2019 has been a year of change and growth for Melissa, Sara, and Jackalope!

In May, Jackalope added a new location and took on Burbank as part of the long running Downtown Burbank Arts Festival! The fair was a success and we are very excited to be back in Burbank May 16th & 17th, 2020 for their 17th year.

Then that next week (literally!), Jackalope got a new team member. Sara and her husband Pete, welcomed baby boy Wells! Wells can be found helping mom and dad shop artisan booths during the fair.

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And if that is not enough, that same week Melissa moved to Minnesota! Melissa and her husband Brian, purchased their first home in South Minneapolis. As Melissa is preparing herself for the winter chill- she is having a fun time exploring the handmade arts scene in the city and has attended several makers markets!

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Next up Jackalope returned to Central Park, Old Pasadena for Jackalope Summer Nights in August and our Fall Fair in November. We will be back in Pasadena for our Spring fair April 25th & 26th, 2020.

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For Small Business Saturday weekend, Jackalope hosted a pop up shopping event in the basement of Grand Central Market! We had a blast celebrating small business and the holiday season kick off.

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Our final fair of the year was in Denver where this year we called Stanley Marketplace home and we had a blast. We had artisan booths on both the first and second floors truly creating an immersive shopping experience for all!

As we look to a new year, we want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who was a part of our artisan community and to all the shoppers who support them. We hope everyone has a happy new year and we look forward to seeing you in 2020!

2018 has been a BIG year for Jackalope on many fronts.

As many of you know, there are just two of us at the helm of Jackalope. When life events happen, you gotta take a moment and celebrate the time!

We started off the year celebrating Melissa’s marriage in the Dominican Republic!

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Then, just two weeks later, we hit the ground running with our first spring fair of the year in Pasadena. The weekend was full of Jackalope Cheers, friends, pets, and fun!

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Moving right along, we made it to Denver in May for our spring fair there. Where artisans hosted workshops for guests, amongst the handmade shopping galore and where we helped raise awareness for the Zane Beadles Parade Foundation!

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Next up was a first for us! The 1st ever Jackalope Summer Nights came to Pasadena in August where guests could shop into the night and enjoy a drink at the beer garden.

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In September, we welcomed a couple new interns to our team! Shout out to Alyssa and Chloe, they both killed it this year. Alyssa will be continuing with us in 2019 so keep an eye out for her! She is a freshman in high school and has already started her own business, ALJ Skincare- she is a Jackalope vet ;)

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And before we knew it, the year was passing us by and it was time for our fall fair in Pasadena!

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Our final fair wrapping up show season we celebrated in Denver this December! One of our favorite parts of this Holiday fair is sharing the holiday cheer with our fair beneficiary, Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies. We just love those pups and having them get involved in the event!

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And (drum roll please)…. we ended the year with a fun announcement. A new addition to Sara’s family is coming to the Jackalope team in 2019.

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Looking ahead to 2019, we can’t wait for more fun in Pasadena and Denver, and we’re SO STOKED to expand our Jackalope Community to Burbank as we join their 16th annual Burbank Arts Festival!

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has helped to grow our Jackalope Community this year and we look forward to seeing you in 2019!!!

We can't believe we're already into our third year with Jackalope.  Thank you to everyone who's been there to support us along this journey.  

We're looking forward to everything that 2017 has in store and are looking forward to sharing all of that with you soon.

Pasadena Spring 2016 started the year off strong with record Jackalope attendance!

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We got a chance to help pups in three different states.  It was a really great experience working with The Pasadena Humane Society, Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies, and Arizona Humane Society this year.

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We added a bunch of really fun workshops to all of our fairs! We love getting the chance for attendees to become makers themselves and to experience the process behind a handmade item.

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We participated in Small Business Saturday in Arizona!

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We made our way to the historic McNichols Building in Downtown Denver for the first time.  What a great building in a beautiful part of the city!

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Jackalope received mentions in over 42 different stories throughout the year!  We even managed to make it onto television with KTLA, Arizona Midday, 3TV, and Fox 10 News!

You can view some of the footage here:  https://www.youtube.com/jackalopeartfair

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AND... we met a TON of awesome handmade artisans from all across the country!

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We can't wait for what's in store this year. 
Bring it on, 2017!

