Hannah Ellingwood couldn’t stop thinking about how much she was going to miss Broke: The Affordable Arts Fair this year.
The annual gathering of artists for the one-day event in the Peterborough Town House, which was scheduled to happen this Saturday as part of Thing in the Spring, was canceled along with the music, book readings and movies typically associated with the four-day festival in downtown Peterborough.
She first got involved with Broke through her high school art teacher at ConVal, Mary Goldthwaite-Gagne, who founded Broke, five years ago and it’s become one of the fairs she looks forward to the most each year.
“And not just that a lot of my income comes from Broke, but the community it has become,” Ellingwood said.
She could only imagine that others who had the same affinity for Broke felt the same. So Ellingwood got to work on creating From Home, a week long online market featuring about 25 artists, crafters and vendors – many of who would have been at the Town House on Saturday – where people can go to connect with local work.
“I’m thinking of it as a visual collection of New England art makers,” Ellingwood said.
It was a last minute idea, but with the help of Goldthwaite-Gagne, who provided contacts for vendors, the response has been exciting.
“I’m really not sure what’s going to come of it,” Ellingwood said. “But I feel like I’m part of a community again.”
From June 6-13, anyone interested can visit https://www.hannahellingwood.com/fromhome and peruse some great work. The website will have a list of makers, a photo of what they make with a short description and a link to their website/online shop. Think of it as the internet equivalent of a fair without all the walking and big crowds.
There will be jewelry and pottery, handcrafted pens and illustration, photography and glass works and so much more.
“There’s really a huge amount of diversity,” Ellingwood said. “And I was worried there might be a lot of overlap.”
Ellingwood knows how important Broke is for a lot of artists’ income, so this is a way for people to connect with and support those who need a little boost.
“There’s so many talented people out there,” Ellingwood said. “And I’m hoping this will encourage a lot of people who follow my art online to check out there other artists.”
Like Ellingwood, Madison Safer was disappointed when she found out Broke wasn’t happening this year.
“It’s the one I look forward to every year,” Safer said.
Safer has been a part of Broke for the last three years and immediately grew a connection with the fair and all those who take part.
“Obviously the financial component is important, but an even bigger thing is that you get to connect with people living a certain, similar lifestyle,” Safer said. “It’s just a really fun event.”
Safer, who is an illustrator focusing on natural themes and currently working on a children’s book, just moved to Peterborough a month ago from Milford and was an immediate yes when she got Ellingwood’s email.
“Anything that encourages people to stay at home,” Safer said. “And this way you can still support people even if you can’t be somewhere together.”
Wildlife artist Matt Patterson of New Ipswich, who operates under Stoneridge art Studios, wasn’t going to be at Broke this year because of other commitments, but jumped at the chance to join From Home.
“That’s how everyone’s shopping right now so it definitely helps,” Patterson said.
He said without gallery shows and the ability to host open studios, artists are looking for avenues to get their work out there.
“You can’t do the same things as before,” Patterson said. “Everything changed and it happened really quickly.”
And with an online store already, Patterson said it wasn’t going to mean any extra work.
For a full list of artists and links to websites, visit https://www.hannahellingwood.com/fromhome.