Islanders, their guests and visitors have enjoyed the festive and friendly Island Artisans Holiday Market at the Friday Harbor Elementary school every year since 1978! This annual and colorful event provides a venue for more than fifty local artisans to sell their creations – glasswork, paintings, ceramics, photography, clothing, jewelry, woodworking, and much more during the two days following Thanksgiving Day. The Holiday Market is the primary fundraiser for the Island Artisans Scholarship Fund with each artist vendor contributing 15% of their gross sales to the scholarship fund. This is a fund that offers scholarships to young arts students from all the high schools in San Juan County. Over the years, more than 100 islanders have benefited and gone on to create, produce, inspire and engage others with their work.
Island Artisans relies entirely on volunteers and is working to expand fundraising efforts to ensure that all the proceeds from the annual Holiday Marketplace can be directed to scholarship opportunities. In years past, the funds raised from booth fees and a raffle were able to cover all the costs of the Holiday Market for many years. However, the costs have increased and is affecting the amount available for scholarships.
Rachel Patterson, current president of Island Artisans, Island Artisans scholarship recipient, former educator and practicing artist: ” …. I have come from being a local kid interested in art, supported in my pursuit by a few key local artists and received the first Island Artisans’ scholarship granted to a Spring Street school graduate…. I volunteered in art education, designed a summer program for local kids, pursued a higher education and share a love of art, education and this community with middle and high school students by becoming an art teacher…..By investing in our youth, as I was, our youth are motivated to invest back into their community. Myself and a large number of past scholarship recipients are testament to this. Island Artisans is so close to being able to donate one-hundred percent of the proceeds from the annual Holiday Marketplace directly to scholarships. Every scholarship matters and every Holiday Marketplace reaches deep into our community.”
The Community Foundation grant helps ensure that Island Artisans can re-configure their program so they are able to fully fund both their scholarship program and the Island Artisans Holiday Market.