To celebrate the end of year 1 for Jackalope Arts we thought we would take a look back at this past year through photos! We are so thankful for a great first year and we can't wait to watch Jackalope grow and bring more awareness to the handmade community! 

With Love+Ink from our very first Jackalope Art & Craft Fair in Pasadena, CA this past April! 

Our first Denver Summer Jackalope Art & Craft Fair, so much fun seeing our logo come to life! 

We love when the artists embrace the Jackalope and create pieces specific to the show-this Jackalope piece was presented by Becky Designs at our Summer Denver Jackalope Event! 

Eclectic Hoops brought tons of energy to our Holiday Jackalope Art & Craft Fair in Pasadena! 

Our Holiday Pasadena Jackalope Art & Craft Fair kicked off the holiday shopping season, and we loved having all handmade vendors to shop from, including The Wicked Boheme!

Boxwood Pinball brought the fun to our Holiday Jackalope Art & Craft Fair in Denver!

Shannon Faber Fine Arts at our Denver Holiday Jackalope Art & Craft Fair, these postcards make perfect stocking stuffers!

To help last minute holiday shoppers complete their gift giving, Jackalope Art & Craft Fair made our debut in Phoenix this past weekend! Even though the weather was chilly, all the fabulous vendors really brought their A Game, we love these pieces by The Wooden Nickel!

This year ended with a bang with us being interviewed on Live TV with Fox 10 Phoenix promoting the fair! Thank you Moms Gone Nuts, Savannah Ashley and Be You Jewelry for your support! 

Seeing all these memories makes us anxious for next year and what 2016 will bring! We hope you all enjoy the Holiday season and we will see you next Spring! 

“Like the bird that shares its name, Phoenix is rising into a beautiful new city that embraces Localism, innovation, entrepreneurship, and diversity. ”

— BALLE

In the beginning days of Jackalope Arts, our team sat together with some of the movers and shakers in the L.A. art scene and talked excitedly about the vision for Jackalope Arts.  One of these notable individuals said they understood why we were in L.A. and Denver with the arts and culture in both cities, but that they didn't know anything about Phoenix and the scene there.  Of course, as a Phoenix native, I proceeded to breakdown all of what Phoenix has to offer in it's rapidly growing and soon to be well known arts economy!

The Jackalope Art & Craft Fair will be making it's home at Steele Indian School Park in Downtown Phoenix, just outside the Roosevelt Row Arts District and situated just steps from the Metro Light Rail.   We will be joining the localist movement in an effort to strengthen the Phoenix community and Arizona economy by growing, supporting, and celebrating locally owned businesses.

There has been a concentrated focus on growing Downtown Phoenix and over the past 5 years those efforts have really begun to take hold!  We are on a roll with a 7% expected growth rate, exceptional when compared to other Downtown growth rates in the US (thiscouldbePHX.com), and Phoenix's Roosevelt Row (RoRo) being named one of the top 10 arts districts in the country by USA Today!

One of the associations in place to help facilitate this growth in Downtown Phoenix and across Arizona is Local First Arizona.  Since it's inception in 2003, Local First Arizona has grown to become the world's largest local business association with over 2,500 members!  Arizonans know how to ban together and make s***t happen and we aim to be a part of that.  

The mission of Jackalope Arts is to create a shopping experience with the highest quality, locally handcrafted goods.  We strive to support local artisans who devote their lives to their creations. We bring a community together to celebrate local artistry, and promote high quality, locally made, artisan creations of all kinds in our weekend events.

Check out this Small Wonders map of the local businesses in the area surrounding our new Downtown home!  We love our Jackalope neighbors :)

Not convinced Phoenix is amazing yet?  Check out the Top 10 Reasons to Love Phoenix from the Phoenix New Times!

The Jackalope Art & Craft Fair will launch in Phoenix with our Holiday shopping event on December 12th & 13th.  
Are you an artisan? Applications are available online and the deadline is September 1st.  
Just an eager local shopper?  Our event is FREE so add it to your calendar and sign up to our mailing list to hear all the exciting updates!

Good Reads & Resources: 

Local First Arizona

Is Downtown Phoenix at a Tipping Point? 

BALLE

As we continue to grow our Jackalope Art & Craft Fair, we're noticing some fun things in our budding community that is building, and it's all being shared online.

