Big Art Day at Grounded Print Shop During Summer Maker Market

Contributed

Be a part of something big. Create your own carved block print to be included with others into a massive collaborative art project during Grounded Print Shop's July Maker's Market. Proceeds from the sale of prints made during the event will benefit ECAT's Teen Art Club.

SATURDAY, JUL. 20

Grounded Print and Paper Shop is set to host a new art market, the Maker Market, on three select summer dates including Saturday, July 20.

The Maker Market promises to be a hub for local artists, artisans, and creatives, offering a unique platform to showcase and sell their handmade creations.

The shop kicked off the summer with the first Maker Market on June 22. According to shop owner and creator Ashely Pastore (Erie's 40 Under 40 class of 2022), the July market has the highest number of vendors registered.

Inspired by her experiences in Austin, Texas, Pastore returned to Erie with a vision to create an accessible art space for the community. This vision led her to establish Grounded in 2018, an interdisciplinary printmaking, papermaking, and artist residency space, aiming to foster the same sense of artistic community she cherished in Texas.

"When I moved back here, I felt like the thing missing was the support of creative thinking," Pastore explained. "I want to be a person that supports creativity. I don't think words can really describe how important arts are."

The Maker Markets feature various products including artwork, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, and more. Local food vendors and regional musicians will also be on site at the market. Grounded is hosting several art workshops and demonstrations including a community exquisite corpse project where participants create individual carved blocks that will be combined. 

"For our July market, we have a Big Art Day event in partnership with the Erie Center for Arts and Technology (ECAT)," Pastore said. "We're doing exquisite corpses, where one person makes a head, one person makes a torso, one person makes the feet, and they all get put together in one weird creation. We're calling it Mashing Monsters." The final, large-scale art will be printed using an actual steam roller to press the image.

Community members can come to Grounded Printshop to create their own carved block that will be printed and available for sale at the market. The proceeds from the Mashing Monsters project will benefit ECAT's Teen Art Club.

The Maker Market will be set up outdoors in the shop's parking lot and garden space. Grounded will also be open for operation during the market.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. // Grounded Print and Paper Shop, 1902 Cherry St. // Free // For more info: groundprintshop.com