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4th Annual Winter Holiday Arts Market (WHAM)

Presented by Spacetaker at Winter Street Studios

November 20-November 21, 2009

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Spacetaker is pleased to announce the 4th Annual Winter Holiday Art Market (WHAM), a weekend art sale and celebration of Houston’s talented and diverse artists, this November 20 and 21 at Winter Street Studios.

The juried Winter Holiday Market offers a wide variety of arts and crafts- including paintings, sculpture, and photography, as well as jewelry, clothing and soaps- providing an excellent opportunity to purchase unique, hand-made holiday gifts. Also featured will be a student exhibition, a collaborative venture between Spacetaker and the Teen Council of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. WHAM is free and open to the public.

A special exhibition, sale and art festival in one, WHAM will feature art, demonstrations, and performances of more than 60 local artists of all disciplines. WHAM is a two-day affair, kicking off with a happy hour on Friday, November 20 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and resuming on Saturday, November 21 at 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Patrons may shop while enjoying DJs and live music, complimentary beverages, and an array of food vendors from local restaurants. All work is available to take home the day of sale.

Artist demonstrations are scheduled throughout Saturday afternoon and include live soap-making by Feto Soap, which proved to be a big hit with the families last year. Black Swan Screen Printing will host a free, interactive silkscreen station allowing guests to create original T-shirt designs during the event. Music Heals (musicheals.org) will present DJs for musical entertainment starting with Friday night’s happy hour, and the band PeteSimple closes out the event on Saturday evening with a live performance.

“Everyone's on the ‘buy local’ bandwagon and big box stores are taking a hit. In this economy, I think people would prefer to support the little guy who needs it the most, rather than corporations. Certainly, since I started my own business, I've become much more aware of the concept of ‘spend it here, keep it here,’ in terms of buying locally. And in Houston, it's easy to support local artists because there are so many amazing talents to choose from!” says Ann Westby, jeweler and participant in this year’s WHAM.

In conjunction with the Winter Holiday Art Market, Spacetaker is partnering with the Teen Council of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston to present a special student exhibition in the Winter Street Studios gallery. High school students participating in the student exhibition have the opportunity to display their artwork alongside the professional artists participating in the market. The Teen Council will also lead Children’s Art and Craft Activities (sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama) during WHAM’s Saturday afternoon hours.

The Winter Holiday Art Market provides free beverages to all attendees while supplies last, and Beaver’s and El Patio will both be on site to sell refreshments.

On Saturday, November 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Spacetaker, in partnership with 002 Houston Magazine and Whole Foods Market, will host a private Vendor Breakfast. In line with Spacetaker’s mission, the Vendor Breakfast will offer attendees a private viewing of the market and an opportunity to foster ongoing relationships between participating artists and those entities able to market and sell their work year-round. Local gallerists, interior designers, boutique and shop-owners are welcome; however, an invitation to the breakfast is required. Interested parties are welcome to email wham@spacetaker.org  to request an invitation.

Sponsors for this year’s art market include Green Mountain Energy, MyCityRocks, 002 Magazine, 29-95°, KUHF 88.7, Winter Street Studios, Jerry’s Artarama, Copy.com, Whole Foods, Dripping Springs Vodka, Silver Eagle Distributors, Sweet Leaf Iced Teas, Bare Communication, Music Heals, Teen Council of the Contemporary Arts Museum, Tidbits Houston, Yelp, Gish Creative, Beaver’s, and El Patio.

Spacetaker, a nonprofit artist resource center dedicated to economic development, continuing education and networking opportunities for artists, hosts WHAM to afford local artists the chance to showcase and sell their work to the general public, while simultaneously promoting the breadth and artistry of our city’s creative community. Since its launch, WHAM has generated more than $123,000 for more than 150 local artists and continues to grow as an important venue for Houston artists.

About Spacetaker:
Spacetaker is a 501(c)3 professional organization and Artist Resource Center located in Houston’s First Ward whose mission it to provide artists and small non-profits access to economic development, continuing education, and networking opportunities to support their professional growth.