Crafters show wares at Southdown Marketplace

Word of mouth is credited with building the Southdown Marketplace Arts and Crafts Festival. And Southdown Museum director Katie LeCompte is readying for record crowds and wares.

“If vendors have a good showing, they always tell others about us,” LeCompte explains. “So, we look forward to hearing from vendors in the months leading up to the event and after.”

About 300 booths make up this year’s fest, set for April 16. Among them are a number of “new and innovative designs,” the director said, including New Orleans newcomers David Bauman and Patrick Mckenroth and local crafters Ellen Dominique and Sarah Clavier.

The New Orleans duo’s niche is turning metal into art. Meanwhile, Dominique and Clavier dabble in handmade hair accessories and clothing.

Bauman and Mckenroth manage a New Orleans storage facility and produce sliding-door mini-storage units. “The industry has been slow, so we figured we’d try our hand at turning metal into art,” Bauman said.

Mackenroth is the genius behind the art, using a plasma cutter to design various shapes, which are cold rolled to set the design.

“Every piece comes out different and has its own unique flare,” he said.

Southdown is the pair’s first official showing. They’ve displayed pieces, including metal dragonflies, at several Big Easy galleries, but nothing of this magnitude. About 20 styles with differing copper finishes make up their show, including metal furniture pieces.

“I just sit and wonder, ‘How in the world did they do that,'” LeCompte said of the pieces. “It’s simply amazing.”

In a rare move, LeCompte found Dominique and Clavier on Facebook.

“I was highly impressed with their designs,” she said. “You can clearly see how much time and effort they have put into their products.”

Dominique’s first foray into accessory making came when she designed her own wedding bouquet. The twist: felt flowers.

“I pretty much wanted to do something that would last and not be too costly,” she said.

Using a die-cutter to form the shapes, Dominique hand-embroiders the flowers and accents them with vintage buttons. At the festival, she is displaying about 100 different pieces that can be worn in the hair or on clothing.

Clavier stumbled across knitting as a stress reliever while she was working on her master’s in equine reproduction last October.

“I needed something to take my mind off things,” she said. “So, I picked up knitting, and now I can’t stop.”

She mastered the craft in about a week, specializing in knitting scarves, gloves and headbands. Customers can even choose among the various yarn colors.

“That’s what makes it so unique,” Clavier said of her products. “No one has the same accessory because everybody has different taste.”

She intends to show 50 different accessories along with furry knitted animals.

LeCompte said other exhibitors include jewelry makers, woodcrafts, pottery, paintings, dolls, bath-and-body goods, gourmet food, books, homegrown plant and more. Concessions are also sold.

The Kids’ Marketplace on da’ Bayou also returns for the younger set. It offers a cooking exhibit, local author presenter, storyteller, puppet show, bubble factory, games and Cajun crafts. The activities range in price from free to $3.

“Parents appreciate having something for their kid to do,” LaCompte said. “It also instills an appreciation for cultural arts in young children early on.”

Sales at the festival benefit the livelihood of the artisans. LeCompte said the gate fee benefits the upkeep of the Southdown Plantation House and Museum.