Walking into the NC State Crafts Center on Nov. 22, visitors were greeted with an ambiance of happy voices, upbeat music, holiday candles and a vast array of art to browse and buy. The 40th Annual Holiday Crafts Fair had the building bursting with artists and customers eager to see the ceramics, screenprinting, jewelry, clothing, woodworks and more for sale. 

The Crafts Fair is an indoor market held annually around the holiday season for shoppers seeking gifts. Booths are set up for a selection of Crafts Center artists, community members and instructors, giving them a wonderful opportunity to share and be rewarded for their works.

Myra Smith started working at the Crafts Center in March 2025 as the program coordinator, but she has been a member of the clay studio since 2018. She described the place as a “hidden gem” on campus, with a lively and tight-knit community. 

“It’s a great place to work and be an artist,” Smith said. “I was about to move away, but I stayed here because of this place, the people and to be able to make here.”

The atmosphere of the Crafts Fair was infused with warmth. Artists were brimming with pride as their work was admired by onlookers. There was constant engagement and smiles between strangers. Groups of friends and couples wandered around and pointed out their favorite works of art.

The fair is both a place for gathering and appreciation and a chance for artists to profit from their hard work and be recognized by those outside of their community. 

“For the student makers, it gives them an opportunity to know what it’s like to be a working and selling artist, which I think is a huge thing to be able to do that early in your career,” Smith said.

The Crafts Fair also provides a platform to promote the Crafts Center to those who may not otherwise know about it.

Carol Nix has been the director of the Crafts Center for about nine years. She said the event is all about celebrating the work being done at the facility and supporting artists at NC State.

“You have to be affiliated with the center to be able to be in the Crafts Fair,” Nix said. “That was something I instituted pretty early on because I felt that everything needed to be made here to show off what we do here.”

The Crafts Center is located on the bottom floor of Frank Thompson Hall. It has studios for ceramics, fiber arts, woodwork, jewelry making, lapidary, photography and glass — plus a mixed media room. They regularly host workshops on a variety of topics including screen printing, glass fusing and beaded embroidery.

When the fair opened at 10 a.m., there was a line out the door of the Crafts Center. The building was closed for several days prior as students and staff moved equipment and deconstructed the studios to make room for the booths. New crowd control techniques were adopted this year to optimize the small space. 

Nix said that although there have been suggestions of moving the fair to a larger venue to accommodate its growth, she feels it’s important to show community members the space where the work took place.

“I think there’s a certain hopefulness that this brings out because everyone here is so excited to be here,” Nix said. “[The artists] are excited to show their work. They’re excited when they see things flying off the shelves. That’s the best of the art that is what it’s all about.”

Despite being a STEM-dominant school, the Crafts Center has been in operation for 71 years on NC State’s campus. Nix said it was incredibly meaningful to have a space on campus devoted to artists.

“I always say, if you can’t be happy here, you can’t be happy anymore,” Nix said. “Giving yourself that outlet to do something hands-on — there’s just nothing like it. “

Nix said creating at the Crafts Center is open to everyone on campus, whether they consider themselves to be creative or not. The center offers a sense of unity, an outlet for stress and a means of expression for all people. 

The next opportunity to support artists at the Crafts Center is the Annual Spring Pottery Sale. You can find more information about membership and class registration on the Crafts Center website.