Creature Feature

A Halloween Market
by Dandelion Guild

NO LAND
54 1/2 E. San Francisco St. #7
October 28-29, 2017

Market Hours: 11 am-5 pm

Witches form covens, vampires stick to their clans, and werewolves hunt in packs. In the village of Santa Fe, a group of wildly creative black sheep has established a guild. Calixte Raifsnider’s start-up, Dandelion Guild, sprung from a regional community of makers that was hungry to collaborate. The DIY project’s series of pop-up artisan markets has been building momentum since last spring, when Raifsnider garnered a spot in the 2017 bizMIX Startup Accelerator. This fall, Dandelion Guild unites local artists, vendors, makers and monsters for a Halloween pop-up market at Strangers Collective’s No Land art space on October 28 and 29. CREATURE FEATURE is open both days from 11 am to 5 pm, with tricks and treats provided by Afterlife Alchemy Jewelry, Ashley Blanton, The Bookman & The Lady, Cold Lantern Collection, Jenny Rocks and Lindsay Payton. 

“Each market we create adds another chapter to our story,” says Raifsnider. “This one is shrouded in shadows, but that’s where you find the best treasures.” From the talismanic accessories of Afterlife Alchemy Jewelry to the metamorphic, mixed-media collages of Ashley Blanton, CREATURE FEATURE is Dandelion Guild’s spookiest manifestation yet. Cold Lantern Collection contributes illustrations inspired by classic horror films, Lindsay Payton conjures dark fairytales in her narrative drawings, The Bookman & The Lady unveils a curated collection of horror and dark fantasy novels, and Jenny Rocks offers up beautiful and bizarre found object jewelry. “If you’re looking to gear up for Halloween, there’s be no better place to be on the weekend before the big day,” says Raifsnider.

Raifsnider worked with Betterday Coffee to put together the first Dandelion Guild pop-up last April, and collaborated with Eliza Lutz of Matron Records on a larger, more elaborate manifestation of the market at Ghost in mid-June. She’s been a purveyor of vintage apparel for years, and works with her partner Benjamin Bailey-Buhner to sell rare books under the moniker The Bookman & The Lady. They run both businesses online, but have dreamed of opening a brick-and-mortar location. 

“We found ourselves in the same boat as a lot of DIY vendors we know,” says Bailey-Buhner. “We couldn’t afford a space on our own, so pooling resources made a lot of sense.” Dandelion Guild was their solution, a DIY passion project with a seriously collaborative mission. The company’s name, inspired by Ray Bradbury’s 1957 novel Dandelion Wine, is a reflection of this philosophy. “Dandelion is a lovely, lyrical word, and Guild anchors it,” says Raifsnider. “Our events are really fun and lively, and they also provide support to these professional makers and vendors who are working hard to make a living. It’s hugely inspiring.” 

Dandelion Guild’s participation in bizMIX this spring and summer has helped transform the grassroots endeavor into a full-fledged business, though Raifsnider is intent on preserving the organic energy of her early events. “We want to maintain that dynamic, vibrant, community fun feel, but within a structure,” she says. The pop-up markets are part of Raifsnider’s long-term plan to open a storefront that connects local vendors with treasure hunters.

“Dandelion Guild harnesses the collective power of emerging artists and artisans, a mission we can very much identify with,” says No Land co-director Alex Gill. “We’re excited to add some Halloween mischief to Calixte’s magical brew.” As past Dandelion Guild markets have shown, there are some surprises in store during the weekend of CREATURE FEATURE. “Who knows, there might just be a séance,” hints Raifsnider. 

Poster art: Cold Lantern Collection, Made Like New, digital illustration, 2017, 8 x 10 in.

Dandelion Guild

Dandelion Guild is curated, collaborative retail committed to forwarding the interests of talented local vendors and makers in Santa Fe. With this in mind, we will combine our resources to create a unique retail environment featuring vintage and handmade clothing, jewelry, books and other accessible art forms.

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Afterlife Alchemy Jewelry

Afterlife Alchemy Jewelry is Nature-inspired, earth-embodiment adornment that invokes healing and medicinal protection through talismanic representations. Each Afterlife Alchemy design is cleansed and super-charged with earthen, solar or lunar energy. Jewelry is not just jewelry; it is mystical energy. 

"Jewelry holds power, intention and meaning, creating realms that can emit this magic." 
-Monica Watson, Creative Designer

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Ashley Blanton

Ashley Blanton creates metamorphic mutations that are seeking new homes in which to belong. These handmade, original, small mixed media collages on paper are macabre, magical mementos for your walls.

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The Bookman & The Lady

The Bookman & The Lady believe in the magic of real objects...be they books or vintage clothing or perhaps the odd bit of ephemera. Combining powers, the two specialize in uncommon and collectible books, with an emphasis on fantasy, science fiction and horror. They also curate a small but colorful explosion of vintage clothing for stylish and eccentric souls.

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Cold Lantern Collection

I design and illustrate distinct and sometimes subtle images based on the Horror genre, specifically films. Have been described by others as “Macabre. Comic Booky. Satanic. Eighties.”  Don’t listen to them, they don’t know me. -J.

