Artisan Fair Unites Two Tracts - Page 2

Pros, amateurs, kids to show work Nov. 8 at Palo Alto event for community building
By Dave Weinstein
CA-Modern Insider
Greenmeadow Park during a previous fair. Photo: courtesy Greenmeadow Artisan Fair

"And what's really amazing about the amateurs is that they aren't that amateur," Heather says. "The work that they have is really impressive."

Some work may go for as much as $500, "but then you have kids selling stuff for 50 cents," Heather says. Heather herself will be vending honey from her Monta Loma backyard, and dried apples from the family orchard. She will also display her encaustic paintings.

"You know what surprised me [about the last fair] was how much the kids got in on the food idea," Heather says. "You would have someone who was making lanyard key chains, and then they baked brownies and made lemonade."

 

  Fridays on the Homefront
Carmen Rodwell (left) and Heather Scholl, beneath the trees at Greenmeadow Park, have been organizing the Artisan Artisan Fair from the start. The other organizer is Janice Lin. Photo: Dave Weinstein
  

"And the thing that was really funny is that they started negotiating deals with each other, and even started negotiating deals with the adult artists. 'I really love your pottery dish. I would like to get one. Can I give you a brownie and my two dollars?' It was fun to see how everybody supported each other and interacted together."

Both Greenmeadow and Monta Loma are well-preserved mid-century modern neighborhoods, with Greenmeadow honored two decades ago as a National Register historic district. But for a neighborhood to be true to its mid-century feeling, looks are not all that count.


  Fridays on the Homefront
Art and food treats come together. From an earlier fair. Photo: courtesy Greenmeadow Artisan Fair
  

There has to be that feeling of neighborliness that Joe Eichler felt so strongly about. Both Greenmeadow and Monta Loma have it, in good measure thanks to people like Heather, Carmen, and Janice, and to events like the Artisan Fair.

"I had recently been on a trip to Munich to go to the holiday markets in Germany," Heather recalls. "And I thought Greenmeadow Park would be perfect for one of these holiday markets…I planted the seed with Carmen, and she was like, 'Oh, that sounds fun. We should do that.'" Carmen says having the fair support scholarships makes things even "more meaningful."


  Fridays on the Homefront
Local artist Lynn Grant with her art at the 2023 fair. Photo: courtesy Greenmeadow Artisan Fair
  

Sophie says that the fair reveals an important aspect of the neighborhood. "Greenmeadow is special because Palo Alto can be quite intense of a place to live, part of the Silicon Valley. And it can be kind of go! go! go!, very competitive.

"But Greenmeadow [itself] is kind of the opposite. It's very relaxed and just a place for families to get together. And there's just something very calming about it."