EMMAUS, Pa. — JuxtaHub will hold its first JuxtaFaire, a free outdoor market with 20 artisan vendors, food, local beer, and children’s activities, from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 10 at 375 S. 10th St.
The market is the first of its kind for JuxtaHub, a nonprofit arts and innovation center with 23 resident artists in a former Rodale warehouse next to Furnace Dam Park. The event will also open the center’s studios and Convergent Makerspace to the public.
Admission is free, and no tickets are required. The event will be held rain or shine, and parking is available on site, according to JuxtaHub.
Vendors will set up on the lot and lawn north of the building, selling hand-blown glass, linocut prints, paintings, wood and fiber work, jewelry, pottery, candles, leather goods, and 3D-printed pieces. Several of the artists are JuxtaHub residents, the organization said.
“JuxtaFaire is exactly the kind of day we had in mind when we set out to make JuxtaHub a gathering place, not just a building,” said JuxtaHub Executive Director Ryan Hill. “You can meet the person who made the work you’re buying, walk upstairs and see where our resident artists work, grab something to eat, and spend an afternoon with your family.”
Food and drink vendors include Yergey Brewing of Emmaus, Sugar Cycle, Boodelicious Cakes, and Cactus Blue. Henna Chakra will offer henna; Milan Stevens will offer face painting, and a free pumpkin painting station for children will run while supplies last.
Jill Italiano, creator of Hen the Tiny Docent, a felt frog character that promotes the Lehigh Valley arts scene, will lead free pin-making and artist card-making activities.
Visitors can also pick up JuxtaFaire passports at her table and collect “visa” stickers as they visit vendor booths, studios, the makerspace, and activities. Those who complete a passport will be entered into a drawing for an art supply gift basket.
“Hen’s whole mission is to get people curious about art and the people who make it, so JuxtaFaire felt like exactly where a Tiny Docent should be,” Italiano said.
TWK Electro Sound will DJ throughout the afternoon, taking song requests through QR codes posted around the market.
Inside, Makerspace Director Lauren Huggler will lead tours of the Convergent Makerspace, which houses the equipment used in JuxtaHub’s classes and member projects.
Resident artists Sue Skoras, Kat Collins, Hisao Taya, Deb Slahta and Tracy Maley will have their studios open to visitors, as will Drew Tilton in the Lehigh Art Alliance studio.
JuxtaHub was founded in 2019. Its 35,000-square-foot space also includes a ceramics studio, classrooms, galleries, and gathering areas, the organization says.
JuxtaHub posts the full vendor lineup on its JuxtaFaire event page.