Guild and Grange, an artisan marketplace, coming to John Jay Homestead

John Jay Homestead in Katonah will transform into an artisan marketplace the weekend of May 13 - 15 when the inaugural Guild & Grange event takes place. Over two dozen vendors from across the region will showcase their handmade wares, including furniture, wooden objects, glassware, ceramics and jewelry at this open air market.

“There’s really nothing else like this around here,” said Jenny Indig, one of the Guild & Grange event organizers. “There are so many amazing products made within a 50-mile radius of this area. We want to use this opportunity to showcase these artisans, and the amazing space at John Jay Homestead seemed like the perfect venue to do that.”

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Indig, who moved to the area from Brooklyn during the pandemic, hopes that this event will appeal to those who want to fill their homes with well-made, locally sourced items. “One of our criteria for the artisans was people who are producing and making things themselves,” Indig said. “They are not just designers but they have studios in their shops. We’ve done a lot of studio visits to work with the artisans and to think about what they should showcase at the market. It’s very curated.”

Among the artisans who will be at the market is Jackie Cicogna, who runs Jackie Cicogna Millinery. The hatmaker uses traditional millinery techniques to create one-of-a-kind hats for men and women.

Westchester-based Jackie Cicogna Millinery will be at the Guild and Grange artisan marketplace May 13 - 15. (Image courtesy of Jackie Cicogna Millinery)

Fellow artisan Erin Rouse, who runs Custodian, will showcase her handmade brooms at Guild & Grange. Rouse creates brooms and sculptures of brooms by hand using an 1890’s kick winder broom machine.

Artisan Erin Rouse, of Custodian, creates handmade brooms and sculptures of brooms using an 1890’s kick winder broom machine. (Image courtesy of Custodian)

In sourcing the craft wares for this market, the Guild & Grange team focused on products made with materials that come from the Earth, a goal intended to tie in with the venue’s heritage. The historic John Jay Homestead, which sits on over 600 acres, once produced fruit, vegetables and fresh milk for the New York City area.

Guild & Grange weekend kicks off with a preview party on Friday, May 13. This ticketed event provides attendees with a first-look chance to shop the market. Food and beverages–provided by Ridgefield’s Bailey’s Backyard, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. and Croton Falls’ Folkways Wines–are included in the $150 ticket price.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, the market will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. These days, which will be free and open to the public, will feature live music, food trucks, including Mt. Kisco’s Tipsy Taco, demonstrations and programs as well as the Homestead’s weekly farmer’s market.

Several local business owners will host workshops on a variety of topics. Mary Buri from Mars Kitchen Garden will talk about how to plan, plant and maintain a home garden. Biodynamic wine maker Wild Arc Farm will host a wine making workshop in partnership with Folkways Wines. And representatives from John Jay Homestead will teach visitors about beekeeping and how to raise a chicken coop.

Mary Buri from Mars Kitchen Garden will talk about how to plan, plant and maintain a home garden. (Image courtesy of Mars Kitchen Garden)

Throughout the weekend, Mika McLane of Westchester Creative Arts Therapy will oversee a community art project inside one of the tents on site. Participants will be invited to write their definition of community on a piece of fabric. All submissions will be added to a large tapestry representing the various communities that came together for the event.

“It’s ambitious but I think it will be great,” Indig said of the Guild & Grange weekend. “The artisans themselves and the products that they’re bringing are going to be really high quality and unique.”

Correction: a previous version of this article quoted how many products are made within a 15-mile radius of this area. Instead, that meant to say within a 50-mile radius. We regret the error.

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