It’s officially the spooky season, but for Fiona Holmes and Elyssa Fleming, the eldritch, strange and eerie is more than just an aesthetic that ends with Halloween. They talk to LeftLion about how they created The Dark Arts Market, a place where all ‘alt’ artists and creatives, at all stages of their creative career, can feel seen and supported.
The Dark Arts Market opened its doors for the first time in 2021. Elyssa and Fiona had been drifting between every local craft market, the “normie markets, the pretty markets”, and repeatedly finding themselves next to each other, wondering where all the people (and art) like them had gone. In their words, they “were just the little weirdos in the corner”. What the Dark Arts Market has transformed into now, however, is something which has brought together an incredibly strong, incredibly supportive community of people who exist in a self-identifying “alt” world.
The very first Dark Arts Market was hosted over in the Long Eaton Art Rooms. There were twenty makers and, whilst the fear about whether or not it would be a success was high (“it was terrifying”, admits Fiona), the turnout was massive. The coming Samhain market this month will have 34 makers, whilst the iteration in Derby now hosts fifty. Soon, too, the market will be finding its way over to Lincoln - very exciting news for a space with such a fantastic gothic heritage. But Nottingham is where it all began; a city which has always been something of a safe space for people who want to fly a different flag.
Whilst the art and artists they work with are, of course, the biggest cogs in their very gothic machine, it is this extremely nurturing environment they have created which has made it such a continually well-loved and successful market
“Nottingham made me feel safe and helped me come out of my shell as an alt person,” says Fiona. With such a continually rich arts scene, and with so many people from different backgrounds living on top of one another, it can be a beautiful place for alternative, grassroots initiatives to flourish.
The approaching Samhain market in October has an incredibly exciting lineup of makers on the way. Elyssa and Fiona’s enthusiasm as they look through the list is impossible to ignore. There’s the illustrator and graphic artist Vector That Fox, ceramicist Jillian Riley, corset maker White Phantom, silversmith Una the Wimper. The list goes on. It will be a market welcoming many new faces as well as plenty of old familiars.
It’s always important for the pair to “leave a few spaces for people who have never done a market before.” As Elyssa points out, with NTU’s thriving art school on our doorstep, markets like these are some of the best places for new artists to find their feet and to find their people.
Supporting their community in the most loving and accepting way possible has always been at the forefront of Elyssa and Fiona’s ethos with the market. Whilst the art and artists they work with are, of course, the biggest cogs in their very gothic machine, it is this extremely nurturing environment they have created which has made it such a continually well-loved and successful market.
“We wanted to make sure people feel comfortable,” says Fiona. “We both have anxiety and a lot of creatives do.” Putting yourself out there, out of the safety of your studio or workspace, can be daunting, but as Fiona puts it, what is vital is “making people feel wanted and accepted at our markets. Whether they’re customers or they’re traders. Or dogs. And cats if we can get them.” This is a place to be amongst friends, celebrating talent and beautiful objects in the most supportive way possible.
The Dark Arts Samhain market will run from the 24-25 October at the Old Cold Store at the Vat & Fiddle. So, bring your dog (or cat) and come and explore some of the most talented and exciting alt makers around.
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