Last week Indie Craft Parade teamed up with the Greenville Anthropologie to host a holiday garland workshop. The evening was a smashing success with nearly 60 people gathering for a night of crafting and merriment. Attendees helped create yards and yards of garland that will deck the Anthro windows this upcoming Christmas season. There was also a station where people could create their own garlands to take home. We had such a fun time meeting some new makers in our community, and we know everyone was excited to amp up their DIY skills. Setting up for the event. Notice how nicely our garland fits into the store!
The best part of the evening...we all got a sneak peek into the fantastic world of those famous Anthropologie displays. We learned that the visual director might spend months at a time planning storewide displays, and actually making the pieces can take hundreds of hours. The girls who work this store are serious about creating.
Which brings me to something that we really do love about Anthropologie. We're thankful that they purposefully employ artists and creatives in their stores. As we learned last week, many of the Greenville Anthro employees are painters, photographers, paper artists, or current art students. Some of them have Etsy shops or home studios where they're pursuing their own work. We also appreciate the work that Anthro Events has done to bring people who want to make new things into the same place. This is a primary goal for Indie Craft Parade, but we don't always have the network to reach new people. Last week, 60 people came together for communal crafting...most of whom we had never met. Anthropologie helped us make these new connections.
Lately, there has been a lot of criticism thrown at the corporate world of art and decor, especially in light of the Cody Foster debacle. While our first choice is to support artists directly, we are also happy to support big retailers, including Anthropologie, who stand up for the independent arts community.
The theme for the garland making was pretty great as well--creating displays from everyday materials and recycled paper. We don't usually like the word "upcycled," but I have to say that watching trash turned into creative materials was inspiring in itself.
Some finished beads made of straws and magazine pages.
If this is your first time hearing of the local Anthro Events (or if you tried to sign up, but the class was full), don't be disheartened. Turns out Anthro Events take place throughout the year, and you just need to stay tuned through email to find out details for the next one.
Thanks again Greenville Anthro staff. You guys are inspiring, talented, and doing a great job building community here in Greenville.