Frist Arts Fest, Chicago Toy Fair, and Handmade Market Showcase Design

Museums, convention halls, and regional farmers markets across the country highlighted hands-on design, textile architecture, and independent craft making on Sunday, November 8, 2026, led by the Frist Art Museum's afternoon festival in Nashville, the closing day of Rosemont's Chicago Toy & Game Fair, and plans for a 150-vendor artisan showcase in West Columbia, according to reporting by David García, Richard M. Sullivan, and Cole Petrovich for Hoodline Nashville, Hoodline Chicago, and Hoodline Columbia.

Gabriel Dawe's 'Plexus No. 47' Anchors Frist Arts Fest in Nashville

In downtown Nashville, the Frist Art Museum at 919 Broadway (visitor information line 615-244-3340) welcomed families and museumgoers on Sunday afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. for Frist Arts Fest, combining live musical performances, interactive studio workshops, and gallery tours.

Rising inside the museum's historic Art Deco Atrium is artist Gabriel Dawe's site-specific suspended textile installation Plexus No. 47, which weaves miles of multi-colored embroidery thread into shimmering geometric planes that resemble refracted beams of light. According to the museum's exhibition schedule, Plexus No. 47 opened on April 16, 2026 and remains on view through April 30, 2028. Festival visitors also toured 3 concurrent gallery exhibitions: Shimmer: Dreaming the Posthuman, Robin Vuchnich: In Search of Thoreau's Flowers—The Memory of a Season, and Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York.

Young Inventors and Play Testing Wrap Chicago Toy & Game Fair

In suburban Rosemont, Illinois, the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center concluded the two-day Chicago Toy & Game Fair—part of the People of Play Wishlist Weekend—running November 7 and November 8, 2026. Depending on whether organizers count from the fair's broader consumer history or its rebranded People of Play era, promotional materials marked the gathering as either its 21st or 10th annual edition.

With admission priced at $15 for adults and $10 for children—alongside a $3 discount coupon offered through Eventbrite—attendees tested board games and interactive toys ahead of the holiday season. Certified Play Expert Ahren Hoffman shared guidance on developmental play, while the fair's flagship Young Inventor Challenge invited student designers between ages 6 and 18 to pitch original game and toy prototypes directly to industry executives.

150-Plus Handmade Vendors Slated for West Columbia Market

Meanwhile in South Carolina, organizers announced dates for the Handmade Arts and Crafts Festival at the South Carolina State Farmers Market, located at 3483 Charleston Highway in West Columbia. Scheduled for Saturday, March 13, 2027 (from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, March 14, 2027 (from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.), the two-day showcase will feature more than 150 independent artisans offering woodworking, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, and specialty foods with free admission and free parking.

The announcement follows the Midlands Crafters Association's holiday market held on November 8 and builds on the spring craft market hosted at the venue on March 21 and March 22, 2026.