On Saturday, Oct. 29 from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, Create@Brandeis hosted their semesterly Craft Market. The market spread across the path at Fellows Garden and fell on the same weekend as Family Weekend. 

Students and their families alike were able to attend the event, to see what fellow Brandeisians have created and could purchase a variety of items. 

“I’m always initially drawn to [the craft market] because it’s honestly nice to make a bit of a profit as a student,  and to share my jewelry – but more than that it makes me so happy to get to talk with people and connect with the Brandeis community, which honestly is so special,” said Anya Lance-Chako ’24—a student vendor—in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. 

Lance-Chako was selling handmade jewelry at the event, including earrings and rings. Lance-Chako runs a jewelry account on Instagram called “cosmical_creations” where consumers can request commissions to purchase her handmade jewelry.   

“It’s so nice to see people who are wearing the earrings or bought a pair for their mom (and because it was parents’ weekend I got to meet them !), or their roommate- but more than that I really love getting to have conversations with people and the items are just where it starts. It’s so special to learn about people, and they can be so kind, and full of such interesting stories,” Lance-Chako told The Hoot. 

The event featured many mediums of art. Some student booths sold pottery made at the pottery studio on campus and others were selling handmade jewelry. Other vendors were selling pieces of art for students to decorate their dorms with and others were selling edible goods. Angel Zhao ’25 sold three kinds of boba tea at the event and Ligia Azevedo ’25 sold brigadeiros—a traditional Brazilian dessert. Lance-Chako said to The Hoot, “So much of Brandeis is so talented – shoutout to my lovely housemates Teresa Shi and Marissa Small who’s delicious cooking I get the privilege of fueling my body with frequently and who sold their incredible food at the fair.”

Student vendors signed up for the event starting in August, throughout September and the beginning of October, with the cut-off to register on Oct. 10, according to a post on the Create@Brandeis Instagram page. First-time vendors were required to attend an information session and workshop to “learn how to price [their] work” and get tips on how to “display [their] work to its best advantage” wrote Create@Brandeis. 

The Craft Market was the first put on by Create@Brandeis since reducing the number of tables to 20 and giving priority to current students, which was implemented after the Craft Market in April 2022 as a part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. 

“Getting to see graduate students’ work like Siran Liu (GRAD) whose pieces were incredible and I feel like I’m going to see them in a museum one day.  Or get to talk with Sienna Bucu whose work is so brilliant and so important for the questions it raises about the exploitation and corruption that can exist in systems and institutions such as Brandeis, when image and profit override the protection and well-being of individuals,” Lance-Chako told The Hoot.

Despite the changes, the market held over 30 creators including current Brandeis students and individuals who are a part of the greater Brandeis community. Vendors sold art prints, stickers, ceramics, baked goods and other refreshments, jewelry, clothing and more. 

There are plans to have a Holiday Market later in the semester, though an official date has yet to be set. Ingrid Schorr—Director of Arts Engagement—is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the various Craft Markets held throughout the year. Schorr is also responsible for overseeing the Leonard Berstein Festival of Creative Arts event held every Spring and she leads university arts communication initiatives like State of the Arts, according to her faculty page.

Editor’s Note: Features Editor Jenny Zhao ’24 and Editor-in-Chief Victoria Morrongiello ’23 participated in the Craft Market and did not contribute towards the writing of this article.