For more than half a century, Nashvillians have gathered to celebrate the art of creation through pottery, jewelry making, mixed-media upcycled sculptures and beyond. May 1-3 marked the 55th annual Spring Tennessee Craft Fair at Centennial Park, where artisans once again brought their crafts to life.
The annual Spring Tennessee Craft Fair is the longest-running fine craft fair throughout the state, connecting more than 45,000 attendees annually with over 200 artists from across the country.
The free, family-friendly event featured handmade crafts from across 14 different genres of art, with sales directly supporting small creative businesses.
Missouri artist Gracelyn Tamrak and her husband, Ike, traveled to Music City to market their hand-painted, clay cherry blossoms, roses and other floral arrangements just in time for Mother’s Day.
“We have a lot of boxes going out on Mother’s Day because if you send a live flower 10 days later, it’s gone and forgotten,” Ike told Main Street Nashville. “These are like an oil color painting but its 3D.”
Each petal is hand-painted and is held together by a wire that gives it a natural movement when blown by the wind. According to Ike, it takes about six months to plan and create inventory for the season.
The pair have been a part of the annual craft fair consistently for five years.
New Jersey native and now East Tennessee resident Jean Kranzle, owner of Blessingway Pottery, made her debut at this year’s Tennessee Craft Fair, capturing the wildlife of the Great Smoky Mountains through handcrafted pottery, including lamps, mugs and water features.
“I use microcarving tools to carve out a design. All the little animals you see are hand sculpted and everyone is different,” Kranzle disclosed.
Once her designs are roughed in, she said that she then uses special paints called under glazes that can stand up to a 2200-degree fire and adds in layers to mimic a watercolor effect. She explained that she wanted her designs to be functional, yet embody the elements that we gravitate to as humans, such as running water, light and textural feelings.
Outside of shopping, visitors could observe live craft demonstrations, such as yarn spinning with the Highland Rim Spinners Guild and wood turning with Jackson native Barry Buntin, who has been with the Tennessee Craft Fair for five years.
Hands-on crafting experiences were also available for children to enjoy at the Kids Activity Tent, along with 30-minute-long marionette productions put on by the Nashville Library twice a day.