Arts And Crafts Fair Shows Off UES Talents

UPPER EAST SIDE, BROOKLYN — Inside a hall at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Saturday, crafty Upper East Siders gathered to pitch their wares in a first-ever winters craft show hosted by Community Board Eight.

With over 30 vendors presenting their quilts, paintings, jewelry, glass work, greeting cards, knit ware and pottery on East 88th street, one thing was abundantly clear: the Upper East Side has talent.

One vendor, Jordan Pietrafitta was selling remixed vintage clothing through her brand, Earthly.

Wearing a denim jacket with fleece arms, Pietrafitta, an Upper East Side resident, told Patch that she gets donations of used and unwanted clothing that she then takes apart to "up-cycle them into brand new items," she said, like the fuzzy arms she added to her vintage denim jacket.

Sunday's event was the Community Board Arts Committee's sixth event, said the chair of the committee, Alida Camp.

"A focus, and success, of the Arts Committee is building community," Camp said. "Our events bring residents together, to celebrate art and to enjoy being together."

A few spots down, former city Council candidate Tricia Shimamura had a table full of paintings she made of Upper East Side scenes, a hobby she took up during the pandemic.

Many featured iconic, sweeping views of the East River Promenade. And one painting — just framed that morning — was of her beloved local laundromat.

At another table, one of the Upper East Side's Cub Scout groups, Pack 290, was selling paracord keychains that they made as a fundraiser for the group.

"I like camping," said Kai, 8, one of the cub scouts, "and in the summer, we get to go swimming and do archery and stuff like that. I think it's a really good part of scouts."

The scouts, who meet weekly at nearby P.S. 290, focus on learning skills related to the outdoors, safety, leadership and citizenship.

And also crafting.

"It's a lot of learning by doing," said scout leader Raquel Ferreira.

Camp said the event was a hit, and thinks the enthusiasm will help the committee to hold more events in the future.

"By building community, we are able to improve quality-of-life and enrich the experience of living and doing business in the Upper East Side," Camp said.