Voodoo Experience vendors and artists are just as talented, innovative and diverse as the headlining performers, and it is inspiring to see how many creative people are making this Halloween weekend in City Park a colorful reality. Approximately 60 vendors have set up booths that line the Roosevelt Mall neutral ground, starting by the entrance, and it is a welcoming place to go in between the multitude of concerts taking place. The area will be open from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Vendors sell imported goods from all around the globe, and another group offers handmade crafts and art, representing various cultures and traditions.
Forrest Bacigalupi of Highwater Gallery and Arts Kinetic (and New Orleans Magazine 2010 Person to Watch) sells jewelry and other crafts at the eclectic, aptly named booth Hippie Bling, a space he shares with fellow jewelry-maker Travis Cleaver and costume-designer Sarah Wheelock, who once owned the popular consignment shop Funky Monkey on Magazine Street. A veteran vendor who has traveled across the country for major music festivals, Bacigalupi says that Voodoo Experience is exciting because of its location in the city of New Orleans; other festivals are often held on more remote grounds, such as Bonnaroo in rural Manchester, Tenn.
“Because it is within the city, it draws a more diverse crowd,” he notes. The Hippie Bling booth will certainly draw in those with a Bohemian edge; Cleaver sells hula hoops, windchimes and jewelry with handmade stones; Wheelock will sell costumes that she has sewn herself.
Danae Columbus sells jewelry at Pearl Girls for the first time this year, and she took into consideration the demographics of the festival. Her handmade beaded necklaces and earrings range in price from $10 to $150, with accessories that will appeal to many generations of music-lovers, including teenagers and fashion-savvy 20-somethings. Brightly colored beads and attention-drawing pendants seem to be her signature at this year’s festival; she obtains her materials from Greece and other far-off countries. These expertly crafted items are shockingly affordable –– an eye-catching necklace costs around $30.
No strangers to the city (they have sold their crafts at Jazz Fest and Voodoo Experience for years), artist A.me Alamag and her husband, Mitch, feel sense a spiritual connection to New Orleans. “New Orleans is a good friend of ours,” says A.me. At their booth, Rokoko, the pair sells two-dimensional mixed-media original pieces that juxtapose bright colors with elements pertaining to music and healing. Traveling from Las Cruces, N.M., A.me says: “We fit nowhere else like we fit here. I think my spirit is in New Orleans.” A guitar player and songwriter, A.me also paints fleur-de-lis pieces and musical instruments.
Jeanette Meyers of Gypsy Junk Jewelry works at the booth Double Crossed with her husband, Jerry, an artist who has designed the neon installations of the festival’s cinema and in backstage areas. Jeanette makes crosses from salvaged cypress and adorns them with different materials, such as beach glass or pebbles. Double Crossed also offers polymer clay jewelry, voodoo dolls, Saints-related tokens, polymer skulls and other quirky trinkets. “It’s going to be good this year,” she says, referring to both the turnout of the crowd and the art she’s selling.
For those looking for body art, Henna Illuminata and Bella Braids share a space, offering unique services. Henna, which is an ornamental body art, lasts two to four weeks, explains Erik Akers. Bella Braids specializes in all types of hairdos and braids –– Marie Lovejoy, who runs the booth, says they can even make Amy Winehouse beehive hairdos for those who may have left their costumes at home –– and if you’re nice, maybe they’ll even make your hair look like Ozzy Osbourne’s.
This, of course, is just a sampling of the myriad vendors. Those who attend Voodoo this year will find that the people selling their wares are earnest and eager to contribute to the creative spirit of the city –– especially on one of its most festive weekends of the year. For a full list of vendors, check out thevoodooexperience.com/2010exp/experience/marketplace.
