Third Friday with Smiling Elephant and Rumi’s Touch of Japan

Join us 6-9pm on October 16 during Third Friday!. We have a fun evening planned with the downtown Witches and Warlocks event so bring on those costumes! Our featured artists include Kayte Price of Smiling Elephant Studio and Rumi Takahashi Fish’s fabric designed bags, totes and wallets! The Sculpture Studio will be open and we will have tastings by Mystic Distillery.

Smiling Elephant Studio creates jewelry pieces incorporating found objects & trade beads with centuries old global history, or stunning objects from our natural world. Somewhere along the way I needed to quiet a restlessness, a desire to be more creative along with a connection. My work is in sterling and gold filled with the occasional vintage piece mixed in, both elegant and organic, focused on the heart and spirit.

Rumi is a fabric artist who lives in Durham, North Carolina. She crafts original, one-of-a-kind articles that blend the timeless elegance of Japanese patterns with modern functionality. She is creating a niche, becoming known for her exquisite personal items like purses and wallets that feature vibrant Japanese designs. Rumi meticulously selects high-quality fabrics, often incorporating traditional motifs to create beautiful and striking pieces. Fabric artistry runs deep for Rumi. She grew up surrounded by Japan’s vibrant textiles, and her mother imparted her passion for sewing to Rumi, nurturing her keen eye for detail and her love for traditional Japanese fabrics.