Monster Takeover
How Monsters Made with Love invaded Dogwood Arts
A lot of little monsters will take over Dogwood Arts during First Friday ArtWalk this week, and we’re not talking about toddlers.
A special exhibit of monsters created by local artists and artisans of all kinds opens for the month of February, thanks to Monsters Made With Love owner Laurie Kay.
Here’s the back story on Laurie’s interesting business
In 2013, when her two kids were in elementary school, Laurie stumbled upon a create-your-own-monster craft kit to work on with them. (They, of course, wanted nothing to do with it, she said.) Laurie found it super technical and bereft of all the materials she needed, but she liked the cool little green monster she made with it.
Time passed, and Laurie made another monster, this time with her mother and aunt. Then she made one for a friend who was having a hard time, so she poured extra love into it, personalizing it just for her friend.
Before she knew it, Laurie was making monsters everywhere she went and giving them away. This became something of a problem, because making monsters takes money. So Laurie decided to create monster kits that included everything a person would need to make a monster: fleece fabric and stuffing, pins and needles, instructions, thread and even eyeballs! These she could sell or give and people could make their own monsters.
At the time, Laurie lived Florida, and turned her monstrous idea into a business in 2015. She worked with elementary school students to make monsters to sell at school. She donated cat and dog monsters to the humane society. She made large monsters to give to kids in the foster care system. She also applied to the Orlando Maker Fair and won two blue ribbons for her monster making.
About two years ago Laurie and her children moved to Knoxville and brought their monsters with them. Laurie got to know a lot of people, including Kate Creason at Dogwood Arts, who introduced her to the Great Schools Partnership. One thing led to another, and now Laurie helps people make monsters at the Emerald Youth Foundation and in Knox County Schools, at corporate team-building events and the Boys and Girls Clubs. She usually teaches between four and eight groups each week to make monsters.
It’s important to say these are monsters made with love. Laurie makes sure before people make their monster that they think about the things they love best about themselves. She wants their monsters to be symbols of that. She thinks it’s okay to make a mistake (monsters are known to make lots of mistakes). And she thinks it’s healthy to sit and enjoy sewing for a little while. No phones, no social media, just you and your monster and a little creativity.
And now, back to Dogwood Arts
Laurie’s daughter Gabi, now 17 and a high school senior, is an artist in her own right and has participated in some of Dogwood’s arts programming, including Chalk Walk and the Epiphone student guitar design competition. Through Gabi, Laurie got to know Sherry Jenkins, Dogwood’s executive director, who approached her about putting together a mother-daughter exhibit. Laurie suggested a monster-making effort instead and then invited about 30 people to join it. In addition to their own interpretations of monsters, each one will create a fleece monster from one of Laurie’s Monsters Made With Love kits.
The fleece monsters will be auctioned online during the month of February to raise money for those who can’t afford monster-making workshops. (The link to the auction will be on the Dogwood Arts website.) Artists may sell their original works and keep the proceeds, or donate them as they wish.
The monster exhibit will be on display when the next Maker Meetup happens at Dogwood Arts on February 20. Also this month, Laurie will lead monster-making workshops at Dogwood, on February 8 from 10 am to noon, and on February 22 from 6 to 8 pm. Register here for the February 8 workshop and here for February 22.
So here’s what you need to do
Make a point of dropping by Dogwood Arts on Friday to admire the monsters created by your fellow makers.
Go online to bid up those fleece monsters too!
Then come back on February 20 to the Maker Meetup. That night Dogwood Arts also will unveil its limited edition print for 2020. Here’s where you register to let us know you’ll be there.
A word or two from Laurie
Here’s what Laurie has to say about the exhibit at Dogwood Arts and her business: “As a result of this exhibit, I put together my personal mission statement: to inspire people to do something they didn’t think they could by providing a space in time and an encouraging environment to let go and create, all while bringing people together in an authentic way.”
And one last thought about her monsters: “I didn’t plan on it being anything, and it turned out amazing. I like to create community and push people out of their comfort zones a little bit. Anytime I doubt myself about Monsters Made with Love, something happens to affirm what I’m doing.”
