“We all know that a lot has changed about Austin,” says Blue Genie co-founder Dana Younger, “and there are some things that haven't changed. And one of the things I believe that hasn't changed is that Austin is a magical cauldron of creativity. People just love to make things here. And whether that's music or theater or dance or, you know, fine art or crafts or whatever it is, people love to make things here. And the other thing is that Austin loves to support creativity. People come out, they show up, and they like to see what the local creative community is doing. And that is fun. It is fun for me and for my partners to hold that place, that intersection of creativity and community. It's just a joy and, and we love it.”
Younger and his partners at Blue Genie have spent the past 25 years hosting the Blue Genie Art Bazaar, a yearly holiday-season marketplace where local artists and craftspeople offer their wares to an art-supporting and gift-buying public. And while Younger isn’t surprised that Austin is full of artists and art supporters, he does seem a little surprised that the bazaar has been a part of that scene for so long.
“It's very surreal to have been doing this for a quarter of a century,” he says, “but I feel super grateful. I mean, we love what we do. You know, we started this because it was fun. We had a Christmas party, we invited some friends to put some art on the wall, people came… and this amazing thing happened. They bought things. And we were like, that was really fun. And so we did it again, and here we are 25 years later, and it's still fun.”
The bazaar has, of course, grown a lot since the turn of the century, and now features some 200 artists in a roster that changes from year to year. “You know, we do try really hard to bring in new artists every year,” Younger says. This year, what I've noticed is a lot of people are exploring their creativity through food. And there’s a whole bunch of new food vendors, and these are spices and pickles and soup kits and cookies and gluten-free things, and it's really neat to see that.”
To mark their 25 year anniversary, Younger says some longtime artists have created commemorative products, as has one of Blue Genie’s neighboring businesses. “You know, we are neighbors with Brewtorium, and they are awesome. And… they said, ‘you know, what if we made a special beer for you guys?’ Younger says. “And, so it's like a Christmas ale. And Rory [Skagen], my business partner who does all of our design work, he made a really fun label, and so we have a special 25th anniversary beer. How cool is that?”
While the bazaar has evolved over the years from a small holiday party to a full-fledged annual business, Younger says the spirit has remained largely the same. “We are all about platforming artists,” he says. “I think it's a valuable thing to do and there's so much creativity in this town. And I think that that the Austin spirit of supporting creativity, wants these consistent things that they can say, yes, this is the place. Whether it's Blues on the Green or Blue Genie Art Bazaar or Armadillo Christmas Bazaar or whatever it is, like they can come and this is where [they] can support local creativity. And we love being a part of that. We are excited to be 25 years in and looking forward to 25 more.”
The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is open every day through Christmas Eve.
