A hidden gem in Leland serves as a haven for art lovers every summer, featuring work from a variety of new and local artists that reserve their spot year after year.
Fishtown’s Art Shanty, which is a pop-up space located in the addition off the lower level of the historic Ice House, is a place where artists, craftsmen and makers get to be a part of the Fishtown community for a week at a time from May 28 – Oct 14.
Each week, the artist lineup and storefront transforms as the featured makers mold it into their own special space, giving customers the chance to meet different artists in town for the season. One of those makers scheduled in the months ahead is calling their pop-up “Slip Stitch — A Celebration of Friends.” The artists, Julie Stevens and Ana Spencer, have been friends since college, and have made a point to come together every summer for the last few years to sell their work at the art shanty. Spencer is a teaching artist based in Chicago and produces decorative and colorful pottery work, and Stevens creates unique knit designs and sewn goods.
“This will be the fourth year we’ve done this,” Stevens said. “We’ve learned over the years what sells and what doesn’t, so we got it dialed in, and every now and then, we throw a wildcard in there. We were both in the art department (in college) at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. She was in the ceramics department and I was in the metalsmithing department, so we were in the same building doing very different stuff, but we had quite a crew of us that all hung out and we’re all pretty close still…” Spencer also happens to be one of the instructors at the Glen Arbor Art Center (GAAC) Summer Youth Art Camps. She teaches the Clay Cubs camp which immerses young artists ages 6-12 in various clay handbuilding techniques while helping participants discover how exciting it can be to create in a real ceramic studio.
The Slip Stitch pop-up, which is a name the duo came up with representative of techniques from both of their preferred forms of art, will include handmade items from everything like intricate pottery creations, mugs, and vases, to sewn “sock monsters” toys and funky hats.
Although Stevens went to college for metal smithing (welding and blacksmithing), she said sewing and knitting has proven to be a little more accessible over the years. Her signature sock monster creations are popular among customers and are one of her favorite things to create.
“My mom taught my sister and I how to knit when we were like 5 and I have continued it on,” Stevens said. “The sock monsters I sell at the shanty, it’s a blast to see their faces and see how they turn out because they all have different personalities for sure… There’s something fun about making very tactile things. I like to make people smile, a lot of my stuff is very goofy.”
While the sock monsters are a hit, Stevens uses her knitting and sewing skills to also create products like baby crib mobiles, stockings, hats, and screenprint shirt designs. Selling art is not a full-time job at the moment for Stevens, a Leelanau native who grew up in the art filled county, but is something she hopes can be possible in the future.
“It (the art shanty) sounded like a fun opportunity…” she said. “You get the place for a week, the keys are yours, and it’s always fun for me to be back down there because that’s where I grew up.”
“Slip Stitch – A Celebrations of Friends” pop-up will be open from August 27 through September 2. For more information or to view the complete 2024 season lineup, go to www. fishtownmi.org/2024-art-shantylineup.
