Thanks to all the folks – the kids, the local groups & organizations, CAMP, and the community of vendors – for participating in this past weekend’s Artists Are People In Your Neighborhood kids event. As the photos attest, of which there are tons and tons more out there, kids and grown-ups had a good time rocking, stomping their feet, checking out STREB and doing the things that kids do throughout the weekend.
For us, part of the initial intent behind inviting local neighborhood kids and community-based artists and arts organizations to the market was to continue to be what Artists & Fleas has steadily been over the years: a place where the entire community of makers and shoppers and the curious can come, interact, explore, shop and learn.
On several occasions, we heard kids ask some of the vendors “How did you make this?” It’s such a simple question. And what it opens is a dialogue between curious kids, unafraid to ask, and artists and collectors whose own child-like fascination is undoubtedly part of the alchemy that inspires them to create, curate and grow.
We heard it being asked of Chrissy, from LePetit Cupcakery, once some of the kids from the PS 257 Williamsburg drum line tried her bacon cupcake. At first, they were timid but before long, everyone wanted one. They asked Fredy, a veteran jewelry-maker whose design line Churoncalla is constantly innovating by taking found objects such as typewriter keys, old silver spoons, play dominos and more, and turning them into one-of-a-kind wearables, how he bends his spoons and makes his bracelets. Our own kids asked Keith from Round Soap Records how he made his soap. And when he told them, they listened. They listened so much so that they took that information to their friends, to school, to share with others.
There are plenty of places in and around Brooklyn where kids are discouraged. There are shops and boutiques and markets where owners are quick to tell kids not to touch, or worse. We get it. We grew up going to antique stores, junk shops and flea markets. It was a rite of passage and, like most things, has a way of shaping you a little bit in life. That’s what this weekend was about. Thanks for coming out and playing along.