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Jenny Rocks

Jenny Rocks is the alter ego of Jenn Ingram--hot yoga teacher, clerk at Art.i.fact, waitress at Jambo and pet sitter extraordinaire. Jenny Rocks is a jewelry company as diverse as her resume with a sweet side and an edgy side. "Gumball" necklaces, steampunk jewelry, headbands with giant plastic sharks, bug pins, gnome rings, flower clips, and animal barrettes. You never know what you will find at a Jenny Rocks booth! 

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Lindsay Payton

A locally based artist in Santa Fe, NM, Lindsay Payton has always found refuge from every day life in stories. The raconteurs that made up her childhood influenced an eventual need to express her own stories through fiction, and then art.

Two years ago, fiction was put on the back burner to make way for the illustrations that were quickly coming to life. Today, she continues her narrative illustrations featuring children lost in the woods, local urban legends, hidden creatures and ancient fears. Making life less mundane by bringing light to the darkest tales of old so they are never forgotten.

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1905 Magazine Benefit Show

A Pop-Up Event Presented by Strangers Collective
54 1/2 East San Francisco St. #7
Saturday, February 18, 2017, 7-10 pm

There’s a fashion movement brewing in Santa Fe, and the proof is in the pages of 1905 Magazine. Editors Mariah Romero and Darnell Thomas founded the quarterly digital publication in 2014, with the help of their fellow students at Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Now they’re taking their first steps into the larger fashion industry, and ushering a community of young style mavens to the cultural forefront in Santa Fe and beyond. Strangers Collective is pleased to present the 1905 Benefit Party, a pop-up fashion event at 54 1/2 East San Francisco Street on Saturday, February 18 from 7-10 pm. Artwork and merchandise from the magazine will be available for purchase at the reception, in support of Thomas and Romero’s sweeping vision for the publication. This event is free and open to the public, and will include complimentary refreshments. 

Thomas and Romero dreamed up 1905 Magazine in a typography class at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design in winter 2014. Romero was a sophomore graphic design student, and Thomas was a junior majoring in business and graphic design. Both of them were interested in fashion, but SFUAD didn’t have any classes on the subject. “We were both working on fashion-related projects, to have something in our portfolios,” says Romero. “We knew other people were also doing photo shoots, and we wanted to create a community to bring it all together.”

The duo chose the title 1905 Magazine as a reference to the birth year of legendary designer Christian Dior, and put together their first issue over winter break in 2014. Up-and-coming designers, photographers, writers, stylists and chefs quickly filled their masthead. For almost a year, they produced monthly issues. Thomas, Romero and their contributors produced editorial fashion spreads using borrowed clothes from local thrift shops, cooked up stunning culinary features in the kitchens of their college apartments, and designed style guides that encouraged their readers to embrace their individuality. 

“We give off the message that you don’t have to be trendy to be stylish,” says Thomas. “It’s not about what’s on the runway at fashion week; that’s what everyone else is doing. You don’t need a lot of money to have an eye for style.” The SFUAD community quickly embraced the new cultural platform. The graphic design department helped fund a print edition of 1905 in spring 2015, and a film student made a documentary about the magazine. That fall, Thomas and Romero switched to a quarterly publication schedule and got serious about polishing up the design and content. The monthly issues often ran over 100 pages, but they worked hard to edit it down to around 60 in 1905’s seasonal manifestation. 

“We want it to look as professional as the magazines we’re looking up to,” says Romero. They’ve examined every detail of Darling, Kinfolk and other arts and culture publications for inspiration. “We want to be at that level,” Romero says. “This isn’t just a student project any more, it’s what we want to do.” Their hard work paid off in 2016: the wildly popular social networking app Snapchat featured some of their images in its Discover feed, and an LA author profiled them for an upcoming lifestyle book. 

Thomas graduated from SFUAD in 2016, and Romero will get her diploma this spring. They didn’t think twice about carrying 1905 Magazine into the professional world with them, and they’re bringing their collaborators along for the ride. The 1905 Magazine Benefit Show will feature photographs and designs by a number of contributors to the publication. SFUAD graphic design professor David Grey, who has mentored Thomas and Romero, will contribute artwork to the exhibition. Andie Fuller, who has contributed recipes to the magazine’s culinary section, collaborated with Romero and Thomas to design a cookbook that will debut at the event. A new line of 1905 Magazine merchandise will also be available, at a price range of $5-$50.

“1905 Magazine represents a new vanguard of local, talented fashion professionals,” says Strangers Collective co-director Kyle Farrell. “They’re already shaping Santa Fe culture, so we’re calling on the community to further elevate this inspiring project.” For more information and high resolution images, contact Jordan Eddy at strangersartcollective@gmail.com. 

Contributors: Lydia Abernathy, Jennifer Carrillo, David Grey, Laura San Román, Mark Baker-Sanchez, Amy West, Jonathon Duarte, Callan Ramirez, Keynan Johnson, Andie Fuller, Jennie Johnsrud, Mariah Romero & Darnell Thomas.