Support local craftmakers at "Unwrapped" in downtown St. Pete

For nearly 75 years, Florida CraftArt has been supporting craftspeople from across the state. An annual holiday market, Unwrapped, features some of their handmade work.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For nearly 75 years, Florida CraftArt has been supporting craftspeople from across the state. An annual holiday market, Unwrapped, features some of their handmade work.

"Here we have all sorts of things that have been crafted by hand, lovingly. There's an experience around drinking coffee out of a handmade mug, and there are experiences around wearing earrings that someone spent time making," Florida CraftArt CEO Jorge Vidal said.

The main avenue of supporting craftspeople is selling their work at Florida CraftArt’s main building in downtown St. Petersburg. The non-profit’s gallery features work from over 250 craftspeople, including Julie Krueger. The glass artist primarily makes bowls and other vessels. She works with fusing glass with enamels, or metals.

"My inspiration is whenever I go out kayaking or biking, I get the colors and the textures from wherever I'm kayaking and I try and depict that into my glass, which brings out an emotion. I'm hoping that the viewer sees the same emotion from my pieces," Krueger said.

For Krueger, glass work started as a hobby, then morphed into what she jokingly describes as an "obsession." From there, she needed an outlet, which became shows. Six years ago, she found Florida CraftArt.

"Shopping small, if you were to get this bowl here, there will never be another bowl like it. Every piece that I make has a little piece of me inside of it because it's from my memory and my visual, and to have that in somebody else's home hanging on their wall is touching to me because I now am a part of their life."

Vidal hopes Unwrapped will especially help craftspeople affected by the storm season and help residents celebrate the holiday and St. Petersburg. Unwrapped is located at 501 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg and will be open until Dec. 31.

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