Featherstone Center for the Arts’ annual Holiday Gift Show is giving Santa’s workshop a run for its money. Some 106 Vineyard artists and artisans have filled the Francine Kelly Gallery with tempting options. You’re sure to find a treasure for everyone on your holiday list, and plenty for yourself as well. Plus, with every purchase, you will be supporting local creators and Featherstone.
This 22nd show is bursting with handmade creations, including paintings, photography, pottery, crafts, jewelry, knitwear, clothing, accessories, ornaments, cards, calendars, stocking stuffers, and much more.
Artists include Allison Doherty, who creates abstract fine art prints using leaves, flowers, and fabric-like patterns. Bob Avakian offers both large and small versions of his moody twilight and night photographs of buildings that emerge from the darkness, each taking on a distinct character of its own. Kate Feiffer delights us with her whimsical, cavorting figures, both in her prints and imaginative, full-size shower curtains. Janice Frame’s close-up mixed-media portraits of lusciously adorned women are stunning. We get lost in the details of Donna Straw’s intricate pen-and-ink drawings, such as the one depicting a verdant garden, in which a stone walkway pulls us into the scene. Among her other works, Barbara Reynolds has miniature canvases sporting her colorful landscape photographs, which rest on small desktop easels.
Chris Scott prints his arresting photographs of birds on aluminum, imbuing their colors with a luminous quality. They are suspended in black frames, and it is as if we are looking right out our window at nature’s bounty. David Joseph delights us with his found-object sculptures, some standing free and others hanging on the wall. He fashions the two figures in “The Nutcracker Suite” from, yes, you guessed it, nutcrackers, along with nut picks, walnuts for the heads, and small tins of allspice for bodies.
Lynn Hoeft’s gorgeous handmade cards are treasures themselves, not just something to accompany a present. They carry her meticulous watercolor still lifes that depict arrangements of sea glass, stones, shells, butterflies, bird feathers, and other beach finds. Where Hoeft’s compositions are spare, Peggy Zablotny’s botanical note and gift cards fill up the entire picture frame with nary a background space to be found.
Cat lovers will enjoy Sabrina Kuchta’s dollhouse display of ceramic kitties in various shapes, colors, and poses, along with her mugs, tree ornaments, and bowls. Among Mark Bateman’s beautifully glazed ceramic pieces are two oval wall hangings of faces that evoke Picasso’s abstract portraits. Sarah Beth Belanger has a playful ocean-blue platter with a “Jaws”-like shark’s head emerging right in the center.
Among the many displays of jewelry are Sam Cameron’s necklaces and multistrand bracelets that she makes from repurposed beads. Included in Ashley Van Murphy’s goods are sparkly, dangling earrings that look like crystal Christmas trees. Charlotte Rooney has gemstone rings nestled in festive little gift boxes, each with its own tiny bow.
If you are looking for clothing, there are several options. Danielle Mulcahy has a plethora of handsome patterned scarves, bandannas, and shawls in rich colors. Among Enid McEvoy’s textiles are large bags, which are the perfect size as stylish carry-on luggage for your next plane trip. Phyllis Dunn has expertly knitted warm gloves, scarves, and other winter wear for the upcoming cold weather. Brenda J. Watson emblazes her “Digi Bags” with illustrations she made using a digital app that requires the artist to complete an image in 30 seconds or less. The results are colorful, wildly expressive portraits that are sure to spark conversation.
Just a few of the small gifts on display include those of Deborah Edmunds, who creates fine wooden replicas of Martha’s Vineyard that have tea candles nestled in the center. Laura Hearn has an array of amusing felted items, ranging from pumpkins to toadstools, and even a little three-dimensional landscape in a teacup that has miniature lambs frolicking in the countryside. Maddy Alley’s shell ornaments bear painted silhouettes of birds and Martha’s Vineyard on the inside. In addition to traditional flavors, Lynne Daniels has jams and jellies, including sweet pepper, pear rum jam, and apple cranberry jelly. Elizabeth Convery-Luce crafts unique works, including gold or silver wine stoppers topped with gloriously painted oyster shells.
The show has plenty more alluring options, making it the perfect spot to visit for your holiday gifts.
The 2025 Holiday Gift Show is open daily from 12 to 4 pm, except on Thanksgiving, through Dec. 17. For more information, visit featherstoneart.org/holidaygiftshow.html.
