Jamaica Plain's Jessica Burko Heads Crafts Collective

In her South End studio, Jamaica Plain resident Jessica Burko applied a layer of wax to a paper quilt that she was in the process of making. As she painted the assembled images of a bluebird, a Victorian house, and cut-out sewing patterns, she explained what she described as a “renaissance in crafting."

"At the same time that there’s been a surge in technology,” she noted, “people find it very satisfying to make things by hand.”

Burko is the coordinator and executive director of Boston Handmade, a non-profit arts organization of fine artists and crafters. Although Burko founded the group in 2007, she modestly stated that it “belongs to everyone."

"All members have ownership. We provide support, sharing, networking, promotion, and inspiration,” she explained. “We assist artists who are active and who want to become full-time artists.” 

Boston Handmade’s members, of which there are now 30, sell a variety of original and limited edition items on etsy.com including art and photography, bags and purses, bath and body products, books and paper goods, ceramics, clothing, housewares, jewelry and needlecraft.

“Four years ago,” said Burko, “it was new to sell online.”

In addition to direct e-commerce, Boston Handmade members also participate in a number of regular marketplaces. With the assistance of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, for the past three years, the group has held a holiday “pop-up gallery” from Thanksgiving to Christmas in Downtown Crossing. Upcoming events include the Somerville ArtsUnion Project in July.

Under Burko’s leadership, Boston Handmade is expanding its mission.

“I hope to do more for our members and the wider arts and crafts community,” said Burko.

She envisions a dedicated space, “a place to make, sell, and teach art,” where the organization could hold meetings, workshops, and rent studio space to artists.  “We’re looking for alternative sources of funding,” she stated.

Boston Handmade is already fulfilling its educational goals through its partnership with the Boston Center for Adult Education; Boston Handmade members teach a series of classes at the BCAE this spring and summer.

Burko, who earned a BFA in Photography from Rhode Island Schoold of Design and a MFA in Imaging Arts and Sciences from the Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, descibes her handmade paper quilts as “autobiographical” but also subtle and symbolic. As she worked on one, she explained how her art is something of a return to her grandmother’s generation. 

“There was a backlash against things like sewing and knitting” by people from her mother’s “liberated” era, she said. Though handmade, Burko’s art is not homespun.  She use an app on her iPhone called “stitch finder.”

Visit Boston Handmade’s website for additional information and upcoming shows. For more information and to register for classes, visit the BCAE’s web site.