People who want to take the plunge into their Christmas shopping – and find unique gifts that will be treasured for years to come – may want to circle this Saturday on their calendar.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on December 4, the Mesa Mesa Historical Museum, 2345 N. Horne, hosts a huge arts and crafts fair that could hold visitors there for hours as they wander through the aisles featuring 60 vendors, sample books offered at a mini book fair, grab something to eat – and get a free pass to walk around the museum itself.
The guests will also help a city monument.
“It’s a little ambitious of us to achieve this goal, but it’s the only way I can fundraise during this time,” said museum director Susan Ricci. “Our popular tour of the historic house had to be canceled once again and it is our biggest fundraiser yet.”
Ricci said the visit to the house fell victim to the pandemic for the second year in a row.
“Due to COVID, it was uncomfortable for homeowners to have so many people walking around their homes, so we had to cancel,” she said. “We hope to be able to move forward after this year.”
In the meantime, Ricci said: “This time we have more than doubled the number of suppliers we had in the spring. “
Among them are pottery by Pima artist Ron Carlos, a braided metal cactus by Sharie Harwood Monsam and a hand-carved wooden bowl by Marc Thompson.
Vendors will sell leatherwork, beads, jewelry, ornaments, candles, soaps and lotions, ceramics, flutes, recycled art, Native American pottery, essential oils, and carvings.
As for visiting the museum, guests can see a special exhibit celebrating the many different cultures that contributed to the colonization of Mesa, including some of the amazing people who broke racial barriers to become civic leaders in our community. .
There is also an extensive exhibit featuring the paintings, jewelry, and papier-mâché by artist Karen Kuykendall, which have been on display at the Phoenix Art Museum and the Tucson Art Museum.
She was an author and published teacher who created a fantasy world of Cat-People that inspired many of her artwork, including dolls, sculptures, and paintings. With over 1,000 pieces now part of the permanent collection of the Mesa Historical Museum, this exhibition is dedicated to his art.
Play Ball: The Arizona Spring Training Experience features the history of Spring Training, the birth of the Cactus League and the Cactus League Hall of Fame, plus photos and collections from the last hundred years of baseball in Mesa. This exhibit focuses on the history of the current Mesa, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland A’s spring training teams.
