Montreal arts and crafts, comic and zine fairs

This weekend marks the first of many weekends of arts & crafts, sci-fi, comic and zine and fairs in Montreal, with the Puces Pop DO-IT-YOURSELF Festival & Arts and Crafts Fair. When the weather turns colder, Montrealers love to cozy up with their knitting or start cranking out handmade items. Everything from zines and buttons to jewelry, clothing and local music can be found at these multimedia arts and crafts fairs. Don’t think cheesy church bazaar/white elephant sales (though often the fairs do take place in church basements), though; think hipsters searching for unique handmade gifts for their friends and family.

The Puces Pop Fair takes place this Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, from 11AM to 7PM at St. Michel Church Hall (105 St-Viateur West), so be sure to stop by and check out their wares! With more than 100 different indie artists and craftspeople, featuring everything from one-of-a-kind artworks and high-fashion items to cupcakes, soaps and puppets, you’re sure to be surprised and delighted by the assortment of items on sale. Be sure to bring plenty of cash, preferably in small bills, as vendors are always looking to make change.

Con*Cept (October 2-4, 2009)

Also happening this weekend is Con*Cept, Montreal’s annual fan-run science-fiction and fantasy convention. Taking place at the Days Hotel at 1005 Guy Street, this convention covers “all aspects of fandom: literature, television, comics, art, gaming and much more.” With a variety of discussion panels and workshops, live gaming events, video screenings, an art show, sci-fi garage sale, and masquerade, there’s plenty to see and do for everyone who loves science-fiction and fantasy. This year’s guests of honour include artist Olivier Xavier, actress Karen Cliche, authors Kelley Armstrong and Natasha Beaulieu, scientist Donna L. Young, and filk musician Phil Mills.

Expozine (November 14-15, 2009)

Another important arts and crafts destination coming up fast is Expozine, the annual small press, comic and zine fair. It seems like Expozine just gets bigger and bigger every year, despite dire pronouncements that the Internet is destroying print media. Indie artists of all stripes vie for space in the Église Saint-Enfant Jésus (5035 St-Dominique) to sell their wares, though the emphasis here is on reading material and, to some extent, local music. The zine fair also hosts a yearly Alternative Press Awards ceremony, so anyone with a zine, comic or small-press book can submit their work for judging during the two-day zine fair. Awards are given for the best entries in each category for both English and French submissions, giving an equal spotlight to artists in both of Canada’s official languages and bridging Montreal’s infamous anglo/franco divide.

Quebec Arts and Crafts Fair (December 2009)

In December of each year, Montreal sponsors the Quebec Arts and Crafts Fair (Salon des Métiers d’Art) at Place Bonaventure (800 De La Gauchetière). Featuring art objects made of ceramic, wood, metal, textiles and other materials, the fair also features live music, fashion shows, demos and exhibitions by the artists showcased. This is a slightly more upscale fair than the others, but the concept is the same: Quebec’s independent artists showing off their work to the public.

Whether you’re an artsy crafter, zine-maker, comic book nerd, music lover, fashionista or simply looking for great gifts for someone you love, Montreal is full of great cold-weather fairs to keep you occupied. Check out some of these great annual events and help support the local art scene!