Check out the unique skills of local Indigenous artisans and purchase their handcrafted works this weekend.
Featuring 21 vendors and free admission, the Spring Craft Vendor Expo is being held at the Timmins Native Friendship Centre, 179 Kirby Ave., after a pause due to COVID. The event is May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"I feel like with the pandemic it really left our vendors without a way of bringing in money and I think being able to provide them with a space to be able to share their Indigenous arts and crafts, not only does it provide them a way of bringing in money, it provides them an opportunity to connect with community members and other vendors and spend the day together having a good time," said Caitlyn Kaltwasser, who works at the friendship centre and plans the expo.
Items for sale will include paintings, moccasins and beaded jewelry. The event itself expanded thanks to a partnership with other organizations intent on a spring craft market, including the Mennonite Central Committee, Niska Artisans, Ojibway and Cree Cultural Centre, the Venture Centre and the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre. Kaltwasser is particularly happy with how the timing came together.
"Mother's Day is the next day, so if you want to get your mom something beautiful, this is the place to come check out. You won't find more heart and soul than you do in the work that comes from these artisans," she said.
For Kaltwasser, the expo provides an opportunity for vendors not just to bring in sales, but to offer Timmins a window into the tradition and continuity that inspires these works.
"These are arts and crafts that they learned from their grandparents and that they shared with their grandkids and their children for generations to come. These people, they've really honed in on their art and they should be celebrated as well. It's a piece of who we are as Indigenous people to make these beautiful things and share them with the community," she said.
