21 Nov How Bazaar
Holiday arts and crafts market provides entrepreneurship venue for indigenous makers
On Friday, December 6, CITC will host an Indigenous Craft Bazaar, just in time for holiday shopping. While this arts and crafts market serves as a platform to celebrate and preserve the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous communities, the bazaar is more than an opportunity for creators to showcase and sell their handmade wares.
It’s part of CITC’s effort to create more—and different—workforce development opportunities for our people.
“One of our main areas of focus is workforce development, offering employment, education, and vocational training with personalized one-on-one support,” said LeeAnn Garrick, CITC’s Chief Operating Officer.
“The bazaar offers vital economic opportunities for participants, many of whom are artisans and entrepreneurs from Indigenous backgrounds. By highlighting their work, we empower them to showcase their talents and generate income for themselves and their communities.”
While CITC’s Career Development department hasn’t historically emphasized self-employment for those seeking work through CITC’s programs, the bazaar provides a “great opportunity” to expand the kinds of employment people can pursue with CITC’s support, said Ryan Hittle, administrative support supervisor for Career Development.
“It’s always great to shop local, too—even more so to [purchase] local Indigenous creations,” he added. By featuring handmade arts and crafts, the craft bazaar also “continue[s] traditions from Elders and [presents] new variations from youth” vendors.
The bazaar will host at least 24 vendors, many of whom first engaged with CITC as program participants.
Interest in this entrepreneurship opportunity was overwhelming, reported Ryan, with more than 100 inquiries from potential vendors. “We’re working with our Facilities department to see how many vendors we can accommodate.”
A unique opportunity for self-employed Indigenous creators to share their goods and skills, hopefully this year’s bazaar can become an annual holiday tradition that shares Alaska Native cultures with the broader community.
Event information:
Indigenous Craft Bazaar
Friday, December 6, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
For more info, visit our event page or email CD@citci.org.
