1. Maker/DIY culture
2. Arts Organizing
3. Making Edmonton Weird
2. Arts Organizing
3. Making Edmonton Weird
Craft or die!!!
The Royal Bison Art + Craft Fair
︎︎︎ established 2007
︎︎︎ retired 2023
︎︎︎ community event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
︎︎︎ established 2007
︎︎︎ retired 2023
︎︎︎ community event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The Royal Bison Art & Craft Fair was a twice-annual art and design event that showcased the truly wonderful, excellent and rad world of Edmonton’s creative endeavors. Trotting out like clockwork, twice a year, for sixteen years straight, the fair was DIY, vendor-run, aligned with the Edmonton arts community, staunchly independent and one hell of a good time for vendors and visitors alike!
The weekend-long event was an un-missible part of the Edmonton design/maker scene, and created strong connections between local and regional creatives that continue to this day.
This long chapter in Edmonton’s art+design scene wouldn’t exist if illustrator Raymond Biesinger hadn’t started up the fair in 2007. Before moving to Montreal in 2010, he passed the fair organizing baton on to vendors Vikki Wiercinski, Jeanie Andronyk and Josh Holinaty.
While Josh and Jeanie moved on to other projects, between 2010-2023 Vikki Wiercinski remained as lead organizer of the Royal Bison Art and Craft Fair, consistently producing and evolving the fair for thirteen years. Her work with the fair earned her a Top 40 Under 40 award from Edify Magazine in 2021.
Through the 2010s, the fair benefitted greatly from the efforts of artist-vendors Jim Johansson, Emily Chu, and Andrew Benson. Between 2020-2022 the fair existed in an online shop format, linking artists to income during a tenuous time.
The weekend-long event was an un-missible part of the Edmonton design/maker scene, and created strong connections between local and regional creatives that continue to this day.
This long chapter in Edmonton’s art+design scene wouldn’t exist if illustrator Raymond Biesinger hadn’t started up the fair in 2007. Before moving to Montreal in 2010, he passed the fair organizing baton on to vendors Vikki Wiercinski, Jeanie Andronyk and Josh Holinaty.
While Josh and Jeanie moved on to other projects, between 2010-2023 Vikki Wiercinski remained as lead organizer of the Royal Bison Art and Craft Fair, consistently producing and evolving the fair for thirteen years. Her work with the fair earned her a Top 40 Under 40 award from Edify Magazine in 2021.
Through the 2010s, the fair benefitted greatly from the efforts of artist-vendors Jim Johansson, Emily Chu, and Andrew Benson. Between 2020-2022 the fair existed in an online shop format, linking artists to income during a tenuous time.
Over the years, the fair was supported by the venue setup/teardowns, spreadsheet wrangling, tech work, vendor juries and postering of so many community-minded local arts folks (see the history zine here).
A post-pandemic reckoning with her own creative priorities led Vikki to retire from organizing the fair. The last-ever Royal Bison happened in December 2023. End of an era!
︎︎︎Royal Bison History Zine [PDF, 4.8MB]
︎︎︎Beloved Royal Bison Art and Craft Fair makes its final appearance | Edmonton Journal • Nov 2023
︎︎︎How Royal Bison united a community of creators | CBC • Nov 2023
︎︎︎Top 40 Under 40: Vikki Wiercinski | Edify Magazine • 2021
A post-pandemic reckoning with her own creative priorities led Vikki to retire from organizing the fair. The last-ever Royal Bison happened in December 2023. End of an era!
︎︎︎Royal Bison History Zine [PDF, 4.8MB]
︎︎︎Beloved Royal Bison Art and Craft Fair makes its final appearance | Edmonton Journal • Nov 2023
︎︎︎How Royal Bison united a community of creators | CBC • Nov 2023
︎︎︎Top 40 Under 40: Vikki Wiercinski | Edify Magazine • 2021
all works copyright 2006 - present
︎︎︎ no AI technology is used in my work
