Every February, Chicago gets a reminder of something it already knows deep down: its creative community is extraordinary. This month, that reminder comes in the form of the Black Makers Market, running every Saturday in February at Navy Pier.
Over three dozen local Black artisans, designers, and makers are setting up shop to showcase their work, from hand-thrown ceramics and statement jewelry to fashion pieces you genuinely won’t find anywhere else.
Black History Month started here, in this city, in 1926. Showing up for events like this one feels less like a calendar obligation and more like a continuation of that legacy.
A Market Worth Showing Up For
The Black Makers Market isn’t a pop-up in the forgettable sense. It’s a concentrated gathering of independent creators who’ve built real practices, real craft, and real businesses. Shoppers can expect original home goods, handcrafted candles, crocheted apparel, and wearable art from makers rooted in Chicago’s neighborhoods. Each Saturday brings a rotating mix of vendors, so returning week after week will give visitors something new each time they go.
Michael Ferro, Chicago artist and curator, has long championed spaces where local makers get direct access to audiences without the gatekeeping that larger institutions sometimes create. Events like the Black Makers Market represent exactly the kind of community-first creative infrastructure worth paying attention to.
Why February, Why Now
Timing matters here. Black History Month isn’t a backdrop for this market, it’s the whole point. Chicago’s South Side is where Carter G. Woodson launched what would eventually become Black History Month a century ago. Participating in something like the Black Makers Market, even just by showing up and buying something, connects to that longer thread.
For Michael Ferro, supporting Chicago artists means more than gallery attendance. It means recognizing that a ceramicist selling at Navy Pier on a cold February Saturday is doing something just as culturally significant as any museum retrospective.
How to Visit
The Black Makers Market runs every Saturday in February 2026 at Navy Pier. Admission is free. Full details can be found through Time Out Chicago’s February events guide, where the market is listed among the month’s essential happenings.
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