ESCAPE in Armidale needs butchers, bakers and candlestick makers.
The fresh new market will kick off in Armidale as part of the Black Gully Music Festival.
Event organiser and front of house manager at the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) Sarita Dutoit said this is the first time that NERAM will be actively involved in the festival.
“It’s always been a sideline festival that happens on the edge of us and we’ve never been involved before,” she said.
NERAM will have artists arriving two weeks prior to the event that will create an ephemeral project and a Woodlands Week project making sculptures out of nature.
Ms Dutoit said the market welcomes anyone that creates their product by hand.
“We’re looking for people who hand-make things, whether it’s clothing or jewellery, as long as it’s sustainable.
The market is centered around the concept of nature and sustainability, it’s about getting away from products that are factory made overseas.
As long as you’re not on-selling, you’re not a third party, you’re physically actually making it and I have found there are heaps of these people around,” she said.
Local artists will be involved but NERAM has opened the opportunity up to anyone within a 200 kilometre radius of Armidale.
There will also be items for sale at the Aboriginal Keeping Place with the artists weaving baskets out of nature.
Ms Dutoit hopes the event will only get bigger and better.
“Ultimately we’re trying to make it one really nice festival and if it works really well then it will grow every year.
We’re a great community and we need to encourage these people and the younger generation to be inspired by this stuff and hopefully continue it.
It’s just about getting away from where life is going where we’re purchasing off these big brand names, those big brands are buying other big brands and are becoming far more huge than they already are.
I think we’re a small enough community for people to care about that,” she said.
The markets will begin at 10am, the music will start at midday and there will be local organic food on offer.
Ms Dutoit encourages market goers to bring their children and enjoy the outdoors.
“There’s nothing like this space in Armidale, this is a really beautiful scenario, hopefully every year we’re going to do it and it’s going to get bigger,” she said.
Escape in Armidale markets will take place at NERAM on Saturday November 12.