#jackalopeartfair

In a small way, we hope to bridge a gap between makers, attendees, and just general handmade enthusiasts not just locally, but across the country through our different fairs.  Take a peek, and see for yourself what our #jackalopeartfair vendors and patrons are up to:

We hope you enjoy some of our faves so far!  We look forward to seeing our arts community continue to develop with talent and fun from across the country!

@lapetitemelissa

@straussvintageshoppe

@lacelit

@foxboxes

@nana_porcelaine

@junkiethreads

@mkconnection

@nohosoapcompany

@aliciagorecki

@straussvintageshoppe

@callienerd

@pasadenacharm

@hannala23handmade

@coppermugco

Ladies and gents, (drum roll please) allow us to introduce to you, your one stop fun shop for shop local and meet the maker experiences, the first ever Jackalope Art & Craft Fair!!!  

And the crowd went wild as the Jackalope Art & Craft Fair took the stage for the first time last weekend at Central Park in Old Pasadena!  Like bright confetti, beautiful handmade treasures scattered across the grass in tents where curious crowds ducked in and out exploring, tasting, touching, trying and taking home their perfect finds!

With Love + Ink in action!

Over 200 artisans and thousands of shoppers made the first ever Jackalope Art & Craft Fair a huge success.  However, day 1 suffered the nightmare of any outdoor event, rain.  Topped with our scheduled food truck not showing up, we were wet and hangry but pushed through as umbrella covered shoppers persisted on. We came out relatively unscathed and dried out disappointment in the warm sun on Sunday morning!

Fair patrons prepared for the rain!

Sunday proved to be a gorgeous day and the Fair came to life simply breathing with excitement! The rows of artisan tents thronged with crowds of all ages!  

The artisan workshops scheduled for the day were a huge hit and groups of creative guests mixed their own essential oils, crafted their own terrariums, made their own jewelry and more under the shade of the giant pine trees!  

Thankfully the two food trucks arrived and had consistent lines throughout the day (perhaps we need 3 next time!)  As the day rolled on, the grass provided a delightful place for attendees to rest, eat and plan their shopping strategy, and hundreds seemed to be picnicked out on the lawn!  The Pasadena Humane Society dogs enjoyed the grass too and we are happy to report that both a dog and a kitten were adopted that day!  

And speaking of animals, no Jackalope Fair recap would be complete without a photo of our special guest, Paprika the Bun!

Cassidy Bliss Vintage's special guest, Paprika the Bun!

The Jackalope Team is high on the first success and excited to grow and build the Fair within the Pasadena community.  Our next stop is Denver with our Fair on July 25th & 26th but we will be back in Pasadena in the beginning of November to kick off Holiday shopping!  You can see the photo album from this first event on our Facebook page here.  Be sure to follow us and start your shopping list for next time! 

Jackalope Pillow by Mod's Best Friend, Felted Jackalope by Squshes, Yetilope by Yetis & Friends

Owner of I Heart Denver Store, Creative Director of Artstir, and VP of Chapter Development at AIGA Colorado

Q. Tell us a little about yourself & your background in the arts & crafts world?           

A. I am the Owner of the I Heart Denver Store, an innovative, award-winning retail model developed to support Denver’s creative economy. The store carries 100% local art and design goods and has returned an unprecedented 70% of sales to more than 160 artists/designers over the last 3 years. To date, the store has sold over $2.1 million in local design goods, and roughly $1.4 million of that money was paid directly back to the artists and designers for the sales of their goods. I also work with Denver Pavilions to implement programming and events to activate the Denver's downtown creative culture. 

Q. What/who is your biggest inspiration?   

A. The DIY movement in general. It inspires me to see how much we can make with our hands and new technology. 

Q. How did you get into your position in the arts & crafts world?

A. While pursuing my creative education I took part time work that gained me sales and management experience. After 4.5 years of college I was able to secure a visual display position at Urban Outfitters, then moved into leadership roles in other corporations and small businesses. After several years of helping companies with new store builds, team building, and marketing I took the initiative to self produce art exhibitions and events that led to an invite by the city of Denver to run a one week pop-up store. The press and sales potential of that first pop-up store is what lead to the retail program I run today. 

