Video Transcript: History of Syracuse Art Mart
Nick King: It’s Christmas time, and for downtown Syracuse, that means the return of Art Mart – a seasonal pop-up shop featuring crafts and pieces made by local vendors, originating over 70 years ago.
Judith Brown: It’s a group of artists – women – who decided we needed, Syracuse needed, some place to showcase it. Then they added the crafters to it, the juried crafters to it. We were in the Atrium in Syracuse, over by the State Tower building, for years and years, and then we couldn’t. So every year we’ve had to look for someplace different
King: And while the origins are important, it’s the legacy and tradition that keeps customers and vendors snowballing on back.
Brown: Tradition is really strong. 70 years worth for us. But the tree lighting and everything else bring people down here anyway because of tradition, and we’re here for that. The people that are here, some of them have been here past, like, the 10 years that I’ve been here.
King: Those searching to experience the tradition of Art Mart can do so up until Dec. 24th. For NCC News, I’m Nick King.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — With the arrival of the holiday season, a longtime Syracuse tradition is back in downtown.
Art Mart, a seasonal pop-up shop showcasing work from local artists and crafters, has returned for its 71st year of operation. But the store wasn’t always as celebrated as it is now. Instead, it traces itself to humble beginnings, where a small group of local women artists sought a space to highlight Syracuse’s creative community.
“It’s a group of artists —women — who decided we needed, Syracuse needed, some place to showcase it,” said Judith Brown, president and CEO of Syracuse Allied Art. “Then they added the juried crafters to it. We were in the Atrium in Syracuse, over by the State Tower building, for years and years, and then we couldn’t. So every year we’ve had to look for someplace different.”
Despite the changing locations over the decades, Brown said the holiday tradition associated with Art Mart has helped it endure. The mix of holiday festivals downtown, including the annual tree lighting, never fails to draw visitors back year after year.
“Tradition is really strong. Seventy years’ worth for us,” Brown said. “The people that are here, some of them have been here past the 10 years that I’ve been here.”
Art Mart will remain open up until Christamas Eve for those looking to browse handmate gifts or revisit a piece of Syracuse’s holidy history.