2024 Holiday Market Jurors

Alyssa Kail is a multidisciplinary visual artist currently based in Braddock, PA. Curiosity, color, and texture are the driving forces in her creative practice and in life in general. Growing up in the beautiful Allegheny National Forest, she is influenced by both the natural landscape and the built environment, more recently taking inspiration from walking around and exploring while traveling in new cities.

Alyssa works primarily with fiber arts techniques and materials, but is shifting into incorporating fused and stained glass. She earned a B.A from the University of Pittsburgh in Environmental Studies and an M.F.A. from Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and Oregon College of Art & Craft (OCAC) in Portland, Oregon in Applied Craft + Design. Alyssa cofounded Camp Copeland Studio in 2015 with her husband Drew Kail. Together they are a small batch producer of handcrafted home goods and decor in wool and kilnformed glass.

Amy Solomon grew up in a small rural area of Northwestern PA and made her move to Pittsburgh, PA after graduating from Clarion University with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. In addition, she studied under Don Kimes at Chautauqua Institution in the School of Art.

She is the creator behind Amy Made, an artisan business dedicated to high quality craftsmanship and authentic handmade work. She is a visual artist that specializes in statement artistic accessories in ceramic and fiber mediums. While her formal training is in painting, murals and illustration, her work has evolved over the years.

For the last twenty years, Solomon worked as a director in the arts non -profit sector, connecting artists and communities together. Her past work oversaw grants and fellowships for artists, assisted makers with finding resources and the tools to create work, and curated numerous shows and events.

Her experience in arts management at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts have allowed her to work with artists from around the country as well as the opportunity to teach at Chautauqua Institution.

Her work can be found in numerous boutiques and shops in PA and Western NY. She exhibits and sells work at Handmade Arcade, I Made it Markets, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts & Media, Chautauqua Institution and various other venues.

D.S. Kinsel is an award winning creative entrepreneur and cultural agitator. He expresses his creativity through the mediums of painting, printmaking, collage, installation, curating, performance and public art. Kinsel’s work puts focus on themes of space keeping, urban tradition, hip-hop, informalism and cultural re-appropriation. A former AmeriCorps Public Ally member, D.S. has also been recognized as an Awardee of the Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40, Pittsburgh Magazine PUMP 40 Under 40, Pgh Tech Council Creative of The Year, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s "Top Ten People To Meet in 2016" and the Incline’s “Who’s Next” for 2018.

Kinsel recently took part in two transformative creative leadership development experiences called “The Art of Leadership” program through Rockwood Leadership Institute and the Engagement Program for International Curators through the Associations of Art Museum Curators.. DS has served as a board member of Pittsburgh Center for Creative REuse and the Black Transformative Arts Network. Kinsel currently serves on the advisory board for Shady bLane School, PearlArts Studios, and the Artist Communities Alliance.

D.S. is the co-founder of BOOM Concepts; a creative hub dedicated to the advancement of black and brown artists representing marginalized communities. BOOM Concepts is located in Pittsburgh and since 2014 has curated 50 exhibitions on-site, paid out over $214k in artists fees and produced 200+ events across the country. BOOM Concepts serves as a space for field building, knowledge sharing, mentorship, and storytelling. In its 10th year, BOOM Concepts continues to challenge and uplift the creative community. Encouraging creatives to find innovative strategies around entrepreneurship and artistic practice. In 2021, BOOM Concepts was selected as one of the partners to represent The Greater Pittsburgh Region on the Google Arts & Culture platform and recognized as one of Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures through The Heinz Endowments and The Ford Foundation.

Emmanuelle Wambach, a biracial, Black, queer, Haitian American, female artist, grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in a multi-racial and cultural family that instilled a love of art in her at a young age. She received her BA in art from Swarthmore College in 2008, her Post Baccalaureate Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2009, and her Master of Fine Arts in ceramics and sculpture from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2012. Emmanuelle moved to Pittsburgh in 2014 to hone her ceramics skills and became part of Pittsburgh’s vibrant ceramics and arts community.

