Winter Wonderland at CraftArt

Mermaid Pugs and Santa Mugs in this Floridian Gallery

By Abby Baker

Through December 31, Florida CraftArt’s main gallery is a fullblown shopable winter wonderland, complete with a ceiling-high Christmas tree and a room full of handmade menorahs.

For gallery manager Liz Cooper, the Winter Boutique is a labor of love.

“It took about a week to put everything up with the help of volunteers ... I’m ready to book a massage,” Cooper said.

The winter tradition returns seven days a week, the first time since COVID-19 limited the local art scene’s brick and mortar spots.

“It feels incredible to be back,” Cooper said. “A lot of our artists have spent most of their COVID-19 time creating a body of work. This is representative of that.”

The gallery at 5th Street and Central Avenue is a temporary home for the work of more than 300 artists, most of which includes hanging tree art, holiday decorations and the occasional ice-skating bird.

It’s mostly pointless fun, but the walkable gallery gives visitors a chance to shop local and support Floridian artists.

“We don’t take a huge percentage of the artist sales because we want people to grow,” Cooper said.

floridacraftart.org

Wreaths for days.

Photos by Abby Baker

Holiday trees hanging with art for sale.

A mer-pug.

A mer-pug.