Holiday shoppers now have an alternative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s called “Artists Sunday,” a new nationwide marketing initiative that encourages shoppers to take advantage of deep discounts on arts and crafts created by local artists.
Artists Sunday is a coordinated effort by local arts alliances and state arts agencies. Elizabeth Shapiro, director of Connecticut’s Office of the Arts, said the initiative is a great way to support local artists as well as the local economy.
“The idea is that you can go to the website and search by state, artist name and by the kind of art that you are looking for,” said Shapiro. “That means visual art, but there’s storytellers, there’s performing artists, there’s all kinds of things. And you can find artists all over the country, and then you get directed to their website.”
Shapiro said this network of artists means shoppers have a unique opportunity to purchase something custom-made.
“So, let’s say that you have relatives in Columbia, South Carolina. You might think it would be really cool to have an artist from Columbia do a sketch of your relative’s house.”
In addition, artists and arts organizations are hosting events and promotions throughout the holiday season to encourage people to shop for local arts and crafts. For a list of participating artists and events, go to artistssunday.com.
Connecticut Public will celebrate Artists Sunday with a social media takeover. On Sunday, go to CT Public’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages for profiles of the artists featured on the first season of CPTV’s original arts series “Where Art Thou?”
