The Cocodrie Art Market is all about inclusion.
The Lafayette-based gift shop was started by local artist Colette Bernard. She said the original focus of her store, Cocodrie by Colette, was to offer artist-designed objects, which she refers to as “artist-made goods.”
With a huge demand for an art market, Bernard said creatives often would come into her store and ask to set up in her store and on the sidewalk. After much thought and consideration, she started the Cocodrie Art Market, where local artists and the LGBTQ+ community come together for a day filled with fun and inclusion.
The Cocodrie Art Market, which is partnering with the Acadiana Queer Collective, is set to take place on from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, in the 700 block of Jefferson Street. For more information on what to expect that day, visit the event’s website.
Bernard said one of the biggest things she wanted to accomplish with her market was to be a safe, secure and organized event for everyone involved.
“I’d like to be the change that I wish to see in the art scene in Lafayette,” Bernard said. “There is room for fine art at the ACA, but there isn’t a lot of room for local vendors who are artists, craftsmen… it’s a place for them to sell their work more regularly.”
It will include individuals selling their art to the Lafayette community, from beginning artists to novice artists and advanced artists.
“We are welcome to artists of all calibers and all mediums,” Bernard said. “Where you are someone who creates oil paintings, or maybe you create jewelry or just create candles… we welcome all of it.”
Not only will the Cocodrie Art Market be a place for all artists, it will also be a place for those who would like a space, specifically, those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community in Lafayette.
Avery Grubb, manager of Cocodrie, said, in partnership with the Acadiana Queer Collective, Benard has always been there to uplift the queer community.
When Cocodrie heard that Acadiana Queer Collective wanted to give vendors a second opportunity in the year to be visible in the community and to support local queer art, they were more than happy to be a part of that.
“We knew this was the perfect opportunity to bring our two events together,” Grubb said. “Vendors who vend with Acadiana Queer Collective only get one chance in the year, and that is during Pride Month in June. We’re bringing an opportunity to them.”
Grubb said one of the most special parts of the two groups working together is that Acadiana Queer Collective is the presenting sponsor for the event, and part of their sponsorship contribution is covering the booth fees of those queer vendors.
“Not only that, but we also waived our application fees, and we have been able to do that through this sponsorship for this one event for those approved queer vendors,” Grubb said. “And those are the ones who are a part of the Acadiana Queer Collective network.”
Brandi Ortiz Comeaux is the executive director for Acadiana Queer Collective. She said she and the organization were more than happy to help support the upcoming art market.
“By helping cover some of the participation costs, we wanted to ensure that financial barriers wouldn’t prevent talented individuals from joining, allowing them to celebrate their work openly and reach a wider audience,” Comeaux said.
Comeaux added that with their support, they hope that by participating in the market, they can help create more inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ creators.
“We want them to feel welcome and valued, fostering both visibility and connection within the community,” Comeaux said.
As Cocodrie Art Market gears up for the upcoming event, Bernard said the hope is that it will bring everyone in the Lafayette art and queer community a place where they can feel wanted.
“We want to offer a safe, appropriate, and accepting, loving space for openly queer people to be themselves, and to express themselves,” Bernard said.
