LOS ANGELES — Holiday shopping can be a challenge when you’re trying to find thoughtful gifts for friends and family without feeding into commercial excess. To aid your search, we’ve compiled a list of 11 LA-area (and online!) artist-run sales, craft fairs, and markets that stress community over consumption. Offerings include everything from artist-designed t-shirts, affordable ceramics, and art books to zines and even exotic plants.
Heavy Manners Library Holiday Zone Craft Fair
1200 North Alvarado Street, Unit D, Echo Park, Los Angeles, heavymannerslibrary.com
Echo Park bookstore, gallery and lending library Heavy Manners is hosting a two-day holiday craft fair on November 30 and December 1 featuring ceramics, clothes, jewelry, zines, candles, soft sculptures, and more. The event hopes to temper the rampant commercialism of the season with a focus on connection: “We can’t escape capitalism in our lives and especially during the holidays, but we can consume intentionally and build our relationship to the community of artists here in Los Angeles,” an event description reads. Participating vendors and artists include Vieve ceramics, Heysoupface, the Downtown Women’s Center, Eunsoo Jeong, Sarah Plummer, Ako Castuera, and more.
The Middle Becomes Eclectic at the Middle Room Gallery
3229 Glendale Boulevard, Atwater Village, Los Angeles, themiddleroomgallery.com
“Salon style” usually implies a certain garish maximalism, but The Middle Becomes Eclectic, an exhibition up at the Middle Room Gallery through December 29, is characterized by intimacy and thoughtfulness. The show features small works priced under $500 made by 50 Los Angeles-based artists, including Abbey Golden, Alaia Parhizi, Cheyann Washington, Joy Ray, Ruby Vartain, Sacha Halona Baumann, and many others.
The Tee Room at Night Gallery
2050 Imperial Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, nightgallery.com
The t-shirt is a fashion staple: classic, simple, and infinitely customizable. With this in mind, artist Josh Callaghan has organized The Tee Room, a pop-up shop through December 21 featuring one-of-a-kind, artist-designed shirts with prices ranging from $50 to $300. Participating artists include Andrea Marie Breiling, Mira Dancy, Michael Dopp, Eve Fowler, Hell is Too Blurry (Buzz Szilagyi), Tidawhitney Lek, Mark Verabioff, and others.
Ceramic Salon at Sea View
4166 Sea View Avenue, Mount Washington, Los Angeles, seaview.us
From December 14 to 21, the Ceramic Salon 陶芸サロン group exhibition by Sea View and ATLA will explore the cross-currents between ceramicists in Japan and California. You’ll find works by Adam Alessi, Akihide Nakao, Magdalena Suarez Frimkess, Roger Herman, Yu Kobayashi, and others in prices ranging from $250 all the way to $5,000.
Winter Market at Marvell Studios
3629 Medford Street, East Los Angeles, instagram.com/emily_marchand
Artist Emily Marchand started her Winter Market during the pandemic as a way to help support herself and other artists and connect with others safely. Now in its fifth year and running from December 7 to 8, the market will feature textiles, ceramics, candles, soaps, drawings, vinyl, tinctures, jewelry, and blown glassware in prices ranging from $25 to $250. Participating artists include Cathy Akers, Ivan Bridges, Laub, Jackie Rines, Andrew Sexton, Despina Stonkou, Liz Walsh, and many more.
Alika Cooper ‘s Plant Sale
Los Angeles Nomadic Division, 3626 West Jefferson Boulevard, West Adams, Los Angeles, nomadicdivision.org
Artist and horticulturist Alika Cooper began organizing monthly plant sales in an empty parking lot in 2021. What started as a DIY event with seven vendors has grown into a biannual phenomenon with dozens of participants, offering every manner of flora from the humble succulent to exotic Eriospermum, bonsai trees, and Honduran Moon Torch. Hosted by Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND) in partnership with Maydan Market, this season’s event will take place on Sunday, December 8 with plants from Myco Myco, Into the Fold, Sandy Loam, Test Pot/Terremoto, Mark Hagen, Vita Grace, and others.
Junior High’s Holiday Cup Sale
603 South Brand Boulevard, Glendale, California, juniorhighlosangeles.com
Junior High’s Holiday Cup Sale on Saturday, November 30 will include a diverse array of vessels designed by over 30 local QTBIPOC artists (queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, people of color), priced at $35 each. Participating artists include Chelsie Rivera, Mira Lanz, and Leon Cho, and studios Not Another Pottery Studio, Pot Studio LA, and The Pottery Studio.
Ochi Holiday Market
Online, ochishop.com
In creating her gallery’s online holiday market, Ochi Gallery owner Pauli Ochi was inspired by her mother Roberta and her 1990s Sun Valley store Art [x] Soul, where “every object she stocked held the aura of its maker.” Ochi’s shop features functional and decorative artworks from gallery artists, including Heather Hansen’s marble body parts, Lyndon Frank’s painted opera gloves, and Bailey Hikawa’s whimsical toilet seat made from resin and dried flowers.
Beyond the Streets Archive Release and Holiday Bazaar
434 North La Brea Avenue, Fairfax, Los Angeles, beyondthestreets.com
Beyond the Streets has established itself as one of the most important galleries documenting, showcasing, and preserving graffiti and street art culture. They’ll be hosting a two-day Archive Release and Holiday Bazaar on the weekend of December 14 featuring clothing, prints, books, sculptures, and other art, objects, and collectibles by influential and emerging artists including Shepard Fairey, Estevan Oriol, Chaz Bojorquez, Gustavo Zermeno Jr, and RAMMELLZEE.
Inchoate Futures at Melrose Botanical Garden
7406 Melrose Avenue, Fairfax, Los Angeles, melrosebotanicalgarden.xyz
Opening December 18, Inchoate Futures is a group show and fundraiser to benefit ClayDD, a nonprofit focused on supporting children and adults with special needs through programming centered around the healing power of clay. The exhibition features ceramic work by 10 contemporary artists alongside pieces created by youth in the program, with all proceeds benefitting the organization. Participating artists include Cressida Collins, Sophie Ramos, Josh Cloud, Flour Pots, Sarah Rosenblum, and others.
LA Artcore’s 2nd Annual Winter Market
120 Judge John Aiso Street, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, laartcore.org
LA Artcore’s second annual Winter Market on Saturday, December 7 will showcase the work of local artists and craftspeople, featuring a wide selection of affordable, handmade items. The event is organized in collaboration with the nearby Takumi Alley Holiday Market, with participants including Libros Con Alma, Nicholette Kominos, Dominique Go, Natalee Park, and others.
