Gingerbread House Contest at Artists' Exchange on Saturday

Artists’ Exchange will hold its 12th annual Gingerbread House Decorating Contest on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Artists’ Exchange is located at 50 Rolfe Square in Cranston.

Participants start with a simple graham cracker construction and craft it into a work of art. There are heaping supplies of frosting, pretzels and, of course, an array of colorful candy to decorate your dream candy home. And with no age limit, everyone is invited to join in on the fun.

"The Gingerbread Decorating Contest has become a family tradition here, not just for the staff and students, but the community as well. It is exciting to see families return year after year and watch how the children and the event have grown,” said Shannon Casey, the event’s coordinator and Director of Visual Arts Programming at Artists' Exchange.

Casey said attendance grows every year, so she and the staff are gearing up for a big crowd. Construction on the houses has already begun, and with the help of volunteers, Artists’ Exchange plans to have at least 600 houses by the week before the event. The studios will then be transformed into a holiday wonderland, creating an atmosphere designed to inspire childlike wonder and creativity.

While participants can take their houses home that day, they are invited to submit their creations for judging in their corresponding age category. Families can also opt to work on a house together and be judged in a separate family category. This year, Santa Claus will be a guest judge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Houses in the contest will be photographed and the winners will be announced online by Monday, Dec. 5. Prizes include free classes at Artists’ Exchange, valued at up to $200.

"I can't wait until the week of the event when we can start decorating and turn the art center into a winter wonderland," said Casey.

The new winter session of classes is already available on the Artists’ Exchange website. Be sure to check the schedule before coming because all class registrations processed on the day of the event will get 25 percent off tuition. Reservations are strongly recommended, and to place yours visit www.artists-exchange.org/gingerbreadevent.html.

It costs $14 per house and you can save $3 on online registrations with the coupon code GBRD16 by Dec. 2. You may bring your own additional candy to embellish a house, but no hot glue guns or other adhesives are permitted; frosting only.

The Artists' Exchange is a nonprofit art collaborative whose mission is to create an atmosphere in which creativity, learning and discovery converge and individuality is celebrated. Artists' Exchange houses The Black Box Theatre and multiple art studios, as well as a gallery, art boutique and café, and offers enriching classes and weekly events in art, theatre, music and film.

Artists' Exchange is owned and operated by Gateways to Change; a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing of the quality of life for all human beings.

"We [High School Art Guild] look forward to building Gingerbread Houses every year. It's my favorite day of the year,” said Megan Scarborough, a member of the Guild.