Tucson artists hopes to inspire creativity with art cart

You might expect to grab your drink and go, until you see a pink-covered table and a cart parked to your left, packed to the brim with art supplies and maybe even an iron or a toaster oven. By the side of the table stands Caroline Martin, a local artist hoping to inspire creativity among us all.

Martin paints imagery of ice cream cones and saguaros on recycled purses. She’s created bracelets from strips of magazine pages hand-rolled into tiny beads. She’s led paint-and-sip events, where attendees paint a whimsical scene atop an old vinyl record.

Now, she’s making art even more accessible, bringing an art cart to Tucson cafes. Think of it as a mobile craft workshop for all ages, except projects are priced no higher than $15 and you don’t have to make a reservation or buy a ticket in advance.

Martin, also known as Handcrafted by Care, doesn’t teach the crafts necessarily, but she’s available as much or as little as you may need, whether that’s help with conceptualizing an idea or figuring out how to attach the earring hook onto your clay masterpiece.

Every time you spot the art cart, three different crafts will be available — running the gamut from collages, beeswax candles, polymer clay earrings, Shrinky Dinks, art made with Perler Beads.

The crafts rotate, so you might find friendship bracelets and greeting cards this week, but iron-on patches for handkerchiefs next week and holiday ornaments when December rolls around. You can find the art cart’s schedule on Instagram.

“When I was an art teacher, I would have all different options for people to choose from, if one kid wants to do clay and another kid wants to paint. Choice is so important in art-making — art shouldn’t be restrictive or you shouldn’t have to be a certain person to do art,” Martin says. “What art can be is so open — it’s just something someone has created.”

Martin, a New Jersey native, moved to Tucson nearly seven years ago to attend the University of Arizona, where she studied art education. She’s since worked as an art educator at local schools, community organizations and art museums, teaching art to people ages 5 to 104.

“I mainly view myself as an art educator who focuses on using art to build community and give people outlets for self-care and connection with each other,” she says. “As an artist, I like to think about doing things in a new way — an unconventional way — and that’s how the idea of the art cart came to be.”

“I like to inspire people through fun materials and encourage them to come up with their own ideas and focus on the journey of art-making,” she says. “With the art cart, my goal is to inspire people of all different ages to see these materials and interpret them however they wish.”

On more than one occasion, Martin has invited a friend over for craft nights, where they sit in her living room and create Shrinky Dinks or thread beads into friendship bracelets.

“But sometimes you want to get out of the house,” she says. “I asked (my friend) if she wanted to go to a cafe and do art. We sat there for hours making art and I thought, ‘Wow, I wonder if other people would want to do that.’”

For as long as she can remember, Martin has been interested in creative projects, both hands-on and performing arts. She still recalls art night in kindergarten, when she got to go to school at night just to do art. She’s also taken plenty of art classes in her day, but she knows they aren’t always financially accessible since materials can be expensive.

To offer something more affordable, her crafts are priced as low as $5 and don’t go above $15. She’s also rolling out a loyalty card to further encourage creativity on a frequent basis — if you create four crafts, you get $5 off your fifth.

“I want it to feel inclusive,” she says. “At a lower price point, more people might try to be creative.”

“As an art teacher, I love watching other people’s creative journey,” she says. “Yesterday, a young girl was making a card and she made this really creative design — it was a birthday card and she turned a cactus into birthday candles. I get so excited to see that.”

Currently, you can find the art cart parked at The Korean Rose, 6118 E. Speedway. Martin posts the monthly schedule on Instagram or you can find flyers at the boba shop.

She’s hoping to bring the art cart to other cafes in the future and plans to launch family days and date nights, where the projects are themed for a whole family or a couple to do. She’s also been chatting with folks at The Korean Rose to host birthday parties with the art cart, and since she has her teaching certificate, she wants to promote the cart to homeschoolers for private sessions.

“This can be for people who want to try crafting or people like me who view themselves as an artist but want to sit with a friend somewhere and try something new,” she says.

“I want to create a place where you can go have a drink and be creative. I think it’s really important to spend time slowing down.”

Martin will post the art cart’s schedule monthly on Instagram. Keep an eye on her page for info about the crafts for the week!

Here’s what’s on the books for the rest of July and all of August. All dates take place at The Korean Rose, 6118 E. Speedway.

• 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, July 30
• 7-9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2
• 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6
• 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8
• Noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11
• 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13
• Noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18 for Family Day
• 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20
• 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22

Separate from the art cart, Martin is hosting a $35 paint-and-sip class 6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, at The Korean Rose, where attendees will be able to paint a mermaid-inspired design on a vinyl record. Participants are encouraged to dress up as a mermaid! Reserve your spot here.