Lovecrafted Nights event a hands-on success

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This article was published 22/1/2018 (396 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s fair to say Shreya Jhunjhunwala has perfected the art of crafting with love.

The St. Vital resident, who immigrated to Winnipeg from India two years ago, was the driving force behind the Lovecrafted Nights event, a social crafts night held last month in support of ArtsJunktion.

Jhunjhunwala is a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College, and Lovecrafted Nights is part of her independent professional project. Majoring in public relations, the second-year student is set to graduate in the spring.  

The 31-year-old recently told The Lance that ArtsJunktion is a non-profit that organizes "free crafts workshops and provides recycled art materials to the community that would otherwise end up in the landfill." According to artsjunktion.mb.ca, the organization supports the arts and the environment through partnerships dedicated to the collection and distribution of reusable materials.

At the recent event, crafters came together to repurpose old wine bottles and make lamps and candle stands for Christmas using recycled materials provided by ArtsJunktion, and all proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the Exchange District-based organization. Jhunjhunwala said one of the goals of the event was to show people the value in creating the handmade gifts and upcycling everyday items.

Jhunjhunwala, who also has a degree in fashion and owned a boutique in India, said the redistribution of materials is important for several reasons.

"Because of my degree in design, I’ve always been interested in handmade products," she said.

"I believe that they make the best gifts because a little bit of you goes into everything you create. Creating something is also very therapeutic. ArtsJunktion makes art and craft materials accessible to people who can’t afford them. They also redistribute materials so that they don’t end up in the landfill."

"I’ve always been interested in arts and crafts and do a lot of DIY projects. ArtsJunktion makes art accessible to a lot of people, some of whom are living with poverty and mental illness. When I started at Red River College, I visited their depot, as it is located right opposite my school, and I picked up some products from there. I always thought that what they were doing was really important and wanted to support them," she added.

In terms of future events, Jhunjhunwala is hoping to do "many more" this year. The next fundraiser, called Lovecrafted Pop-Up, will be held on Feb. 10 at Forth, which is located at 171 McDermot Ave. The event will showcase eight local vendors who make handmade products.

"I hope to encourage people to gift something that was handmade with love on Valentine’s Day. There will also be a pop-up spa by MC College and a pickle and preserve tasting bar by Flora & Farmer," she said.

Jhunjhunwala is grateful for the support of sponsors the Exchange District BIZ and Forth, ArtsJunktion’s executive director Julie Kettle, and the volunteers who helped with the event.

"It was great to see so many people coming together and being creative."

Go online at www.lovecrafted.net for more information.