You ever wonder what student artists are up to these days? Well, leave it to them to tell you. Linfield University hosted its first ever Makers Market on Nov. 30 in the Miller Fine Arts Center, giving student artists the opportunity to publicly sell and showcase their work. One bonus about this event, students don’t even need to be an art major! This event was open to all to participate in.  

Students were selling all kinds of handmade goodies. There were crocheted beanies, hand painted holiday cards, pottery, art prints, ornaments, and wrapping paper. Perfect for finding the right holiday gifts for loved ones.

Senior and artist Emma Inge was selling her artistic prints and her very own wrapping paper that she designed.

“The carving for both pieces took about a total of 20 hours, and probably another 10 hours to digitize both patterns. This was definitely the most intensive work I have done for a project, but I found it worth it,” Inge said. 

When talking with Inge about being an artist and how this event really helped promote her capabilities, she explained that this event was a game changer. 

“This event definitely helped promote my art. It really allowed me to share my work with the Linfield community outside of the art department, which rarely ever happens,” she said. “It was also an opportunity for me to share my work with my close friends because they rarely see what I do in art class! It was also really nice to share my artistic process with others outside of the Art Department, meet other artists, and exchange work.”

When Linfield hosts events like this, it allows students like Inge to express their creativity, share it with the community around them, and to create connections that will further their education. Belle Bezdicek, an art professor at Linfield, also touched on this idea.

“We have a fantastic cohort of students who have energy, great talent, and are up for a challenge,” she said. “They really support each other, especially the seniors who are very encouraging to the freshman, sophomores and junior majors.”

Not only could student artists connect with one another, it was also a great opportunity for the community to see what the art department is up to. 

“It was a success and many people attended. We also had the Student Juried Show, so having both events brought a bigger crowd,” Bezdicek mentioned. 

Linfield’s very own Makers Market was definitely a success, and an event that the community will continue to see in the future. This event was a great opportunity for new connections to be made within the art world, regardless of major, and also just an exciting event before the holidays.