Coming Soon: Patchwork’s Holiday Art Sale

Every day for the past several weeks, the children in Patchwork’s Arts & Company have been hard at work creating ceramic nativity sets in our studio.

There are the usual Marys and Josephs, plus angels of all sizes, shapes, and colors. There are a few wise men and shepherds. And there are birds, cats, dinosaurs, and a lot of Christmas pigs. And a unicorn (the kids are always on trend!). And lizards. And an anteater/armadillo/small donkey. There’s also the first ever Advent bowling alley. Jane explains, “It was one boy’s first day at Patchwork and he really wanted to make one, so we went with it.”

Anyone who has purchased the children’s nativity sets in the past will tell you that it’s the quirky items that make them special and that keep customers coming back year after year.

The kids are also good at explaining why you should buy their art:

  • Cassie: “Because we put hard work into them.”
  • Leah: “It’s a chance for children to be creative and for you to buy their items for decoration in your house.”
  • Sarah: “Because there’s unicorns!”

 

While participating in Art & Company, children learn the techniques necessary to make good ceramic art. They also learn the basics of running their own small business. The group discusses how to sell their work and then puts it all into practice at Patchwork’s Holiday Art Sale. After the sale, the children will receive dividend checks whose amounts vary depending on each child’s investment of time and good behavior into the company.

You can buy Art & Company’s artwork at Patchwork’s annual Holiday Art Sale. We will also have a wide variety of other unique, handmade items from local artists. The sale will be at Patchwork on Saturday, November 11 from 9 am-3 pm. Stop by and find a great selection of gifts for family, friends, or even yourself!


Notes from 40 Years at Patchwork:

Much of 1993 was a search for more space at Patchwork. The Meetinghouse was full of a mix of Patchwork programs and other organizations using space. March began a “fruit-basket” turnover which continued into October. People and programs moved from the East wing of the Meetinghouse to the West wing, from the West wing to the East wing, and from the Meetinghouse to the house Patchwork owns at 116 Washington, next door to the Meetinghouse.

The first folks to move were the tutors and students in the tutoring program (organized in 1991) who moved down the hall and around the corner to the space that originally had served as the Chapel. The tutoring program still occupies this space today.

Habitat of Evansville, who was renting offices at Patchwork, moved to the space previously occupied by the tutoring program. They had recently completed a big, 15-house building blitz in Evansville. HOPE of Evansville is another housing-related organization that was renting space from Patchwork and it shared new offices with Habitat.

Once Habitat and HOPE moved, the entire East wing was freed up and the Washington Avenue Health Care Center expanded into it. In the three years that the clinic had been open, it had gone from seeing one patient to thirty a day.

Finally, the Patchwork Community moved many of its activities to the house at 116 Washington, including space for morning prayers, offices, meeting rooms, an apartment for a seminary intern, and plans for additional studios and office spaces.

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