Q. Tell us about a few favorites of your: Animal?

A. My favorite animal is my best buddy Denver Picard. He is my corgi and shop dog. A favorite at the Denver Pavilions, he has won a tourism award and a couple Best of Denver awards from Denver Westword. 

Q. What do you love most about the handmade movement?

A. The handmade movement has allowed passions to become careers, and new businesses to pursue a sustainable path more so than ever before. 

Q. What is the most important feature in an artist's application for you?

A. The imagery. Professional and complete works that show me something ready to sell. 

Q. What are you most looking forward to in being a part of the Jackalope Arts jury? 

A. Seeing works not just produced in Colorado. My projects usually are geared to a hyperlocal stance which I wholeheartedly believe in, but an opportunity to get to curate from outside my normal region is a nice break. 

Q. Where can we find out more about you?

A. I keep my professional profile updated on Linkedin and you can find fun stuff I post on Facebook. http://facebook.com/samuelschimek https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelschimek

We are so excited to bring Jackalope to Denver and are loving the support that has already come our way. 

Our Denver Fair will be July 25th and 26th at EXDO Event Center in the heart of Denver's River North Arts District (RiNo) from 11am-6pm.  Housed in former industrial warehouses we can't deny the urban feel this venue provides. Jackalope Arts will be taking over their entire complex, even the alley in between to create an indoor outdoor event!

Same as in Pasadena, our fair is juried to maintain a high quality standard. We will be seeking out artists who display the highest quality craftsmanship in original fashion and jewelry design, ceramics and paper goods, innovative home decor and housewares, art and photography, and much more!  

To help us drum up support we have some amazing SPONSORS that we would like you to meet! 

Westword: One of the top resources in Denver to find out what is going on across the city in terms of news, sports, entertainment, and more! We are also hosting a giveaway to provide people an inside look into our Summer Vendors! 

Spices of Life Gift Shop: They are new to the Denver Metro Area and are located just along Tennyson street. They are your one stop shop in finding the "Spices of Life" including goods in music, travel, cooking and wine, Colorado Living, Home Decor, and more, most of which are handmade here in Denver!

Fancy Tiger Crafts: Fancy Tiger Crafts is located along South Broadway and specializes in craft supplies and classes for the modern crafter! They host an open craft night every Tuesday and also have sister store, Fancy Tiger Clothing, where you can find a lot of unique clothing and accessories!

Denver Fashion Truck: is also joining forces and spreading the love! Mobility for Denver's art and fashion. They offer a variety of quality goods that include local fashion, art, vintage and modern gifts.  

I Heart Denver Store: located in the heart of Downtown Denver at the Denver Pavilions, has long been a staple for everything local in Colorado and has teamed up with us to help promote the handmade movement! They also have an online shop, making it possible to support the Colorado makers from across the country. 

Team Etsy Colorado: A community of Colorado-based artists and curators! 

River North Art District: Where Art is Made.  Located just North of Downtown, RiNo is dedicated to promoting and supporting the people and businesses that reside in the area. It is also the home of EXDO and Jackalope Denver! 

Whorl: Named Denver's Best New Boutique in Westword, Whorl resides in Denver's LoHi neighborhood. Whorl is not only a storefront, but offers an array of services such as a mobile store front, styling, and private events.  

Yelp: Yelp is a sponsor for each of our Jackalope Cities and we love having them as a referral! 

CRAVE Magazine: CRAVE Magazine is here to promote, celebrate and support our local Colorado artists and our thriving art scene.

Art Quench Magazine: ArtQuenchMagazine.com is an amazing source of information on the creativity in the world today and are supporters of each Jackalope City! 

We hope this gets you as excited as it has made us! There is definitely no denying the talent that exists in the Denver Handmade Community :) 

Fashionista - 2nd place winner in Digital Media Arts in the Ventura County Fairgrounds Professional Arts Division Competition - Juried Art Show 2011. Framed Lustre Print - 18" x 24" Runner up of 4 - 2011 Chicago Fringe Festival Poster Design Contest. Featured in  "Art Takes Times Square" - Coffee Table Book - Premier showcase for international contemporary art

Today we're excited to introduce the designer behind our Jackalope logo, and give you a peek into his style, process, and inspirations.  Meet Jonny Blackburn!  