In 2016 Emmanuelle traveled to Japan as part of a ceramic artist residency. She returned to Pittsburgh with a renewed love of ceramics and a new motivation to create. This love and desire to create new work led her back into her past. Through her mother’s love for gardening, lace and fabrics, she discovered her own passion for lace and its history. This has led to her current body of ceramic work. In 2017 she became a member of the Creative Business Accelerator and is active in many of their groups including, Monmade, Origins, and PG&H. They have helped connect her to financial, retail, and business growing resources across the Pittsburgh area.

Emmanuelle registered her company Emmanuelle Ceramics LLC in January of 2022. Currently, Emmanuelle is an early childhood educator at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, a teaching artist and Ceramics Cooperative Member at Union Project, a maker with the Pittsburgh’s Origins Collective, and a member of the Pittsburgh’s Black women’s art collective, Women of Visions. Her work can be found in venues around Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania such as, Love Pittsburgh, Songbird Artistry, The Heinz History Center, and the National Aviary.

Jayla Patton (she/her/they/them) is an award-winning artist, creator, and arts educator, known for her expressive artworks spanning digital and traditional art, comics, and illustration. She is a mystical creator of wispy dreamscapes characterized by rich, saturated colors. Jayla explores themes of body horror and celebrates black beauty, blending these elements in her unique artistic vision.

In addition to watercolor, Jayla utilizes laser cutting to transform discarded scrap wood into intricate artworks. By repurposing materials that would otherwise be discarded, she infuses her creations with sustainability and innovation, echoing her commitment to environmental consciousness through art.

Jeffrey Krsul (he/him) is a florist and the owner of The Bearded Iris Floral. He has also been the co-organizer of Queer Craft Market since 2017. Jeffrey was previously an artist, and an arts instructor at various schools in the Pittsburgh area.

Katy, a Pittsburgh native, is a potter specializing in wheel-thrown, altered, and carved porcelain. After dedicating eight years as a full-time Art Educator, she launched her own studio in Pittsburgh’s South Side in 2021, continuing her educational journey part-time. Her artistic path includes participation in two international ceramic residencies: The Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China, and Guldagergaard, The International Ceramic Research Center in Denmark. Katy’s current work is a fusion of her experiences from home and abroad.

Katy deeply believes in the power of a creative community, co-founding the Pittsburgh Ceramics Collective, which has since merged with Clay Pittsburgh, where she now serves as an active board member. Additionally, Katy participated in Bridgeway Capital’s First Leap program, fostering connections with a diverse spectrum of creatives in Pittsburgh.

Nisha Blackwell is a purpose-driven entrepreneur, artist, and lead designer at Knotzland Bowties—a Sustainable Fashion company dedicated to environmental and social sustainability. Her visionary leadership has developed the frameworks for sourcing, rescuing, and repurposing discarded textiles into exquisite bowties intentionally made through providing flexible work-from-home sewing opportunities to people around the region.

Since 2015, Knotzland has diverted over 8,000 lbs of textiles and materials from entering landfills. Nisha's navigation and completion of high-impact creative hubs, accelerators, business incubators, and programs locally and abroad have cultivated a community of investors, mentors, and devoted patrons. This community has allowed her to shape a business that provides some of the most unique one-of-a-kind wearables to a global clientele.

Nisha Blackwell's commitment to the community is deeply ingrained and shaped through her board, community service, and consulting experiences with organizations like AmeriCorps, Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, Strong Women Strong Girls, The Andy Warhol Museum, and other esteemed organizations. This lifelong dedication to sustainable, circular, and intentional community-building is stitched into every facet of her work. Her work has been recognized with awards from Girls Scout's Women of Distinction, Pittsburgh Magazine’s Women in Business, Rotary Club Pittsburgh’s Ethics in Business, Pittsburgh’s Smart 50 in Business, Facebook's Small Business Council, Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 under 40, Pittsburgh Technology Council, Style Week Pittsburgh, and has been featured in internationally in expansive projects with Google Creative Lab, NYC, The W Hotel NYC, and Macy’s Atlanta. Nisha’s creativity and artistic endeavors extend beyond entrepreneurship, with her work being prominently exhibited at esteemed institutions such as the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, Frick Museum, The Children's Museum, Concept Art Gallery, Contemporary Craft, and The Westmoreland Museum and selected by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee for a distinguished showcase titled Craft Optimism, further solidifying her status as a trailblazer in the realm of sustainable craftsmanship

