persist and No Human Being is Illegal prints for sale at Craftland this year.
Learn more about her work and see her fantastic dog, Leonard, on Jen Corace's web site.
Thank you Jen!
]]>Do you know Craftland’s origin story? Before Craftland became the year-round colorful craft bonanza you know & love, it was a wee little holiday pop-up shop. That was all the way back in 2002. We’ve grown up from a wiggly baby into a sassy teen, but the holiday season is just part of who we are, deep down in our bones. Our DNA is made of tinsel!
We want you to join our story, so we’re so excited to announce…
The artist application for the CRAFTLAND HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA is now open! Hoorah!! We’re looking for 50 new artists to join us this year, so if you’re crafty & creative and you have something to put out there, we want to hear from you!
Craftland’s Holiday Extravaganza is celebrated from mid-November right through the end of 2018, with a swingin’ kick-off party on November 24th. It’s always super exciting time of year for us, and we just love being showcase so much incredible work, talent, and creativity from our little corner of the universe. Craftland shows incredible work by EVERYBODY -- from teens to grandparents; from fresh-faced newcomers to seasoned professionals; from illustrators to photographers, woodworkers to knitters, soapmakers to jewellers, and everything in between. You’ll fit right in!
So why should you apply to the Craftland Show, you ask? First of all, everyone who works at Craftland is a creator in some way or another, so you can trust that we know and honor all of the love and attention that goes into your work. Secondly: Location, location, location! Craftland is located in the heart of bustling Downcity Providence, which means your work will get in front of hundreds -- nay, thousands!! -- of eager holiday shoppers. Another good reason? We understand how important it is to know when you’ll get paid, and we’re always super diligent in making sure our artists get paid on schedule.
Excited yet? I know it SEEMS early, but we’ll be hearing Jingle Bells before you know it. So don’t dawdle -- APPLY TODAY! The application deadline is September 15th, so get going!
Oh, and don’t forget to share this news on social media with your friends who make cool stuff!
We are super excited to see all the fantastic things you can do!
Ready to apply? GO HERE!
Intrigued, but want more info? GO HERE INSTEAD!
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