Holiday Gift Guide 2010

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South of Washington Street (SOWA) is an up and coming area in Boston. A lot of the energy is from the lively arts community in the area. During the holiday season (2004, 2006) we always try to head down to the SOWA Holiday Market to see what’s new.

This weekend’s was SOWA Holiday Market’s 7th year and it did not disappoint. When we cover shows, we typically like to highlight a couple of outstanding vendors. This year we had a really difficult time because there were SO MANY amazing ones. If you want to see them all, they are on the SOWA Holiday Market site. If you want to see the few that caught our eye, they are discussed in more detail below.

The first to stop us in our tracks was Diane Koss and her furry monsters. Her creations looked like they just walked off the set of Monsters Inc. All of Diane’s creatures are handstitched and one of a kind. Our favorite is the Monster Hoodies. We have a few friends with little ones who would just be adorable in one of DK’s hoodies. They come in all kinds of color combinations and even in ADULT sizes!

Others of note were hip designs from SharpShirter, tasty treats from Yummy Mummy, ceramic and wood creations of FireWood Furniture, home-made marshmellows from SweetLydia’s, and humorous plush toys from Zooguu.

Our favorite at the show? It would have to be the wares from neutrino designs. The pottery itself is generic, but the patterns are totally awesome! It is RainDayKitchen meets RainyDayScience. They are dinnenware that would be Sheldon-approved…The Big Bang Theory fans will understand the reference.

Ian Anderson is a teacher and studio artist currently living in Portland, Maine. Ian’s work originates from an interest in message and narrative. He works as a sculptor, potter, and graphic designer. He has exhibited nationally in Seattle, Miami, Philadelphia and Boston. You can find out more about Ian here. Julie York is a sculptor living in Philadelphia who has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her work has been exhibited in New York,Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Palm Beach, and Vancouver, Canada. Her work appears in many corporate and private collections. You can find out more about Julie at Perimeter Gallery.

Neutrino Designs is a collaboration between Ian and Julie. This venture fulfills a desire to expand their aesthetic interests into the design and giftware industries. For them, Neutrino Designs is a departure from work that is located only in galleries. These utilitarian designs take their unique aesthetic into the home, creating a product that is modern, hip, and elegant.

If all you had access to are stores at the local mall, quality hand-made gifts can be hard to find. Don’t worry. All of the vendors at the SOWA Holiday Market this weekend are online and have stock ready to ship. Happy Holidays!