Meet Author Selina Violet…
I'm a single mom to two sons and two furry friends. I have a rescued dog and cat. I love road trips, 80s music and movies, and Hershey Kisses. I have been writing since elementary school and am excited to show my work at my first Avant-Garde show.
What got you into the craft hobby? … I decided to write my first novel when we were all at home quarantined. I am inspired by people I've met, places I've visited and memories I've made.
How did you discover your talent? … I've always been drawn to writing but I won a short story contest in high school.
How would you describe your creative process? … Spreadsheets, spell check and organized chaos.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years with your business? … I hope I still have more stories to tell.
What is the message behind your work? … I hope that my work empowers women and helps them know they can do anything. And they don't need a man.
Meet Alicia Hamper, owner of Walnut St Soaps and Things…
My name is Alicia Hamper, and I’m the maker behind Walnut St Soaps and Things in Ashtabula County, Ohio. I’m a licensed massage therapist with a background in nutritional science and chemistry. Outside of work, I enjoy writing poetry and spending time with our animals.
My business name comes from where my soapmaking journey began: Puskar Chiropractic on Walnut Street in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. A close friend and coworker and I started making soap in a closet at the office. It was a small beginning that eventually grew into something much more.
I started making soap in 2025. What began as an experiment with a close friend gradually became a craft I wanted to keep learning and developing. When people started coming back for more, turning it into a business began to feel possible. This will be my first Avant-Garde show!
What inspires you to create? … I’m inspired by the same things that draw me to raising our own meat and growing our own food: knowing what goes into the things we use and taking a hands-on role in making them.
Nature also inspires my scent blends and colors. I enjoy creating soaps that bring to mind a garden, a walk through the woods, or a particular season. Customer conversations give me fresh ideas, too—especially when someone tells me about a favorite scent or comes back looking for a bar they loved.
What got you into the craft hobby? … I started thinking more about the ingredients our skin comes into contact with every day. Soap felt like a meaningful place to begin because we use it on so much of our bodies.
Making my own gave me the opportunity to choose natural, simple ingredients and understand what went into each batch. Starting alongside a close friend made it a shared adventure, with plenty to learn along the way.
How did you discover your talent? … The first encouragement came from using the soap myself. I noticed that my skin didn’t feel dried out afterward, and that experience made me want to keep making it and share it with others.
But the turning point was when people came back for more. Someone trying a bar was encouraging; someone returning because they enjoyed using it made me think this could become a business.
How would you describe your creative process? … My creative process brings together careful formulation and experimentation. I start with the qualities I want in the finished soap, then choose scents and colors that work together. I use both hot-process and cold-process methods, each of which offers different possibilities for texture and design.
I keep notes and make adjustments as I learn. Some batches are about refining a customer favorite, while others let me try a seasonal blend or a new swirl. Cutting a loaf is always exciting—you finally get to see the design that was hidden inside.
Where do you see yourself in five years with your business? … I’d like to continue building a community of returning customers and a collection of dependable favorites, with room for seasonal creations. I want the business to grow at a pace that allows me to keep enjoying the work and giving each batch personal attention. Returning customers are what first made this business feel possible, and those relationships are what I’d like to keep building.
What is the message behind your work? ... “No fluff. Just good soap.”
For me, that means natural, simple ingredients, thoughtful recipes, and straightforward descriptions. Making soap is an extension of how I try to live: knowing more about what I use, making what I can myself, and appreciating the care that goes into everyday things.
I want to create something beautiful and useful that people enjoy reaching for every day.
At the November show, I’ll have handmade soaps, wax melts, and build-your-own gift bundles. I’m also preparing seasonal soaps for shoppers looking for a holiday gift or something special for themselves.
Gift bundles allow customers to choose scents and combine soaps with accessories such as soap dishes and soap savers, all tucked into a gift bag.
Follow Walnut Street Soaps and Things on Facebook for new batches, seasonal products, and upcoming events.
Meet Peter Iskander, artist and architectural designer …
My name is Peter Iskandar. I’m an architectural designer who does art in their free time. I sketch, create digital artwork, and work in animation and 3D, but the work I’m most excited to share at this show is my take on Kinusaiga. It’s a Japanese textile art form that lets me build an image by tucking pieces of fabric into a grooved panel. My work ranges from pieces you can hold in your hands to compositions that span an entire wall.
