An artsy affair at the Mattapoisett Museum Craft Fair
Artists filled the Mattapoisett Museums with crafts and goods to share. Photos by Mari Huglin
Small painted ornaments perfect for Christmas trees.
Deb Tower from Marion makes quilt crafts.
A Red Oak Garden volunteer smiles in front of his table.
The Red Oak Garden table has honeycomb candles for sale.
Arts and crafts filled the museum even going up the stairs. 
Ornaments perfect for gifting.
Some of Ann Williams' painted shells. 
Leslie Geil shares her watercolors across the table.
Some of Donna Tripp's jewlery.
Hugh Kelly uses rocks and wood to craft items. 
More watercolors and painted gifts.
Flourish Creations and P-Shaw Creations share a table.
A table overflows with two vendors' creations.
Guests chat as they make their way through the carriage house.
Artists filled the Mattapoisett Museums with crafts and goods to share. Photos by Mari Huglin
Small painted ornaments perfect for Christmas trees.
Deb Tower from Marion makes quilt crafts.
A Red Oak Garden volunteer smiles in front of his table.
The Red Oak Garden table has honeycomb candles for sale.
Arts and crafts filled the museum even going up the stairs.
Ornaments perfect for gifting.
Some of Ann Williams' painted shells.
Leslie Geil shares her watercolors across the table.
Some of Donna Tripp's jewlery.
Hugh Kelly uses rocks and wood to craft items.
More watercolors and painted gifts.
Flourish Creations and P-Shaw Creations share a table.
A table overflows with two vendors' creations.
Guests chat as they make their way through the carriage house.
MATTAPOISETT — Crafters and shoppers came from across the Tri-town to check out the annual Mattapoisett Museum Craft fair, which hosted approximately 20 vendors selling handmade, unique items from jewelry, to blankets, to walking sticks.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Mattapoisett Museum hosted artisans in their carriage house and main hall, giving space for neighbors to meet neighbors and crafters to share their hobbies.
Ann Williams, a Mattapoisett resident, had a booth for her second year. She crafts shells into decorative ornaments as her retirement hobby, having been a nurse for 40 years. She loves unloading her crafts, but also loves the community aspect of the event.
“People appreciate my work, the artistic part of it and that it's natural. That these are real seashells and we're using sustainable products,” she said.
She collects seashells and seaglass from beaches, local shellfishing businesses and farms.
“[This event] brings the community together. A lot of people that I've seen here are our neighbors, our friends and, you know, some of these people lived down the street from me. Last year I never knew it,” said Williams.
Donna Tripp, a jewelry artisan who has been creating since 2007, feels similarly, but also finds inspiration at the event.
“People give me a lot of compliments and they give me ideas and it just makes me want to keep coming back and creating things,” said Tripp.
Jenn McIntire, organizer of the event and member of the Mattapoisett Museum board of directors, has been organizing the event for over five years, taking a brief intermission during the Covid-19 pandemic, then coming back strong for the last three years.
McIntire loves that everyone who comes is very positive and happy about the whole event.
According to McIntire, most of the vendors are from Mattapoisett, Marion or Fairhaven.
“I feel like that brings more local people too because our vendors are local and people appreciate that.” said McIntire.
Diane Gifford of Marion, a visitor, is a crafter herself and loves chatting with the artisans.
“I love seeing someone's passion,” she said.
Gifford appreciates the creativity and keeping traditional handmade crafts alive like leatherworking, woodworking and the fiber arts all while building community.
“Everybody comes with a smile, and they all tell me how much they love this event.” McIntire continued, “So for the vendors they seem happy and that makes all the difference.”
