Tucson jewelry artist Shin McManus wants to give everyone, from seasoned creators to beginners, the opportunity to show off their artwork. And that’s what she practices.
In December 2021, she joined several fellow makers setting up for the first market she hosted around the pool at the Tucson Hotel. McManus handcrafts jewelry under the name Lilith + Daughters.
Pictured is Dime Rags at the former Tucson Market, where they use recycled fabrics to create custom clothing.
“I was worried that no one would come. I felt like maybe I was the one who put this together,” she says. “It turned out really great. Everyone sold things that day. I sold things that day. After the market ended, I broke down in tears and said, ‘Oh my God. That’s it, no one hates me. This actually works.’ People kept asking me when I was going to do it next.”
And so began a quarterly tradition called Makers Market at The Taxon.
“This is about community, about people having an opportunity to do things they might not be able to do in another space,” she says. “I want everyone to have the opportunity to shine in the sun and do what they really want to do.”
Actions to improve the community
McManus moved to Tucson from St. Louis in 2011, a move she did not want.
At the time, she was in her early 20s and living with her mother in Missouri. She felt at her impasse. Her mother owned a condo in Tucson and encouraged her to move to Arizona. McManus repeatedly said no.
“She did everything she could to get me to move out of here, and she bought me a plane ticket,” McManus said. “She told me to wait three months and come back.”
McManus gave her 90 days – and she hated our desert city. When three months passed, her mother told her the bad news. McManus had to remain in Tucson.
But Tucson fell in love with her.
“I think I had to cut myself off from everything in my life and start over as an adult, and it was really refreshing to do it on my own,” she says.
Shin McManus is the mastermind behind the jewelry brand Lilith + Daughters and the quarterly Makers Market in Tucson.
McManus has always dabbled in art, especially jewelry making. She jokingly writes in her bio: She said, “Shin has a degree in art, but she doesn’t make art.”
When the pandemic hit in early 2020, she found herself becoming a helicopter parent as she stayed home with her kids. To do something to herself, she took out her jewelry.
“I made some things for friends and they thought it was cool,” she says. “My husband said, ‘Maybe you should sell it because you’re making something amazing.’ But I said, ‘We’re in the middle of a pandemic and people are selling necklaces and earrings.’ I thought, ‘There’s no need for that.’
But by summer of that year, she launched the Lilith + Daughters website and had 13 sales.
“It was just friends and family, but it was really fun,” she says. “It was a lot of fun for me. I didn’t want everyone to wear my jewelry.”
As the world began to recover, outdoor artisan markets returned. McManus started vending at markets and organizing markets himself as a response to being laid off from his job at the time.
Derby Hunter Art was photographed at the former Tucson Market and is known for its funky stickers, painted frogs, and other crafts.
“The taxon market grew out of my previous job,” she says. “I was working at a place that advertised itself as a store for artists, but the place didn’t serve artists. I wondered how difficult it would be to open a pop-up market. And I sat down and said, “What do we need? We definitely need to promote it. Food and drink are great.”
“I was going to do everything in my power to be the complete opposite[of my previous job]. It was one of the best things I ever did,” she says.
Since the first event, the number of vendors at the Maker’s Market has tripled. McManus has hosted eight markets so far, and the next one will be held on Saturday, April 27th from noon to 5 p.m. at the outdoor space just west of Tuxon at 960 S. Freeway. You’ll find everything from jewelry to baked goods to apparel and paper products.
“This is a perfect little place for what I wanted to do,” she says. “And the hotels are very accommodating. They always ask, ‘What do you need?'” It’s really nice to be able to have an event in a place where people aren’t just trying to make money. That’s wonderful. ”
Points Jewelry showcases minimalist, handcrafted jewelry in the former Tucson Market.
At McManus’ last market, 75 percent of the vendors had never held a market before. One of the vendors at the previous market was only 16 years old. For McManus, it’s important for Creative to include artists who are new to his scene or who aren’t represented in many markets.
“At some point, you think you’ve met everyone, but there are a lot of people who aren’t even on the market, and they’re making the coolest products,” she says.
Just to be clear, McManus is not interested in gatekeeping. She wants to share her knowledge with everyone. “I don’t understand why anyone would want to keep secret information that helps people succeed,” she says.
“My favorite thing about organizing markets is meeting all the different people,” she says. “It’s a little bit self-indulgent, but it’s the moment where they think, ‘This is really cool.’ And they’re really sincere about it.”
“We want every part of the market to be something that everyone in Tucson has been exposed to. Whether it’s the graphics or being the first market to have live musicians, she’s 17 years old. It was just a small thing,” she says. “We want it to be a marketplace where everyone can participate, not just be there as a vendor.”
The story of Lilith and her daughters
McManus creates jewelry using stones such as lapis lazuli and natural emeralds. But that’s not all.
“Lilith + Daughters reflects my inner self, my personality, the people and things that mix together,” she says. “The jewelry I make has a fantastical, romantic side to it, using things like crystals and chandeliers.And I make jewelry that is inspired by anime and Marvel, so I have a hardcore nerdy side to it. There’s also the ‘I have an overall plan inspired by ‘Black Panther’ line. “
Generations of her family are involved in this business. Lilith is her grandmother’s middle name, her mother’s middle name, and her youngest child’s middle name.
Lilith + Daughters is a collaboration between vintage items passed down from Ms. McManus’ grandmother and ideas from her mother and children. That includes a gallon-sized bucket of My Her Little Her Pony that my oldest child suggested we make into earrings.
Cyn McManus creates all graphics for the taxon market. She would like to collaborate with local artists for future designs.
“This is a necklace I made, using beads that my dad gave me when I was probably 13. I didn’t know what to do with them, so I put them on a jade necklace.” she says. “When I started the market, I had it for almost a year and never thought it would sell. Then this girl said, ‘I want it.’ And I said, ‘Really?’ I thought. And I started crying, ‘I’m so glad you liked this, I didn’t think anyone would accept it.’ And she started crying too. ”
Just as organizing the market is her favorite part, connecting is her favorite part of vending at the market.
“My favorite thing about vending machines is that people are interested in what I’m using,” she says. “I’m a big nerd and I love learning, so I love talking to people about stones.”
And, of course, McManus is a champion and believer of local creativity. She would rather spend $65 on a handmade coffee mug than buy 10 commercialized mugs for $65.
Koi Creative showed off her handmade earrings at the previous Takson market.
“The idea of community is about everyone doing things that benefit each other, and when it comes to baking bread, making art, or reselling vintage clothing, there’s already a sense of humanity there. It’s included,” she says. “People are putting their all into what they’re making. Target isn’t putting their all into what they’re making. That money doesn’t necessarily stay in the community. So, here we are. People work there, go home and pay their wages,” but they don’t actually stay here and support the community.
“We all need art. We all need self-expression. It’s what makes us human,” she says. “I think spending money on something that someone put their all into is the best middle finger.”
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