TRI-LAKES GUIDE: The 57th annual Black Forest Arts & Crafts Guild spring show will be held April 29-May 2
Not rain or snow or the pandemic will hold back the Black Forest Arts & Crafts Guild from holding its spring show.
Per tradition, it will be held at the Black Forest Community Club, 12530 Black Forest Road. But this year, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pandemic guidelines will be followed, including requiring the wearing of masks and social distancing.
According to bfacg.org, the Colorado nonprofit is the oldest continuously run arts guild west of the Mississippi River. Member artist Patti Kryzanowski said it was established in 1964 by “a group of women in the Black Forest that grew to encompass both arts and crafts.” Today, there are 73 members.
The guild “promotes and pursues activities in fine arts, decorative arts and crafts and culinary endeavors” and holds two shows per year, Kryzanoski said.
The spring event is geared more toward welcoming the new season, while the fall show is focused on the holidays.
“The show is run like a boutique,” Kryzanowski said, “and has a central cash register” for ease of purchasing. Each artist is given a cordoned off area in the community center.
There are knits, candles, pottery and home décor. A baby and young children’s section offers clothing and homemade toys. One year there were marshmallow guns and another featured homemade monster stuffed toys.
There is something for everyone at the show, which is not known for breaking the bank. “We’re known for being an extremely well-priced venue,” Kryzanowski said. Items are priced from one dollar to hundreds.
The garden section includes cute planters, garden markers, bulbs and potted herbs. Typically there are also a variety of bird baths and wind chimes.
Pets aren’t forgotten either.
If shoppers work up an appetite, never fear. The culinary section is chock full of homemade jams, cakes, breads and cookies. “Of the people that come to the show almost no one comes out without a baked good,” Kryzanowski said.
Kryzanowski, who is a biologist by day, said of the annual sale: “Everything has to be handmade. There are no commercial sellers at all.”
She works in fiber arts, upcycling wool into pillows and home decorating items. “I try to create stuff that is environmentally responsible.”
Churches near the venue allow patrons to park in their lots. Runners are available to help carry items to cars, “especially for those faithful attendees who are aged,” Kryzanowski said.
The April 28 show will be held from 4-7 p.m. for those who don’t feel comfortable shopping with large groups of people. Attendance will be limited.
The guild sponsors scholarships to help local students attend higher education. It started in 2006 and is awarded to graduating high school seniors. Scholarships go to those students “who demonstrate academic competence, aptitude, community involvement and school participation,” states the website.
Students may apply for scholarships through April 9. The application is online at tinyurl.com/48phnb2u.
The guild also creates gift baskets for rural postal workers each year and is involved in Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado projects. In fact, spring show patrons are encouraged non-perishable donations.
Website: bfacg.org
Facebook: facebook.com/BFACG
Instagram: instagram.com/blackforestartsandcrafts
RIGHT: The Black Forest Arts and Crafts Guild will hold its 57th annual spring show April 29-May 2. In addition to pottery galore, there will be paintings, fiber arts and so much more.
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Forest Arts and Crafts Guild
ABOVE: 7-year-old Quentin Allen of Colorado Springs checks out “whirlygigs” for sale Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, at the Black Forest Arts and Craft Guild Fall Show and Sale at the Black Forest Community Center.
Patti Kryzanowski creates fiber arts, like these adorable pillows.
Ashley Ramirez browses through candies and fudges in the snack section of the annual Black Forest Arts and Crafts Guild fall boutique at the Black Forest Community Club on Nov. 5, 2017.
Each artist is given a small space to sell their wares at the Black Forest Community Center.
Member artist Mary Addington paints in a variety of mediums including watercolors.
Arts and Crafts Guild