Photos and Story by D.C. Thomas
Clarksville, TN – In anticipation of the Holiday Season, the last two months of 2024 are marked by joyous encounters, especially at the Downtown Artists Cooperative (DAC) during the Artwalk’s evening strolls.
Carols and good cheer invite you to the DAC’s Holiday Bazaar, set up in the River Gallery of this cooperative on Franklin Street. This seasonal exhibit is open during DAC’s business hours and offers a variety of gift ideas for those who observe Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, Las Posadas and more.
This annual two-month exhibit of eclectic art collections and handmade souvenirs brings excitement to those in pursuit of the perfect gifts for the Winter Holidays. Spanning November and December, the Holiday Bazaar is one of the most sought-after destinations in Clarksville’s Historic Downtown.
The Bazaar’s gift ideas list goes on and on, for both naughty and nice: photography, woodwork, handmade jewelry, paintings, fused glass, decorative wreaths, pottery and skillfully hand- painted card sets for those who love to mail their wishes of good luck and fortune to loved ones.
This year’s Bazaar welcomed art patrons and winter holiday enthusiasts to browse the artfully ornate displays under a ceiling of lights and snowflakes remarkably strung in zig zags. For the last five years, this tradition has been supervised with much dedication by Jaime Moore, an artist member and photographer who volunteers for the DAC Gallery.
“My husband, Shane and one of my daughters usually help us. We just have to string all these lights, but each artist is in charge of their own section; … they bring their own setup. … We have a contest every year, so the best one wins a $25 gift certificate. … They’re working hard all year. You can tell. They bring those little pieces because those are the ones that really sell,” Jaime explained while at the Roxy celebrating both their wedding anniversary and the opening of the couple’s exhibit ‘Fusion’.
“I got thinking, this year: ‘Let’s do a theme.’ Either a gingerbread house or a village. Then the idea of Winter Wonderland came up so we just concentrated on that.” And so they did, always with dedication and attention to detail, as they have been doing for years, like donating new curtains to DAC and purchasing the Winter Wonderland décor items they installed with their daughter Becca.
Indeed a wonderland, well received by many who attended the opening reception of the Bazaar’s first month. Shane Moore, one of the DAC’s founding members, recalls that “it used to be a one-month thing then it became a two-month thing.” Moore also reminisced about the DAC gallery’s beginnings at 105 Franklin Street above what was then the Front Page Deli, across the street from the Roxy Regional Theatre.
“We had a lot of professors, we had a lot of people who made large pieces, large paintings, and they were $200, $400, $500, $1,200. … So, the idea was, in December, ‘Everyone, let’s make small works,’ things that are affordable, … could be seasonal; smaller pieces that people would be like ‘Yeah, I’ll spend $50 on that!’ … that’s where it started. It was called ‘Small Works,’ said Shane.
Shane and Jaime, like other DAC members, shop at the cooperative for Christmas gifts for their families and friends, while supporting local artists and small businesses. I also talked to Jennifer Pierstorff, a prolific artist and DAC member since the spring of 2022, who is participating in the Bazaar for the second time in a row, with Christmas hand-painted ornaments, original art, prints and card sets.
“I have ornaments like ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Harry Potter’, ‘The Grinch’, … and if people like figurative art, for under $20.00, I have prints that … can be given as gifts, like my card sets,” Pierstorff said.
Her hand-painted ornaments can transcend trimming the tree and be used as décor throughout the year in various settings. Jennifer’s colorful art is on display next to Carmen Rein Arts, with a white Christmas tree and little blue adornments. It took Jennifer three days to set up for the Bazaar.
“Things get tangled, so it takes a little while. I finished a couple of hours ago. I was still labeling things,” she said during the November Artwalk. “Then I had some people come in while writing the tags,” Pierstorff smiled and said the patrons bought the art as she was setting up. She is looking forward to her mother’s visit to Clarksville and spending the holidays with her. “We’re like the ‘Gilmore Girls’,” she exclaimed.
Other member artists who are participating in the Bazaar this year, starting the tour with Michelle Land’s colorful fused glass and the frosty window display at the front, are Anna Burson, Patty Gabilondo, Joanne Billingsly, Peggy Bonnington, Toni Allinder, Leah and John Foote, Jennifer Ingalls and more. Go explore it.
Parallel to the River Gallery at DAC, the Spires Gallery houses a great range of artworks by the members of the cooperative, (respectively the shelves in the balcony area), who are not participating in the Holiday Bazaar, yet they draw you in from the moment you step foot in this historical building.
There is something for everyone.
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow… in Clarksville.
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