Queer artists across Gainesville came together to celebrate Pride Month through their creativity at the Queer Makers Market at 4th Ave Food Park June 7.
Making everything from glass-bead jewelry to leather bags, these four businesses bring pride to life with their crafts.
Community connections
After eight years working at UF, Kiersten Allison felt she needed a change in her life.
A year and a half ago, the 33-year-old leatherworker opened her own business, Hide and Chic Leatherworking, using recycled and refurbished leather to create goods like bags and charms.
Allison said part of her inspiration came from her equestrian background and the amount of waste produced by the industry.
“I really wanted to be a part of a local Gainesville community, offer something that isn't already being offered,” Allison said, “and sustainability is also very important.”
After leaving the university due to burnout and the feeling that inclusivity was no longer welcome, she found community in Gainesville’s art and maker scene.
Allison said she finds the community consistently collaborative and supportive of her and her work, offering help whenever needed.
Queerness is a big part of the community, she added, and she’s had the chance to meet other queer people at markets and art-centered events.
“Everyone who crafts here and goes to markets is just so lovely and wholesome and supporting,” Allison said. “I've never had a bad experience anywhere in Gainesville [at] any markets.”
Family bonds
Sister duo Erin Beardslee and Caroline Hendryx started their business, The Bead Bandits, a year ago. It’s been growing ever since.
Beardslee, a 33-year-old communications and grants specialist, said the business is the perfect way to connect with her sister while doing something she’s passionate about.
“Jewelry plus the love for making art and crafting, especially for other people, combined into this passion and now business,” Beardslee said.
The siblings use glass beads to create small hand-stitched pieces of jewelry. The pieces include a wide range of subjects, from flags to natural things like worms or plants.
Beyond family bonding, Beardslee and Hendryx also connect with the Gainesville community through their art, talking to customers both online and in person at markets.
Beardslee said the crowd at the Queer Makers Market was the most engaged she had seen in a while.
"They were stoked to be there," Beardslee said, "excited to support other queer makers or just
queer makers in general."
Science and art
For Louise Ball, a 46-year-old scientist working at UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, soap-making has become an escape from work.
Ball started making soap as a hobby three years ago, and it has since blossomed into a business. She sells small-batch soaps through her business, S.O.A.P. Soapworks — S.O.A.P. being an acronym for her four cats’ names.
“I think, because I'm a scientist, I enjoy the aspect of the chemistry of soap, so I really got into it for the chemistry,” Ball said.
But the artistry and community have kept her coming back.
Ball feels the artist community in Gainesville and other parts of Florida has allowed her to express her queerness and have fun in the process.
“I feel like I can more authentically embrace that side [of me] in the soap," Ball said, "and I have lots of fun making the pride soaps and stuff like that.”
Outside the box
Drew Marotte has been an artist his entire life.
Marotte creates mixed-media art pieces for his business, Askew Art by Drew, and regularly tables at art markets throughout Gainesville.
The 50-year-old artist works as a music teacher and previously taught dance. Marotte embraced his current art medium when dance and music were no longer readily available, especially during the pandemic.
“I could no longer shape people and create visual art with people in dance,” Marotte said.
Marotte uses a variety of styles and mediums in his art pieces and said no two of his creations are the same. His pieces mix acrylic and watercolor paints with textural elements like clay or plaster.
Marotte often shares a booth with his husband, Chad Tittle-Marotte, a 40-year-old embroidery artist whose own business is called Chad To Cart.
For the two artists, queer maker events feel like home and offer a sense of safety that might not be found at similar events.
“I think that a lot of my art is very informed by thinking outside the box,” Marotte said. “Both neurodivergence and queerness represent being able to make your own rules.”
Contact Brandy Sumner at bsumner@alligator.org.
Brandy Sumner is an anthropology and English junior and this summer's music and performance reporter. This is their first semester working at the Alligator. In their free time they enjoy playing guitar, reading and writing.
