Nearly 2,000 artists will gather at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia Feb. 14-17 for the 21st year of the Buyers Market of American Craft. With nearly $40 million in sales at stake, these artists will be competing for valuable space on the shelves of the more than 3,000 store owners in attendance.

The wholesale-only BMAC features nearly 2,000 American and Canadian artists displaying new designs in wood, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, kaleidoscopes, decorative and wearable fiber, metal, and glass. The Inspired Interiors pavilion features 30 American and Canadian furniture and lighting designers displaying works based on tradition, invention, and the promotion of contemporary home design. The Premier Jewelry Pavilion boasts nearly 70 designers working in platinum, 18K gold, 14K gold, diamonds and precious gemstones. Jewelry and fashion buyers have the opportunity to shop early when the show opens with the Jewelry and Art-to-Wear preview, Thursday, February 13 from 4-8 p.m.

Daily breakfast seminars include “How to Buy Jewelry in Uncertain Times,” lead by Lucette Bloomgarden, buyer for Belenky Brothers; “Art of the Deal,” lead by a panel of retailers and artists; Right Brain Rising, lead by Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation and contributing editor at Fast Company magazine; and Table Topics, lead by industry experts and sponsored by the Craft Retailers Association for Tomorrow.

Other events include a free, 50’s-style sock hop with The Coasters on Saturday, February 15 at 8 p.m. and the NICHE Awards ceremony and reception on Sunday, February 16, honoring the most innovative craft artists in the United States and Canada.

The Buyers Market of American Craft is produced by The Rosen Group, an arts marketing and publishing firm based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Rosen Group publishes NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for retailers of fine craft art, and AmericanStyle magazine, the arts and lifestyle magazine for collectors of fine American craft.

JCK