MISSOULA — Thousands of people headed to the University of Montana on Sunday to take in the Montana’s annual Holiday MADE Fair.
Local and regional artists and makers lined the halls of the Adams Center’s three floors with over 200 artisans -- and a handful of nonprofits -- taking part in the event.
The MADE Fair is Montana’s largest art and handcrafted market and organizers hope to increase awareness of handmade goods as an alternative to mass produced items. Many of the artisans look forward to the fair year round as this is their main source of business.
Patagonian Hands co-owner Karl Knudsen says he and his wife spent hours on their needle felting leading up to the fair. They create animals with their felt needling using locally sourced wool. Missoula’s MADE fair is one of their biggest days of the year.
“This is the best show of the year, for sure, everybody comes out and it’s like an event. People get excited for it and it’s really fun," Knudsen said.
Like many of the artisans who were at the fair, Patagonian Hands also sells a handful of their pieces at the Artist’s Shop in downtown Missoula.
