DECEMBER 12, 2025 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | By Sydney McGarr
The scene at Colorado College’s annual Arts and Crafts fair on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 was bustling.
Worner Campus Center was filled with vendor tables featuring all kinds of art: hand-thrown ceramics, screenprinted clothes, handmade jewelry and wall prints, to name a few.
The event is open to the public, drawing a crowd of local Colorado Springs, Colo., residents as well as a large number of student shoppers each year.
Rebecca Parker, Arts and Crafts director, organizes the event annually. This year, she said the event drew a crowd of 2,200 visitors over the course of two days.
According to Parker, 35 students participated in the fair, with an additional 43 community artists contributing.
“It’s exciting to see students who participate in the fair for the first time receive feedback about their art, whether that’s through sales or in conversation with peers and community members,” she said.
The Arts and Crafts fair provides students with the opportunity to showcase their own works, enjoy the works of fellow students and make some money in the process.
Sacha Levine ’26 was running a table that displayed a collection of colorful screenprinted clothing, with everything from vegetables to roosters on them.
“We’re choosing to donate all of our profits to Flying Pig Farm, which is a local farm in Manitou [Springs] focused on education for elementary-aged children,” they said.
For student artists, preparation for the annual event can be time-consuming on top of an already busy academic schedule. For student ceramicist Coco Spier ’28, pottery is pretty much a full-time job.
“I’m selling pottery that I made throughout the semester,” she said. “I probably average 25 to 30 hours of ceramics per week.”
But the hard work pays off.
According to Parker, students at the fair collectively made more than $17,000. Those sales are up from last year, she said.
Students who weren’t selling their own art showed up in massive amounts to support their peers and get some holiday shopping done.
“I’m shopping for Christmas gifts for my family and friends,” said Oden Hoff ’27. “I’m thinking I’ll get ceramics and some postcards and maybe jewelry.”
Parker says the craft fair allows students to combine their art talents with skills in marketing and design. As for student interest, she is always surprised by the dedication and quality work that student artists bring to the fair.
“It can be a vulnerable thing to share something you’ve made,” she said. “I think arts and crafts is such a wonderful and supportive space in which to get feedback and work alongside community artists who do this professionally.”