Renegade Craft Fair: Chicago 2011

One of the great things about living in a large city is the amount of fairs and festivals that take place each year. The Renegade Craft Fair, now in its 9th year in the city of Chicago, is one of my favorite events. It brings together a whole lot of people like me: artists, designers, and crafters who love making stuff and collecting the stuff people make. This is only my second year attending the big summer fair (I’ve also attended the Holiday Fair in the winter), but I was excited to see some familiar faces, as well as artisans I hadn’t seen before. Best of all, my boyfriend came along on Saturday (September 10) and he loved the fair so much that we came back for the second day! We both bought a fair amount of stuff: some things for friends and family, other things for ourselves. Most of the booths we gravitated to where letterpress- and screen-printers, but there were some great painters, photographers, and sculptural artists as well. Below are photos from the fair and some of my favorite vendors (at least the ones I was able to snag business cards from). My repeat favorites (vendors I liked from last year or earlier) are noted with an asterisk (*). Also check out the Renegade Craft Fair site for extensive information on the artists and their products, and TONS of photos. With any luck, I’ll be selling my own stuff at the Renegade Fair in a year or two!

• Berkley Illustration!: Portland, OR. Illustrations of animals as people!
• Bison Bookbinding*: Bellingham, WA. Letterpress and bookbinding.
• Circa Ceramics*: Chicago, IL. Handmade glazed ceramics.
• circle street*: Appleton, WI. Hand-sewn stationery.
• Clinton Reno*: Columbus, OH. Screen-printed illustrations.
• Crown Vic Productions: Detroit, MI + Chicago, IL. Linoleum block prints.
• Delicious Design League*: Chicago, IL. Design + illustration.
• Dolan Geiman: Chicago, IL. Multimedia art.
• Domestica: Cool handmade stuff!
• EARTH CADETS*: Chicago, IL. Screen-printed fiber goods.
• Ex-Boyfriend Collection: Screen-printed apparel.
• Ex Libris Anonymous*: Portland, OR. Handmade journals from printed books.
• Fourth Is King*: Chicago, IL. Screen-printed t-shirts + stickers.
• Fugscreens Studios*: Chicago, IL. Screen-printing workshop and studio.
• Fuzzy Ink: Raleigh, NC. Screen-printed apparel, posters, + other goodies.
• Gnome Enterprises*: Brooklyn. Screen-printed apparel.
• Hero Design Studio*: Buffalo, NY. Screen-printed designs.
• iamhome*: Cicero, IL. Handmade home decor.
• Jessica Swift*: Atlanta, GA. Stationery and other items with designed patterns.
• Just A Jar Design Press: Marietta, OH. Letterpressed and hand-printed goods.
• Kevin Tong Illustration*: Los Angeles, CA. Illustrations, posters, + paintings.
• Kit Paulson: Chicago, IL. Hand-blown glass sculptures.
• Know Your Flag: Chicago, IL. Screen-printed posters, t-shirts, + designs
• Lucius Art: Chicago, IL. Animal-inspired art and prints.
• Make My Notebook: Denver, CO. Custom-made spiral-bound notebooks with screen-printed covers.
• Methane Studios: Screen-printed design + illustration.
• Mis Nopales Art*: Downey, CA. Mexican-inspired screen-printed posters + apparel.
• Miss Alison*: Chicago, IL. Handmade vinyl accessories.
• mogo*: St. Louis, MO. Modern goods from scratch.
• Ork Posters: Chicago, IL. Screen-printed neighborhood posters.
• peaceful traveler: Screen-printed maps, charts, + diagrams.
• Perpetually Yours: Chicago, IL. Pet-inspired pillows + prints.
• Purple Hippo Stitches: Bloomington, IN. Snarky cross-stitched art.
• rar rar press*: Chicago, IL. Snarky letterpressed stationery.
• Red Hydrant Press*: Grand Rapids, MI. Hand-printed art and apparel.
• Shawnimals: Chicago, IL. Hilarious baby ninjas. ‘Nuff said.
• Slow Industries*: Chicago, IL. Letterpressed goods and studio.
• Spudnik Press Cooperative*: Chicago, IL. Letterpress and printing studio and cooperative.
• Starshaped Press*: Chicago, IL. Letterpressed goods and studio.
• The Social Dept., LLC: Akron, OH. Screen-printed posters + t-shirts
• Tugboat Printshop*: Pittsburgh, PA. Amazing prints from wood-cut illustrations.
• Vahalla Studios*: Kansas City, MO. Screenprinted posters + stationery.
• Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress*: Knoxville, TN. Letterpressed posters + goods
• Yellowlion*: Chicago, IL. Screen-printed designs and patterns.
• Zerobird: Chicago, IL. Chicago-inspired screen-printed goods.