With the holidays around the corner, shopping for gifts can feel like a daunting task. It can be near impossible to find unique and heartfelt gifts for loved ones in an age where consumerism and unethical consumption haunts the holidays.

Not to worry though, the Linfield University art department will be hosting a Makers Market Nov. 30 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. in the Miller Fine Arts Center. There, Linfield students will be selling wrapping paper, ornaments, hats, and pottery. The hand-crafted gifts are made by students for the Linfield community and can be paid for with cash or Venmo.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this. There’s so much talent and so much art,” Belle Bezdicek, a Linfield art professor, said.

The idea came about when seniors Meghan Mullaly and Emma Inge were designing wrapping paper for a contest hosted in Portland, Ore, for students. Bezdicek and her students were reviewing the submissions when they all agreed that the designs were marketable products. The Makers Market was born and “took off from there,” Bezdicek said.

The market presents an opportunity for students to show off their craftsmanship and learn how to turn their art into products. The market’s applications were open to all students, regardless of major.

“Learning the skills are important, but the Makers Market presents a unique opportunity to teach the business of being an artist,” Bezdicek said.

The market has created quite the excitement in the art department. Students are already planning their wares for next year. Elle Miller, a freshman studio art and sociology major, plans to sell jewelry at the next market.

“I’m excited to see what everyone is working on and how everyone expresses themselves,” Miller said. “I think it’s really cool that they give anyone the opportunity to sell their art. It’s very inclusive.”

In addition to shopping, the art department will be hosting a juried art show with works submitted by students from all departments; the reception begins at 5.

Contact Bezdicek with questions at [email protected]. To stay up to date with events in the art department follow @linfieldart on instagram.