I’ve been making art ever since I could remember, however I recently started working with Kinusaiga just over a month ago. I still use the same sketching skills, but fabric has taught me to think differently about light, texture, and where each line belongs. This will be my first Avant-Garde Show. 
Peter Iskander , @life.of.p.i on Instagram
What inspires you to create? … I am inspired by the beauty around me. More often than not the architecture, landscapes, and wildlife I see on a day-to-day basis. Although my greatest inspiration is my girlfriend who is a world renown ballroom dancer for her age group. Seeing her dance and flow so elegantly through her choreography inspires me to make art that captures that movement.
What got you into the craft hobby? … What drew me to Kinusaiga was the chance to take a drawing off the page and build it by hand. In architecture, I’m used to drawing a line that tells you where two materials meet. With Kinusaiga, I get to cut that line myself, tuck fabric into it, and see the image take shape under my hands.
How did you discover your talent? … I discovered it gradually by trying different ways of making an image. Sketching taught me how much I could say with a few lines. Animation made me pay attention to gesture, and working in 3D taught me to look at a form from more than one angle. When I began working with fabric, I found I could bring all those skills into one piece.
Peter Iskander , @life.of.p.i on Instagram
How would you describe your creative process? … I usually begin with a sketch and work out the pattern digitally. Then I decide which lines actually need to become cuts. On a dancer’s dress, for example, one-fold might need its own piece of fabric, while another might come through just by turning the weave so it catches the light. Once the pattern is set, I cut grooves into the panel and tuck each fabric edge into place by hand.
Where do you see yourself in five years with your business? … In five years, I’d love to walk into a building and see a large Kinusaiga piece I designed specifically for that space. That would bring the two halves of my working life together. I’d also like to keep making smaller originals that someone can discover at a local show and take home that day.
Peter Iskander , @life.of.p.i on Instagram
What is the message behind your work? … I want to give people a reason to take a second look. From across the room, you might see a dancer in motion. When you step closer, you can see where one piece of cloth ends, where the next begins, and how those edges create the gesture that caught your eye. I like giving the viewer both experiences. There are details in my art that look odd, for example: I use white hair on younger figure drawings to represent time. The beauty of two souls dancing together only to find themselves running out of the time they treasure dancing together. That is how I capture the nature of the moment.
Meet Cornelius Bogard, owner of Bo’s Smokey Sticks …
My name is Cornelius Bogard, and I'm the owner of BO’s Smokey Sticks LLC, a family-owned Cleveland-area food business known as the Home of the Stuffed Turkey Leg. We operate two food trucks, Lula Mae and Big BO, serving our signature turkey creations and homemade comfort-food sides at festivals, community events, and private gatherings.
BO’s Smokey Sticks has been operating for several years, growing from a small business concept into a mobile food operation serving customers throughout Northeast Ohio. We're excited about the opportunity to participate in Avant-Garde events and build a lasting relationship.
What inspires you to create? … Family, community, and bringing people together through great food inspire everything we do. We enjoy taking familiar comfort foods and creating something distinctive that customers remember.
What got you into the craft hobby? … For us, food preparation is our craft. We wanted to create a food experience that stood apart from traditional food truck offerings. Our signature Stuffed Turkey Legs became the foundation of our business.
How did you discover your talent? … Through experimenting with flavors, developing recipes, and listening to customer feedback, we discovered how much people enjoyed our approach to turkey-based comfort food.
How would you describe your creative process? … We start with quality ingredients, develop flavorful recipes, and focus on presentation and consistency. Whether it's our Stuffed Turkey Legs, Turkey Tips, Turkey Wings, or homemade sides, we want every customer to enjoy a memorable experience.
Where do you see yourself in five years with your business? … Our vision is to expand BO’s Smokey Sticks beyond our two food trucks into brick-and-mortar restaurants while continuing to grow our mobile food operations, catering services, and community presence. Ultimately, we want to establish BO’s Smokey Sticks as a recognizable brand in cities across the country.
What is the message behind your work? … Our message is about family, creativity, community, and creating memorable experiences through food. We believe food brings people together, and we take pride in serving something unique while building lasting relationships with our customers.
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