an arts,
crafts, & music event
 

341 Delaware Avenue at West Tupper

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Three women came together in the summer of 1994 to create a venue for women artists to sell their wares. Their vision was to create an opportunity for women of various skill levels and with different talents to share their gifts with other women, and the art-loving public.  The founders included Gwenn Jones Carr, Bernadette Hoppe, and Carrie Marcotte. In 2004, Gwenn Jones Carr moved abroad and Monica Brown and Kathy Shiroki joined the organizing team. 

For over 15 years, this team of Gifted Women has presented Women's Gifts in various venues around Buffalo.  The event has changed locations throughout the years, moving from  Big Orbit Gallery on the west side,  to Market Arcade in downtown Buffalo, to the Unitarian Universalist Church on Elmwood and West Ferry, and currently Asbury Hall at Babeville (Ani DiFranco's venue formerly known as "The Church").   Women's gifts has  expanded  from about 20 vendors at the first event to over 50 at the 2010 event.  The event is not juried, which means that any woman, regardless of her level of skill, can sell her creations at the event.  We just ask that items are handcrafted here in Western New York.  As a result, this show is accessible to emerging artistic talent, and has a lively diversity of gifts for sale. 

Women's Gifts has always included performance as well.  It has hosted poets and story tellers ( which can be difficult to hear over the ruckus created by happy shoppers) to our continuing tradition of live music by local women musicians.  Some of our musicians have included many of Buffalo's recognized musical talents, including Kathy Moriarty, Noa Bursie, Leah Zicari,  Liz Abbot, Tina Crapsi, and Drawing Down the Moon.

The focus of Women's Gifts remains to support local women artists and showcase the amazing talents in our community.  As always, we encourage you to spend your precious and hard earned holiday dollars on women who live and create here in Western New York.   You will most likely run into someone you know, and you may even find out that your neighbor or co-worker is an incredibly talented artisan!