Don’t miss the M&G Makers Market, a free event open to the public, at BJU’s Homecoming & Family Weekend. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 12, vendors will fill the second floor of the Welcome Center with their stationery, jewelry, paintings and more.
If you’ve been to Greenville’s Indie Craft Parade, you know what to expect of the Makers Market: 2D fine art, 3D fine art, paper goods, fiber art, things to wear and other handcrafted goods. However, the Market is smaller than the Parade. And unlike the Indie Craft Parade—which features several BJU alumni among other artists—the Market features only BJU students, grads, faculty and staff.
Visit the M&G Makers Market page to see the makers’ products. You can also learn about the makers themselves on M&G’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
See Also: True Having at the Indie Craft Parade | BJU Alumni Craft Makari Designs
Where It All Started
A few years ago, Erin Jones, the executive director of M&G, ran into a friend one day. A creative entrepreneur herself, she spontaneously suggested to Jones that BJU host an event to highlight the many talented BJU grads in the area.
After thinking about it, Jones shared the idea with Alumni Relations and the Division of Art + Design. However, neither had time for the endeavor, so she put the idea on the back burner. “When the idea for Homecoming (in 2016) was really starting to develop some more,” Jones said, “then I thought, ‘Well, maybe M&G should just run with this.’ So, I suggested it to the people who were developing the events for Homecoming, and they really liked the concept.”
After talking with the three BJU grads who founded the Indie Craft Parade, Jones had the knowledge to run a similar event. Once the staff agreed, planning began.
See Also: 10 Years of Indie Craft Parade Connections
M&G Makers Market Through the Years
The first year, 17 makers set up booths in the M&G building. Since then, not only has the location been moved to the second floor of the Welcome Center, but numbers have also steadily increased each year. For the fourth Makers Market, 28 new and returning makers will bring their products to campus. “And what I think is (encouraging),” said Jones, “is we have at least six people from the very first year that we launched in 2016.”
Many of the makers are from South Carolina, but out-of-state makers participate as well. And they love it. “It’s a good environment,” said Jones. “I think most of the feedback that we get from the makers is how much they really enjoy interacting with the people because a lot of them are grads, and so they reconnect, or they meet new alumni.”
Not only do grads benefit from the Market, but current students do, too. But so far, there has been only one student entry—a brother duo that sells handcrafted pens. “I would like to see our student portion expand more,” said Jones.
With more makers each year, expansion is possible in the coming years. “I would love for it to be bigger,” said Jones. “I am encouraged that it has increased some every year.” The Market would have to relocate on campus, but that is not an issue. “There is room on the campus, and we could figure out where we could expand if we needed to,” Jones said.
In the meantime, M&G is introducing a few changes this year. For the first time, the Market features a baker who will sell artisan breads. Other general changes include the layout of the booths and makers’ names on signs, signs which let alumni know about people they might want to visit.
Come One, Come All
“I think people will really like the variety this year,” said Jones. With so many options, “there is something for everyone.” And even though some makers sell similar products, the items are all distinct. For example, “we have several card makers this year, and I love that because they all are different. And same with the potters—they are all different in their style,” said Jones.
If you’re worried about making expensive purchases, don’t be. There are affordable items along with the fancy ones. Take advantage of this opportunity. Jones said, “You might as well get some Christmas shopping done because it is unusual. And you’re always trying to find something (other than) the same-old, same-old. Last year I encouraged my kids—a high schooler and a junior higher—to come, and they did. They actually even bought Christmas gifts. And I got something really nice at Christmas. They even bought Christmas gifts for one another there, and they loved that, too.”
Choosing the Makers
Artists connected to BJU can apply during a two-week submission period in the summer. M&G selects three alumni as judges, at least one having an artistic background. The jury then evaluates photographs of the anonymous entries. The judges rank their favorites by category while looking for certain criteria. “(When judging,) we are after quality and distinctiveness but also price point,” said Jones.
M&G communicates about the opening of the Makers Market submission period through their email and social media. Sign up for M&G updates and read the posted application rules online.