How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?

My works are a mixture and marriage of the all the mediums that I love. Blending the traditional technique where I’m mixing my own colors combining airbrushing and paint strokes capturing them digitally. Sometimes I will take a print and put that on canvas and layer it with random brushstrokes then reuse that random style in a digital medium. This makes for some extremely interesting mixtures and compositions. The coolest things come out that even I didn’t expect. My deigns combined photography, custom Photoshop brush design blending and implementing traditional painting, pop-art, mixed media and street art mediums that are transformed to create colorful, wild and vivid collage-style expressions.

Artists/Designers that inspire me: Blek le rat / Miss Van / Kubiki / Kris Kuksi / Jeff Soto / Todd Schorr / Mark Ryden / WOHA Archetects / Mr. Bungle / Tom Waits

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 

With my art tending to lend itself to a menagerie of "collage-esque" stylings that can be somewhat abstract, There is a method to my madness that is seemingly my own. One which uses many facets of development to create a final piece such as: the fluids used to mix certain paints and inks (Water from the San fransisco bay/ rain water / glues / beer & liquor to name a few) - I sometimes use these elements into physical paintings alone... or will airbrush/splatter them to photograph them for digital application into my works along with other mixed media stylings. I really don't like to think to much about the process.. thinking is too self-aware.. I like to be somewhere in between the "real self/unconscious" and some formulaic active thought.

Ringmaster

What is the most challenging part about being a mixed media artist?

Other than Open Competitions, I can't say just where challenge has been a huge struggle art-wise. Challenge is what it takes to put a smile on everyday amidst all kinds of adversity. Challenge is life. Challenge should be a normal instinct that pushes you forward to create and be diverse without questioning how "hard" things may be. 

As for competitive entries/ judged galleries.. winning or being noticed is usually what the judges art preferences are in the "mixed Media" category. Most people tend to not fully see or want to read long descriptors in how a piece was made, or the 100's of different elements are created... what medium was used, how it was applied.. and so on. 

Am I commercial artist? What’s mixed media? I really enjoy fitting snugly in this gray area undefined.. or help create a new idea of what "mixed media is... and can be" Some mystery is always notable. 


What do you wish you knew about mixed media before you got started?

Since the name alone.. "Mixed Media' sounds so ambiguous, processing my feelings for the category is like making love with a meat-grinder... or watching a plumber work in a tutu.. i just doesn't work for me. I had hoped if any that I would have known it's much more than a few words. It's more like Heavy Experimental Trans-formative stylized thoughts in some beautifully arranged vision held in time. *Heavy Laughter!

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Microcosms. Asymmetry. My wife Brianna and my neurotically excitable pooch Darla "Peanut" Blackburn. Things that push the boundaries in what the art world wants to pigeonhole or categorize. Wild and exotic things, Vivid Color & Expression. Music. Laughter. That perfect dusk atmosphere right before the sun will set. The Avant Garde. I enjoy rule-breaking the conventional art barriers. Never compromise yourself.  Find your own path and explore down the rabbit hole.

What do you believe is a key element in creating a good composition?

Color, or lack of thereof.. Nothing specifically has to be form-fitting. Act as if your work can reflect the sound of your synapses firing... as if under some serious miss-fire. Like fusion-Jazz on an acid trip. Sometimes, it's just as good as the sound of silence holding your breath underwater near a waterfall.

When do you feel the most creative?

No distraction, complete isolation, Whiskey and quite possibly listening to Tomahawk's - Anonymous Album "Mescal Rite" "Song of Victory" or "Totem" :)

What is your creative process like?

With some formula at first (Ideas to start a base/form to build off of)... then a decent into abstract madness, followed by bout's of laughter and disbelief. Paint will fly, photos will be taken, but the revolution will not be televised indefinitely.

Medusa - Original 1st Print on Giclee Stretched Canvas / Gallery style / wire-Hung.  2nd Place Winner / Mixed Media - VC Country Fair Professional Arts Dept.

Where can we learn more about you?  

You can find my Visual Art & Portfolio @
jonblackburn.sqsp.com
OR
darklineink.com (Webdesign/UX design)

“My reality needs imagination like a bulb needs a socket. My imagination needs reality like a blind man needs a cane.
”

— Tom Waits