Artists Prepare for Wearable Art Show

With more than 30 artists displaying their work, the show has grown each year and more than 600 attended last year. The artists started 12 years ago by meeting at Denny’s to share ideas about their jewelry art. The first show was at the Hassayampa Inn and then at Hotel St. Michael, but they outgrew that space last year, so this year it will be at the Elks Performing Art Center for the first time.

The art show is free to the public.

Founded in 2012, Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists is dedicated to the growth and development of its members’ jewelry-making and sales skills. The association has fostered a thriving community of artists.

A wide array of Prescott-area jewelry artists showcase a variety of styles and price ranges. In addition to the stunning displays, there will also be free door prizes.

Susie Straussman, one of the original members and the coordinator of this year’s jewelry and wearable art show, said the event has quite the following among tourists, as they have a mailing list of more than 550 people. All the artists are from the Prescott area, but the clientele comes in from many places.

Straussman describes her jewelry art as humorous, playful and interesting because she uses objects that she finds to make pendants and broaches. She is a retired nurse manager and said when she was working in the trauma ICU, she needed an outlet for joy. That was 15 years ago, and she finds herself working on the jewelry full time for fun.

“I love the show because it gives us the opportunity to sell our work,” she said. “I like to share my art with the public.”           

Pam Haycraft creates permanent bracelets that are welded on, so customers never take them off. They have no clasps. “It’s good for people with arthritis and it’s a trend in jewelry,” she said.

Haycraft also creates rings, necklaces and anklets. As a native Arizonan, she uses a lot of copper and turquoise.

“The show is great because we get a lot of followers who come back year after year,” she said. “The show has become a tradition and I love being with the other artists.”

Haycraft said the only challenge is finding enough time to prepare for the show each year.

Dan Cassetta focuses on lapidary art as he cuts and shapes a variety of stones. He was one of the early members of the jewelry association. He and several other artists took jewelry classes at Yavapai Community College and agreed to pursue this event.

“I love that it’s local, but the artists also love sharing ideas. I’m involved with setting up and tearing down this year,” he said. “It’s just a good group of people. The amount of talent is amazing, and everybody shares their talent.”

The association gets together once a month, showcases an artist and educates jewelers through workshops. The monthly meetings are the fourth Sunday of the month at Tis Gallery in downtown Prescott.

The wearable art includes coats, vests, shawls and scarves. “I knit, felt and dye,” said artist Janet Lambert. This is her first year displaying her wearable art. “I heard about the show from other artists, and they love it so much it sounded enticing.”

Joan Knight makes her wearable art from textiles from around the world, including pants and kimonos. She loves the upcoming show. “It’s fantastic because of the superb artists and it attracts a lot of quality customers. We get a lot of return business,” she said. QCBN

By Stan Bindell, QCBN

For more information, visit www.granitemountainjewelryartists.weebly.com.