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Supporting local artists and businesses is a good practice to have year-round, but it’s especially relevant during the holiday season. Why buy a discounted hunk of plastic as a gift when you can instead give a thoughtful and handmade piece of art, all while supporting your community? Throughout the gift-giving season, Pittsburgh City Paper will highlight local artists from different mediums and genres, from ceramics, to jewelry, to clothing.
Blakbird jewelry
As the self-described “ministry of fly jewelry,” Blakbird Jewelry creates minimal, but still eye-catching earrings, bracelets, and other jewelry. Their pieces are often inspired by nature, like earrings inspired by Gingko leaves or featuring shiny beetle wings. blakbirdjewelry.com
Mary Tremonte
From “Queer Scout” patches to raccoon-in-a-trashcan printed hankies, Mary Tremonte’s pieces are funny, unique, and have lots of personality. Some of her pieces for sale — hankies with different critters and plants on them — were part of the Queer Ecology Hanky Project, which showed at the Irma Freeman Center earlier this year. etsy.com/shop/MaryMackWear
Frank and Myrhh
Front and center on Frank and Myrhh’s website is their tagline: “where millennials shop handmade African goods.” It’s fitting since the brand was featured in magazines like Allure and GQ this year for their bright and colorful facemasks. But they also sell printed hats, bags, fanny packs, and politically-charged pins. frankandmyrhh.com
PetalVision Glass
Have you ever found a cool leaf or pretty insect wing on the ground and wished you could preserve it, maybe even wear it? PetalVision Glass creates jewelry that magnifies the natural patterns of feathers, flower petals, snakeskin, and other materials by placing them under glass. petalvisionglass.com
Broken plates
Each glass piece from Broken Plates is cut either by hand, or using a CNC waterjet, resulting in unique statement jewelry resembling an ancient ice formation. They’ve also created delicate, glittery ornaments that are perfect for the holiday season. brokenplatesglasswearables.com
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2020.