Samantha comes from a long line of craftsmen who love to work with their hands. She began her journey making jewelry for her bridesmaids in 2004, and it quickly grew into a passion. Having graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Pittsburgh, she stepped away from education in 2009 to focus on her family and her craft. Her jewelry line, LUSTER, has been a consistent top seller at Handmade Arcade. LUSTER earrings are now sold in shops all over North America.

Samantha’s work with nonprofit organizations, such as The Artsmiths and Handmade Arcade have provided her with the opportunity to mentor, support and champion other makers in the Pittsburgh arts community, which she is very passionate about.

When she’s not creating, Samantha loves craft beer, live music and all things handmade. She resides in the South Hills with her wacky husband and teenage son.

Sam Laffey was born and raised in Southern California. Her parents recognized her early affinity for art and creativity. They encouraged creativity to flourish at a school with a robust arts curriculum, arts-focused summer camps, and pre-college study opportunities at ArtCenter, Otis College of Art and Design, and Skidmore College.

Sam graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a double concentration in Painting and Sculpture, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She earned her Master of Arts Management from Heinz College in 2007. Sam then served ten years as the Design & New Media Manager at Pittsburgh Glass Center, an organization dedicated to supporting glass artists. At the end of 2016, she stepped into full-time self-employment, co-owning and operating Porter Loves with her then-partner, now husband. She recently completed six years of service on the board of Brew House Arts.

Seiko Sisco is the owner and maker of Waku Waku Baby, a handmade baby shop known for their cute and functional baby shoes and accessories for little ones. Seiko is also a surface pattern designer and incorporates her original fabric designs to make Waku Waku Baby goods truly unique and one-of-a-kind. Since debuting at the Handmade Arcade Spring Market in 2019, Waku Waku Baby has been featured in The Incline and Pittsburgh Today Live, and has been the recipient of the Spoonflower Small Business Grant. Seiko believes in the importance of supporting the maker community within Pittsburgh and beyond and has served on the Handmade Arcade Advisory Committee since 2023.

TaMara Howard draws profound inspiration from the rich legacy of her great-grandmother, Maggie V. Folk McClellan (1879-1967), infusing her quilts with a harmonious blend of African and American traditions alongside innovative design. Since her journey began in 1996, she has meticulously honed her craft, mastering patchwork techniques, color theory, and quilt design, resulting in pieces adorned with intricate geometric patterns and personalized motifs. Through the utilization of longarm quilting, she expands upon traditional methods, creating quilts that are both visually captivating and practical.

Her work has earned recognition in prestigious exhibitions such as The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show and QuiltCon, securing awards including Honorable Mention and First Place at the Three Rivers Quilt Show. Additionally, her contributions have been featured in notable publications like Curated Quilts and the MQG Journal. Beyond her artistic endeavors, [Artist's Name] is committed to nurturing the quilting community through educational initiatives, including lectures, classes, and workshops.

As a member of esteemed quilting and arts organizations, TaMara Howard remains dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of quilting. Each of her quilts serves as a heartfelt tribute to her great-grandmother's enduring legacy, weaving together threads of heritage and tradition to ensure their resonance with future generations.

When she’s not quilting, she enjoys canning and attending all her kid’s sports, dance, and music activities. As a member of the Pittsburgh (PA) Modern Quilt Guild, you can find more of TaMara’s work on Instagram at @folkquilts and at www.folkquilts.com.

Tara McElfresh has been a part of Handmade Arcade since 2011 as the Hands-On Handmade Coordinator. Her goal is to show the shopper through demos and hands-on activities the value of what is being sold in the market.