Indiana Artisan Marketplace

This was an awesome event!
There were artists of all mediums and so many things to see,
Ian looking forward to returning next year and would suggest it to just about anyone!

I LOVE the Artisan Marketplace!
When you walk in, you have decisions to make– do you go to the left to start with some chocolate or wine (or noodle or salsa) samples– do you go to the right where there are MORE samples from local wineries, cheese, or fudge shops (and MORE!) — or do you go down the middle where you’ll find paintings, jewelry, woodwork, and many other beautiful things made by people around our great state?
It doesn’t matter which way you turn, you are in for something special. There are many booths to browse and there is plenty of room so you can get in close and personal with the item or product you are considering.
The samples are a-​plenty. Come hungry and thirsty and take advantage of what they have to offer. Pick up some wine from a winery that’s a little out of the way normally (like Oliver or French Lick, just to name a couple) — indulge in some specialty cheese or fudge. Support local business and get some of the best of Indiana.

If you haven’t been to the Indiana Artisan Marketplace yet, I suggest you check it out. It’s an excellent way to showcase our local artisans in one venue (wsg. select Kentucky artisans). These artists are not limited to your traditional art forms like painting and sculpting. They also include pottery, woodworking, furniture, metals, photography, fudge, jewelry, wine, chocolate, cheese, pierogis, caramels, kombucha, simple syrups, honey, and confections. I LOVE the wide range of artistry featured at this event!
The 2015 marketplace had about 150 artisans participate, so the hall was pretty packed. For $ 10, patrons could wander up and down every aisle perusing each artisan’s booth. (Side note: don’t want to pay? Volunteer at the event, and you’ll receive free admission either before or after your shift.). On the two outer aisles were the food and beverage booths. (!!!) Several Unilocal-​approved artisans were present, such as New Fangled Confections, Best Chocolate In Town, Sage’s Simple Syrups, 240sweet, Fermenti Artisan, and Pierogi In A Pinch. It was great to see familiar faces as well as meet other artisans I hadn’t heard of until the marketplace (see my review of The Sweet Shoppe). I spent the majority of my time in these two sections sampling sweets, cheeses, and wines. (Surprise, surprise) All of the artisans were very eager to talk about their product, giving you plenty of opportunities to learn about what you were snacking or sipping on. If you chose to buy, some offered some sort of special if you bought in bulk. (Hence why they are four bags of homemade marshmallows in my pantry.)
Some other neat features that the organizers provide are complimentary coat check and a safe place to store your purchases until you leave the market. (This came in handy for the trio who bought 12 cases of wine from one winery alone.) The Indiana Artisan Marketplace prioritizes their patrons, going out of their way to keep them comfortable and give them the best possible experience. I really enjoyed my afternoon at the Indiana Artisan Marketplace and look forward to attending again.

This was outstanding. We will definitely be attending again.
I didn’t know this going into it, but to be deemed an «Indiana Artisan,» you have to have your product judged by a panel and awarded the designation. I had assumed there were just some simple criteria (ie: I made this myself while in Indiana). There were a lot of wineries but no breweries.
The food section was better, IMO, than the arts section. There’s only so much one can do when it comes to exploring soaps and scrap metal sculptures. They had a live music stage in the center that wasn’t loud or excessively annoying.
The state fairgrounds was a great place to have this. It was indoors with plenty of room to walk around. $ 5 to enter the grounds to cover parking. Parking was a disaster on this day simply because of all of the different events occurring at the same time (Family Feud auditions!), but the fairground shuttles are quick and plentiful.

(disclaimer: I attended the show with a friend who won 2 free tickets! But all opinions are all my own!)
Had a wonderful Sunday afternoon at the State Fairgrounds checking out all the booths and sampling all the goodies! I highly recommend if you have a few hours drop by any of these events they put on because the quality of the vendors is very good and people are so friendly. And hey, you can’t beat supporting local!
Viva Indy Artisans and businesses!

Such a great time with so many beautiful exhibits for ten bucks!!! The 165 exceptional artisans crafts were amazing, astonishing, marvelous, spectacular, creative, breathe taking, just not enough words! When you leave you’re feeling a little inadequate in the talent department unless you’re one of those lucky talented individuals.
Pottery by Thomas has exquisite pottery using different firing and glazing techniques. One type of pottery uses horse hair to burn designs in the pottery as soon as it’s removed from the kiln with different glazing techniques. I could rave about so many but instead I’ll just hit the various types of exhibits that had my complete attention for hours so you’ll know for next year. Several exhibitors were actually crafting their art for the crowd and they made it look so easy!
The diverse artisans were selling hand crafted leather journals, fabric art in all sizes, wineries galore and tea shops with people 5 deep for samples, flavored marshmallows being roasted in front of us, hand shaped pretzels, several chocolate and fudge shops, jams/​condiments/​sauces, homemade noodles, jewelry, photography, oils paintings and pencil sketched artwork. Even more still with stained glass, hand loomed hats, scarves, shawls, large variety of soaps, hand-​made furniture, metal creations, and chain saw cravings of benches, bears and fun signs.
Speaking with many of the talented artisans was a treat in itself. Most were humble, fascinating people who loved chatting about their designs. For me, I was even more impressed after hearing of the painstaking hours mastering their craft. Amazing abilities under one roof which I, and so many others fully appreciated and envied.
After seeing a large number of artisans from Kentucky one of the exhibitors explained the reason it wasn’t just Indiana represented at the marketplace. Kentucky has an artisan’s marketplace each year and invites our Indiana artists and they reciprocate each year.
The amount of wine, cheese, chocolates, fudge, toffee, pretzels, and teas we sampled was well worth the $ 10. We left caffeinated with a sugar rush and memories of wonderful foods and several bags of goodies. I can’t wait till next year’s marketplace. I left putting together a couple road trips to Kentucky and Southern Indiana to visit studios and festivals recommended by artisans we spoke to today. The Indiana Artesian Marketplace certainly did show case the best of Indiana and Kentucky arts and foods.

Indiana Artisan Marketplace is a fabulous place to go to visit all your local businesses… what a great variety of booths and tasty food samples :)