Crafters Color Outside the Lines

Lisseth Martinez needed a pop of springtime bliss for their table at Spruce Coffee​’s Crafters of Color fair on Sunday. They called upon trusty co-worker Sarah at Whitney Avenue bagel shop Olmo to find something magical at the Wooster Square farmer’s market, where Olmo regularly sets up shop on the weekends.

Sarah delivered, bringing back an array of hefty unbloomed peonies. As the Sunday sun warmed Spruce’s sidewalk, pink petals blossomed over Lisseth Martinez’s Lissedibles, cute clay creations with boobs, butts, queer terminology, and Bad Bunny fan designs. The flowers added a touch of ethereal grace to the small outdoor stove Martinez was using as a display shelf for food-themed ceramic magnets.

Martinez had successfully participated in a longstanding New Haven artist tradition: making your day job work for you.

The Crafters of Color, a group of local New Haven area artisans of color vending together at New Haven artsy digs like Witch Bitch Thrift, Koffee?, Bradley Street Bike Co-op, and of course Spruce, filled the cozy coffeeshop Sunday and spilled out onto its State Street sidewalk. Visitors could grab a Jasmine Matcha or Rosie Palmer (think Arnold Palmer but rose-themed, with a hint of mint) and wander through nine decked-out tables of specialty crafts.

Zoē Pringle, selling her wares as Pringle Painting Plus, had a gumball-machine-like contraption among the astrological paintings and ceramics at her table. Customers could pay $5, take a spin, and collect a random assortment of — not candy, but perhaps the candy of the craft world, beads.

I caught up with Ericka Saracho, who runs ceramics shop Bright Raven Studio with Gabriela Margarita De Jesus, just as they were selling a ​“berry bowl” to Damali Willingham. The bowl, as Saracho and Willingham told me excitedly, had holes in the bottom to wash and drain fruits. ​“You can eat the berries right out of it!” Willingham explained, ready to take this upcoming summer to the next level.

The berry bowl wasn’t the only beautiful oddity on Bright Raven’s table. Saracho also showed off an arrangement of so-called ​“mommy pots,” super tiny vases perfect for holding just one stem that a small child might bring you; ​“Mommy, look!”

For larger bundles, like the peonies Martinez scored from their co-worker, even a regular-sized artisanal vase might not be enough. Martinez ended up splitting their flower stash with friend and Wet Clay Works studiomate Tirza Harris, vending at the table right beside them.

“People call me the butterfly girl,” Harris said, a reference to all the clay butterflies she makes. One of the winged creatures, with multidimensional iridescent loops, stood watch as kids, adults, and dogs flitted in and out of the coffeeshop.

I asked about a boxy vase with a gorgeous glaze, and Harris wrapped it lovingly in her hands, explaining it wasn’t for sale. It was part of an art trade between Harris and Pringle, one of many I could spot throughout the afternoon. As the day wore on, the vendors’ tables melted into a cohesive art piece, with artists sharing, trading, and proudly displaying each others’ work.

The Crafters of Color embodied friendship, curiosity, and mini-adventures Sunday afternoon. Martinez, delighted with their flowers, put it simply:

“You never know unless you ask.”