Watermark Art Center's Maker Meet offers a community for creators
Oct. 20—BEMIDJI — In the back room of Cantabria Coffee Company, creativity was on display on Thursday evening as creators gathered for
Watermark Art Center's
monthly Maker Meet.
Maker Meets are a place for artists, crafters and makers to connect with and learn from each other while working on their own projects or participating in a mini art project demonstrated by a local artist.
The Danish word "hygge," the practice of coziness and relaxation, sparked the idea for the meets, which began in March. Jill Neumann, art education program director at Watermark, defined hygge as the feeling of being "in winter when you're tucked into your house but you still want to do something creative and make something."
"We like to do (usable mini projects) at Maker Meets, creating something you can take home and use again," Neumann explained. Past mini projects have included watercolor painting, Sashiko stitching, basket weaving and more.
At this week's Maker Meet, Neumann taught participants how to felt wool around soap using a technique called wet felting. Wet felting uses water, soap and friction to shape wool roving. "The wool has scales on it ... and you're opening up the scales using either room temperature or cold water and then going to hot (water) to make it felt," said Watermark Executive Director Lori Forshee-Donnay.
Creating felted soap is easier than other wet felting projects because there is no need to add extra soap; the wool-wrapped soap releases suds from the inside during the process. Once the wool is evenly felted around the bar of soap, makers are left with a product that can help exfoliate skin, offer a better grip and add a pop of color to their homes.
Neumann said she first learned how to wet felt in a class at Watermark. Because Watermark classes require registration and fill up quickly, the Maker Meet was designed as an accessible alternative for participants to try out new mediums for free. The felted soap kits at the Maker Meet were modeled after children's art kits at Watermark.
Maker Meet attendees come from diverse ages, geographic locations and artist backgrounds. Participants at this week's gathering ranged from an infant who observed his mother's felting to a retired teacher. The event is open to participants age 6 and older, depending on the nature of the project, Forshee-Donnay said.
Attendee Amelia Kaiser, a visual artist who recently moved to Bemidji from Tacoma, Wash., for a position at the Neilson Spearhead Center, said she had her eye on Watermark's programming prior to the move and saw the Maker Meet as an opportunity to immerse herself in the community.
"I've always wanted to play with felting, I don't have experience with it," Kaiser said.
A few participants had wet felted a variety of objects before, from rocks to felt pieces, but this was everyone's first time felting soap. As the felt began to take shape around the soap, attendees shared stories of their other projects: spinning, knitting, quilting and painting.
Cadie Fairchild, a teacher in the Red Lake school district, and retired teacher Cathy Dunshee were excited they could participate in this week's Maker Meet due to MEA weekend.
"I have three boys and so a lot of times I don't get a chance (to work on crafting projects) and I have a soap-making kit that I want to try that is still in the box," Fairchild said. "So this seemed like a really great make and take (event)."
Maker Meets are held on one Thursday a month at Cantabria Coffee Company. More information on Maker Meet events and workshops can be found at
