Artwork Up for Smithsonian Auction

Wence and Sandra Martinez

Last month, Sandra and Wence Martinez, of Martinez Studio in Jacksonport, welcomed a steady stream of visitors to their booth at the prestigious American Craft Council (ACC) Show in Baltimore, Maryland.

“We received a special invitation to participate, which was quite an honor as it is normally a juried show,” said Sandra. “ACC staff circulated the Wisconsin Life PBS profile that recently aired, which prompted many new people to seek us out.”

Craft collectors thronged the Martinez Studio booth to admire Wence’s vibrant, pattern-driven tapestries and those inspired by Sandra’s primitive/organic works on paper. “People were really intrigued by our process,” said Sandra. “The way Wence and I work together is a pretty special thing, and we love sharing it with others.”

Recently, Sandra sent a painting to the Smithsonian Craft Show’s Online Auction. “As featured artists in the 2013 Smithsonian Craft Show, we are deeply appreciative of this institution and what they do to advance craft in America. We feel privileged to be able to contribute, in some small way, to the success of this amazing show and further acknowledge what the ‘Smithsonian bump’ meant for us personally.”

The donated piece by Sandra, titled Vessels Dot Study, was made as a study for a weaving. It will be auctioned along with items donated by other artists from Smithsonian Craft Shows as well as top tier galleries and museums nationwide. All proceeds support Smithsonian Women’s Committee grants to the Smithsonian. The auction runs from April 7 to April 22.