Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexia Kane and Kala Rehberger. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alexia and Kala, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Lexi: I went to college for Graphic Design and Spanish. When I was studying abroad in Spain, I began to look for jobs back in Eau Claire for when I returned. A local business called Tangled up in Hue was hiring a graphic designer, so I applied and got the job! Once I started working, the job was more than just graphic design. Tangled up in Hue is self described as “a local art gallery and gift shop showcasing the work of over 150 artists and crafters”. It’s a women owned and operated shop (apart from some of the screen-printing work), but it was my first experience seeing women working in the community and getting shit done. I learned a lot about working with vendors, but also about connecting with the community. During my time there, I was able to give back by holding a donation drive for those affected by the riots in 2020 in nearby Minneapolis, design shirts which gave proceeds back to the community, and more. Without that experience, I don’t think I could have done what we have accomplished with the market.

Alexia and Kala, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Kala: We are an organization that provides a space for local makers to sell their work. New and returning makers can apply to be a vendor through our website. We specialize in assisting new and upcoming makers who may have never sold their art in a professional setting before. What sets us apart from other markets is our wide variety of diverse and unique individuals who offer so many different perspectives. My favorite part about our markets is the natural sense of family and community that forms between the hosts, returning vendors, and new vendors.

Lexi: After graduating from college, our opportunities to make art and connect with the community almost came to a halt. Sometimes when something needs to get done, you have to do it yourself. We started doing markets at an event space in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and since then have done semi-monthly markets encouraging local artists to get out there and show their work. We’re working on more events for musicians and to showcase as much art as possible. The opportunities are endless!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Lexi: I’m really proud that we built our following extremely organically. We were using our personal social media accounts to promote the market, but once we started an Instagram, thats when things really started to take off. In the beginning, I posted pretty casually. I wanted to feel like we were approachable, because getting started selling your work at a market can be nerve-racking. Social media ads are also an extremely affordable way to reach your audience as opposed to traditional media methods. If you’re just starting out, and especially if Gen-Z is your target audience, don’t act like a business online. Act like a person. Share the good things and the bad things. We can easily get caught up in the presentation on social media but in reality, no one is perfect. It’s refreshing to see people admit that online.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Kala: Personally, my favorite and most rewarding aspects of being a creative are having the ability to read the untold stories behind art. We as artists can talk about art until the end of time, but one of my favorite part about art are the things we don’t talk about. Art is a form of communication that doesn’t necessarily need text or imagery. Thoughts and emotions can be shared through artistic elements such as color, texture, shape, and mark making, without having to say a word. This is especially neat in that art breaks the boundaries of communication. One piece of art can be shared and decoded through various cultures and languages. Personal stories that may be too intense to share verbally or through text, can be portrayed through basic principles of design such as balance, hierarchy, contrast, ect.. Simply put, I love that art can be a mode of storytelling through all cultures, and ANYONE can do it.

Lexi: Personally, I make a lot of art that tells my personal story. Connecting with other people who have had similar experiences as well as being able to show people what those experiences are like so they can better understand. I am a big advocate for community involvement, and I shared my work for the first time in a gallery like setting last year for the first time and being able to express the way I was feeling through my art was really rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ecmakersmarket.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecmakersmarket/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecmakersmarket
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ecmakersmarket

Image Credits
Volume One Magazine, Photographed by Andrea Paulseth (for photo of Lexi and Kala, all other images are our own)