Meet the Women Behind the Unglued Craft Fest

By Whitney Retzer
Contributing Writer

“Crafting a community,” what a novel idea thought Ashley Morken and crafty cronies. If you can stick a bird on it in Portland and call it art, surely Fargo can host a whimsical Unglued Craft Fest featuring funky local crafters, organic products, live music, free coffee and craft workshops.

What surprised Ashley most was the overwhelming response she got from the community about the process of putting the event together. “There are a lot of creative people in the area,” Morken said. They received far more artistic entries than what the American Legion was capable of showcasing quantity wise. When it came down to choosing local artisans and crafters, “We chose unique… three of us that went through the entries, looked at variety and uniqueness.”

And unique they are; from laser cut jewelry, pottery, screen print textiles and organic baby and beauty products to leather clutches, recycled jewelry, knits and even reusable menstrual pads. One artist focuses on the Roller Derby and does laser cut glasses of the fearless, tough, sexy ladies on skates. The website http://www.etsy.com is one that features items of a similar genre: eclectic and handmade from around the nation. But Morken thought as great as the website is, it is large and showcases so much that it can be overwhelming searching through the collections. The Unglued Craft Fest wanted to make things more personal, “We really wanted to meet the crafters and put a face to the products,” Morken said.

This festival was the brain child of Morken and friends who got together to sew, screenprint and make jewelry in their spare time and thought they’d like to expand their Craft Mafia in the F-M area. Thus the Unglued Craft Fest was born, but it turns out they are not the only ones who have had the idea. Indie craft fairs have been springing up all over the nation featuring talented creators and designers; they visited the No Coast Craft-o-rama in Minneapolis at the Midtown Global Exchange building to get more ideas for their Fargo Fest.

Ideas and creativity are the water that hydrates and replenishes a community. Perhaps, come spring time we don’t need more water, but we always need more creativity. Many remember the downtown Fargo-Moorhead of the mid 80s and 90s with its outdated overhangs; a lifeless dark downtown. But with strong downtown community partnerships and creative minds, the art scene has breathed new life into the once dry rasping old streets. Having a festival to celebrate the artisans who have brought new flair to an older crafting scene is a perfect way to rejuvenate the area before the shifting of seasons.

Unglued Craft Fest director Morken expressed that everything in life is manageable “As long as you have an outlet for what you really love to do.” She said a lot of the crafters featured create in their spare time; it is not a career but a passion. And as technology speeds up, crafters are still using techniques from the past aided by the present. Artisans are designing fantastic screen prints and using lasers for cutting glass and jewelry. Morken quipped that the skies the limit as far as alternative crafting, if you are looking for that original product edge now, you can simply Google the 2011 Indie Craft Trend Report for clues on color, fashion, paper crafting sewing trends and more.

It seems Fargo-Moorhead isn’t short on creativity; perhaps you have seen the guerilla knitting that is neatly stitching an assault on downtown and around. This dark knight knitter boldly binds street signs by Dempsey’s and the Green Market, even bicycles have been found with a snug sweater in the snow, but who is this guerilla knitter that knits the night as darkness surrounds?
We can only guess for now, in hopes that one day like graffiti artists expressing their art and social stigmas through paint, this dark knitter can weave their way into the light and join a Craft Mafia in Fargo-Moorhead. Morken expressed that their highest hopes for the Unglued Craft Fest were to expand to meet more often as crafters and to feature different arts and artists. “I would like to have monthly meetings with a speaker showing how to create,” Morken said. The Minneapolis No Coast Craft-o-rama featured Crafters Local 612, and so the creators of the Unglued Craft Fest hope that they too can craft a larger community of supporting artists to create together. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see local crafters and purchase kitschy, whimsical products from the artists themselves; maybe even the guerilla knitter can learn a few tips.

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IF YOU GO:
What: Unglued Craft Fest
Where: Downtown Fargo American Legion.
When: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday, March 5
Details: Craft Workshops:
:: 11a.m. - Put a bird on it Vintage Silhouette Paintings
:: 2 p.m. - Bird’s Nest Brooch from raw wool
Local Musicians:
:: 9:30 a.m. - Luke Torgerson from The Season
:: 10:30 a.m. - Ian Johnson
:: 11:30 a.m.- Haley Rydell
:: 12:30 p.m. - The Valiant Nomads
:: 1:30 p.m. - Poor Edward
:: 2:30 p.m. - Formerly Fiona
Cost: Free
Info: http://ungluedcraftfest.blogspot.com/ for more details