Published May 7, 2025
BY ZANA BALABAN
High school students from Carmel High School’s AP 3D Art program came together April 26 for the first Santa Cruz Local Artisan Faire, a marketplace for high schoolers, college students and emerging artists from around the area to showcase and sell their artwork, ranging from ceramics and jewelry to textiles and prints.
The event is the brainchild of Carlos Dye, owner of Santa Cruz’s “old-school” shop Phoenix Ceramic Supplies, the primary clay resource for all Santa Cruz and Monterey County art departments. Working with young artists in free community demonstrations and art programs, Dye wanted to foster a space to share creations, learn the fundamentals of sales and engage directly with the public.
“My real goal is not for people to make money,” says Dye. “This meeting of minds not only advances students’ own skill sets but also gives them real experience in sales.”
Getting out there, he explains, goes beyond creating connections between young artists and the community. It’s about the rare opportunity for students to step outside the comfortable bounds of their environment and be exposed to new creative ideas from schools miles away.
Dye notes that trends–whether passed down by instructors and upperclassmen or driven by social media–tend to lead to similar-looking work within schools. The high schools involved, including Carmel, Soquel and Santa Cruz, all inherently have cultivated their own distinct styles.
In the CHS ceramic studio, this phenomenon is seen as influenced by the coastal culture and community.
“The shapes students make with their vessels, the color of glazes they are drawn to and the sculptures they make reflect the community aesthetic,” says AP 3D Art teacher Steven Russell, who accompanied the students to the event.
While this sets CHS pieces apart, it can also act as a creative barrier for young artists, which is why Dye says introducing them to broader artistic communities is so vital. Present were local “emerging artists,” defined as those at any age who create amid a day job, as well as Merrill Pottery Co-op members at the University of California, Santa Cruz. With their work experience and creative perspective, CHS students were encouraged to redefine their artistic voice.
“Students need to continue to venture outside the Carmel safety bubble,” adds Russell. “Selling to an audience that is not your peer group or your teachers is so important to grow students’ soft skills and abilities to communicate about their praxis and process.”
Other adults from the Santa Cruz area contributed to making this event happen.
“We hope this event leaves artists with the tools and experience to be self-sufficient and to embrace individual responsibility,” says Jacob Imsland, who, alongside his twin brother, agreed to host the event at their Masonic lodge. “Symmetry and form are both characteristics that masonry and pottery share, so to unite these crafts is a harmonious collaboration.”
On Saturday, a lively community gathered to awe over art, indulge in catered
tacos, and listen to CHS junior singer-songwriter Adam Angel perform on keys.
“The atmosphere was very calm and organized for a first-time event,” notes CHS senior Kye Reyes. “It was great to meet other creative students and adults from the area, and one student showed us this really cool pottery technique.”
Organizers and students alike hope this is only the beginning. Dye dreams of creating a community of vendors and visitors that lasts year after year, where each group inspires the next.
“I want to sell work and continue to do pottery in the future, at least as a little side job to make money,” says junior Aspen Godsey. “It was really helpful to have these experiences and I learned so much in the process.”
