Handmade works are showcased at Alma's RVA.
Glass artist Sarah Mizer in April opened Alma’s RVA at 224 W. Brookland Park Blvd. to showcase utilitarian and decorative handmade crafts, from earrings to tapestry weavings, at a range of price points. Mizer, a working artist with a fine arts master’s degree from VCUArts, left a teaching and administrative position in the undergraduate Arts Foundation program at VCU to focus on the store.
Her ties to VCU and her undergraduate degree with a concentration in glass from Alfred University in New York state connect her to a range of artists for her roster. Alma’s RVA is named for Mizer’s grandmother, a longtime educator who resided in the Shenandoah Valley.
The work on display in the airy space includes decorative, transparent glass sculptures created by Brooklyn-based artist Leo Tecosky, featuring the patterned language of Wildstyle graffiti letters enameled on the surface of the shapes.
Owner Sarah Mizer inside Alma's RVA
Richmond magazine: Is incorporating handmade goods and contemporary crafts in home decor on the rise?
Sarah Mizer: Based on the drive of RVA maker markets and access to handmade items in our city, there is a value system that appreciates handmade items. These items retain and gain value over time. I use the term “future heirloom.”
RM: What tips do you have for someone who wants to start incorporating handmade goods and contemporary crafts into their homes?
Mizer: Find something you love, bring it into your home and see how you live with it every day. It will be something you interact with. For craft as decor, I equate it a little like art collecting, where you are thinking about pieces with your value system, whatever it is. How will that affect everything else you live with, too?
RM: Anything a beginner should avoid?
Mizer: Avoid going with something that is a trend, something that is not speaking to you. Your taste will change over time. Don’t feel pressured to do or buy something that’s not going to provide that positive experience for you.
RM: What are the advantages of using a handmade craft object for home decor over, say, plants?
Mizer: Craft as decor is part of a larger narrative. It’s not either/or. I would pair with plants. I do that a lot. I continue to be surprised how [easy] it is to interact with these objects. They never cease to amaze me. I have handmade ceramic pieces that hold my fruit, and it feels good to have these items that give me an emotional response on a daily basis.
