SALAMANCA — In partnership with the Tri-County Arts Council, the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum will host this year’s “Winter Art Market” at the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 24 from noon to 5 p.m.
The public is invited to this annual event that gives people the opportunity to shop for holiday gifts directly from select regional artists who will be set up throughout the museum.
Visitors will find original, handmade gifts for their holiday shopping list among the many booths displaying paintings, prints, photographs, pottery, jewelry, carving, stained glass, glass, fiber arts and body care products. In addition to giving friends and family one-of-a-kind gifts, shoppers will be supporting local artists and artisans.
This year’s participating artists include Keith McKale, wood carving; Shelia Escobar, glass/corn husk dolls; Karen Fitzpatrick, stained glass; Michael Jones, pottery; Pauline Hoffman, Wild Mountain Organics; Myra Johnston, painting, drawing and wood; Rose Nuszkowski, glass; Karen Taverna, Aeress Designs, jewelry; Miranda Turner, painting; Eileen Weishan, fiber; Jennifer Dalimonte, drawing/painting; Michael Weishan, photography; Robin Zefers Clark, watercolor; John Balacki, watercolor; Peter Jones, pottery; Tom Millitello, glass art/jewelry; Victoria Swier, drawings/custom orders; and Dave Farnham, carving.
Admission to the museum will be waived for this special event, so guests will have the opportunity to not only shop with local artists for holiday gifts but also see the new home of the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum. They can visit the gift shop featuring even more work from regional artists and museum merchandise.
Tina Hastings, executive director at the arts council, said this is the first time the organization has held the Winter Art Market at the museum. She said the event has been held at Holiday Valley’s main lodge in previous years but, due to some obstacles of timing, they didn’t do the event last year.
“We thought about it and brainstormed ideas of where we could have another sales opportunity for our local artists, and reached out to the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum because we thought it might be a good partnership,” she said. “They were really excited about the idea and came on board with us to host it there.”
Hastings said they thought having it at the museum would also be a nice way to engage some of the native artists who are part of the Native Roots Artists Guild. She said the arts council has several native artists who are participating, as well as other artists from the region.
“We’re really looking forward to the event being there, and we hope it’s a big success,” she said.
The cultural center and museum is located at 82 W. Hetzel St. off the Broad Street Extension. For more information, call the museum at 945-1760, or the arts council at 372-7455.
(Contact press reporter Deb Everts at salpressdeb@gmail.com)