Two years ago, Christa Zuber, owner of The Place Studio and Gallery, closed her in-person downtown Concord arts business, unable to keep it afloat amidst the pandemic.
It would be easy to dwell on what was lost, but instead, Zuber and her husband, Jeff Bowden, saw it as an opportunity. Bowden’s job could be done completely remotely now. What could their lives look like if not limited by location? If they had their choice, where would they be?
Their answer: a home with an ocean view in Rockland, Maine. In the fall of 2020, they sold their house, packed their things, and moved three and a half hours away. Zuber went from teaching six days a week to finally having the time and headspace to contemplate big, existential questions – questions that were enhanced when, in January of 2021, her father died.
“He was 72 years old. He wasn’t young, but he wasn’t old either. It does make you start thinking. How do you want to spend the rest of your life?” Zuber said via phone. “It’s definitely been something we’ve been questioning since COVID. What are we doing? And what do we want to be doing?”
Zuber began visiting the beach frequently to feel close to her dad, who loved the water. On these walks, she gathered sea glass, enough that, by springtime, her collection was overwhelming. That May, she created her first pieces of sea glass jewelry, just for the fun of it.
“With the old studio, I was making stuff all the time, but it was always with the thought of, how can I teach this? I was doing things that weren’t necessarily my heart’s desire,” Zuber said. “It’s just freeing. If today I want to drill sea glass, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Zuber does miss teaching and still hosts small online classes, but she’s enjoying just focusing on creating inside her living room-turned-studio, which features a view of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Consequently, most of her art is ocean-inspired, including her tapestries, which she only recently began weaving with the purchase of a new 36-inch loom.
Despite the distance, Zuber continues to organize and run the events associated with the Concord Arts Market, including this weekend’s Winter Giftopolis, part of Intown Concord’s Midnight Merriment. It returns to the Eagle Square Atrium on Friday night for the first time since the pandemic and features 30 art vendors who participated in the summer markets. The event continues Saturday, with 30 more vendors selling at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art.
At first, Zuber’s continuation with the market was due to her unwillingness to let it fail; it had been going on for decades, and yet, nobody wanted to take on the load when she moved. To make it feasible for her to continue, Zuber switched the summer market from weekly to monthly and began attending Intown and committee meetings remotely via Zoom.
Then, she conducts meticulous planning ahead of time, letting artists know where to park, where to set up, and what to bring, so by the time she arrives in Concord, Zuber can focus on selling her own work: sea glass jewelry, alcohol ink jewelry, tapestries, and art boxes (kits for different art projects, from ocean wave embroidery to needle-felted penguins).
“In a way, it was still really nice to be running the arts market. It gave me something to focus on, something to do. Then, slowly, I figured out where, as an artist personally, I wanted to go,” she said. “I have several vendors who thank me profusely because they’re afraid I’m going to stop doing it. They constantly reassure me it’s a great thing, and that they love what I do.”
After the holiday market season ends, Zuber plans to play in her studio again. Last spring, she dabbled in stained glass because it was something her dad did. “I tried it, and I had to put it down because I had to focus on things to sell. I’m still not completely free as an artist. I’m still trying to make a living,” she said. “I put that away in the spring and I’ll pick it back up in the wintertime.”
Recently, several people expressed willingness to continue organizing the market if she decides to let it go, but right now, Zuber’s not ready to pass it on. She and her husband are still enjoying the excuse to make the trek and visit their friends here.
“We really wanted to be on the coast. We both really like being on the ocean,” Zuber said. “I don’t think we’ll move back inland, but I do love Concord, and I do love the community. I’m glad I can still be a part of it three and a half hours away.”
Winter Giftopolis is Friday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 11 p.m., inside the Atrium at Eagle Square. The Holiday Arts Market continues into Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art. Visit concordartsmarket.net and christazuber.com.