Photo by Justin Criado

The Mattress Factory holiday art market features pieces from 45 different artists. 

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By Justin Criado

Running out of time to find that last minute gift?

The Mattress Factory’s holiday art market is the perfect place to find a one-of-a-kind present. In its first year, the market features 45 artists, varying in all different artistic styles.

“This is the first time we curated a selection of them and had it in a bigger setting,” shop manager Sam Ditch said. “A lot of the artists that we have in this are folks that we have a relationship with, whether they had an installation here or past staff member or volunteer.”

Ditch came up with the idea over the summer and organized the collection of pieces. The market, which is in the museum’s main lobby, opened Dec. 13 and will run until Sunday, Dec. 21.

“We had a pretty good turnout on Saturday (Dec. 13). It looks really nice to have something out here. We don’t typically have anything out here in the lobby like this. It’s usually a big empty space,” Ditch said. “It feels nice to have it filled with artwork and beautiful things to look at.”

Some artists have brought in more pieces throughout the week, keeping things fresh, and even though this year is not yet over, Ditch believes the market will be back.

“We’ll probably have some more things in by the end of the week,” Ditch said. “I would love to do it again. It definitely takes a lot of elbow grease.”