In 2020, Gwyn Pevonka decided to change her life.
She and her husband needed a change after spending most of their lives in the southeastern United States. So, Pevonka's husband joined the military and in summer 2021, the couple was sent across the country to Spokane from their longtime home in Tennessee.
"I was very established in my community as an artist in Tennessee," Pevonka says. "Once I was here, I had to rebuild my clientele and figure out how I fit into the art scene in Spokane."
Pevonka's acclimation to the art scene in Spokane included attending as many art events as possible to learn about her new community and to figure where and how to fit in. In the time since, she founded the quarterly 33 Artists Market — now celebrating its first anniversary — which supports both established and new creatives.
"I think I attended every art event I could," she says. "I needed to figure out what was profitable, what was well-attended, what was marketed and what wasn't marketed."
After settling in and finding her footing, in 2022 Pevonka became an artist-in-residence at the Hive, Spokane Public Library's nontraditional library branch centered on art and creativity.
Pevonka's work and style are quite unique. It's made over 20-30 consecutive days by adding one layer of paint at a time to a canvas, waiting for the layers to cure, carving away at the paint and then revealing the patterns beneath to create an image. And with the resulting paint chunks and scraps, she makes funky, chunky resin earrings.
At the conclusion of the Hive's artist residencies, participants must complete a project that gives back to the community. That's when Pevonka decided to host an art market, and thus the 33 Artists Market was born.
"I based it on this concept of an invite-chain market that I participated in while living in Tennessee," she says. "I chose 33 because I was 33 when I started it and that also feels like the most perfect, manageable amount of artists."
Sure, Spokane has a plethora of art markets year-round. But Pevonka had some specifics in mind to set 33 Artists apart from others. First, the market would be strictly indoors.
"When I was exploring all of the markets, initially I found myself sweating in the sun, traipsing through snow and trying to avoid wildfire smoke," she says. "Why are all the Spokane art markets outdoors?"
Secondly, the market would follow a "chain" invite style, where an artist can only be invited by an artist who's already participating in the market. That artist then asks another to join, and so forth.
Ahead of 33 Artists' debut in November 2022, Pevonka began inviting fellow artists to sell their work at the new event. Their responses were a resounding "yes."
Since the inaugural event at the Hive, the market's been held quarterly at the Wonder Building. In celebration of its first anniversary Pevonka is hosting a two-day extravaganza.
On Saturday, Nov. 4, she's bringing the market back to where it all started — The Hive — aiming to honor how far it's come in just a year. The next day, attendees get to do it all over again at the Wonder Building, the market's home for the past two iterations. Sunday's event at the Wonder Building is a birthday party complete with an Electric Photoland photobooth, food, drinks and other festive activities for families.
From the inception of 33 Artists Market, Pevonka's goal has been to bring emerging artists and established artists into the same room.
"I want to equip new artists with the resources and connections to be successful," she says. "I like to set up booths very methodically: a brand-new artist next to one who has been doing this for eight years. I want them to feel confident going in, and even more confident and excited when they leave."
Artist Nicole Thomas (Instagram: @NicoleNuttArt) has participated in all three 33 Artists Markets and is bringing her unique art style, a blend of watercolor painting and embroidery, to Sunday's Wonder Building market.
"The market is such a great event," Thomas says. "You meet so many different artists. People who are experienced and those who are just starting out, so you get so many perspectives in one room."
When Thomas was finding her niche and beginning to frequent local markets more regularly, she saw 33 Artists as a way to learn and grow.
"I took it as an opportunity to pick the brains of the artists around me," she says. "I met so many new people. I think that what Gwyn has done is create a huge asset for our community, art and otherwise. It's incredible."
As for the future of the market, Pevonka has dreams of holding a large-scale 33 x 3 Artists Market with 99 artists, and even holding markets more frequently. But that'll have to wait, because lately Pevonka has been working to turn 33 Artists Market into a nonprofit.
"I think that Spokane can benefit and grow from collaboration," she says. "I want to put an emphasis on supporting artists making a living by doing what they love doing. My mission is to make an impact, and I think this is the way forward for the 33 Artists Market." ♦
33 Artists Market • Sat, Nov. 4 from 10 am-4 pm at the Hive • 2904 E. Sprague Ave. • Sun, Nov. 5 from 10 am-4 pm at the Wonder Building • 835 N. Post St. • instagram.com/33artistsmarket
