From the criminology department to the craft fair: Indigo Allain brings seashells to FSU

By Sarah Daponde Arts & Features Editor The temperatures were in the negatives and the red brick pathways of Framingham State University were covered in a sneaky layer of ice, ready to sweep unsuspecting students off their feet. 

But that did not stop Indigo Allain from making her way through the cold.

Inside the warm halls of McCarthy, The Winter Craft Fair, hosted by the Art Club, was in full swing on Dec. 12. There were dozens of vendors lining the walls, their crafts colorful and their hopes high. But Indigo Allain, with her bright smile and luminescent crafts, stole the show.

What she and her glue gun had spent so many meticulous minutes piecing together was a sight so welcome in the bitter cold encompassing the campus on the night of the Winter Craft Fair: seashells!

A small fragment of warm weather to come - that is what Indigo sold on her table. Pairing her beachy crafts with her warm, welcoming disposition, passing customers could almost feel the sunshine.

Of course, the seashells did not collect themselves.

Indigo was born and raised in Rhode Island. She has always loved collecting seashells at the beach, which is what inspired her to use them to make something new and unique to hold her jewelry in.

And each jewelry holder is unique.

All of her creations are a little bit different from each other, all beautifully crafted with delicately placed gems and pearls for added charm.

“My biggest inspiration is my grandfather. He’s an extremely talented artist who has been so supportive of all my crafts and encourages me to keep creating art,” Allain said.

Allain said she has been making her crafts for a while, but this is her first year selling her jewelry holders and she hopes to continue growing her business. 

Her mother encouraged her to start selling her crafts and showing others what she was creating. The holders range in price - the larger ones are $20 and the smaller ones are $15.

As a person, Indigo is just as unique as her crafts.

With a glance at her artwork, or her colorful name, it might be assumed that Indigo is an art major. But no, she spends her days studying criminology with a psychology minor on the path to becoming a forensic psychologist.

“I’m really interested in why people commit crimes and the psychological aspect of why crimes occur,” she said.

When she is not crafting or studying, Indigo works as a mental health worker in the inpatient unit at a psychiatric hospital. “I love being able to help people and be there for them. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve seen a lot,” she said.

As a native of Barrington, Rhode Island, she chose to study at Framingham State because of the criminology program. “I don’t really know how I came to be here, but that played a major role,” she added.

Seeing as she has sold over 50 jewelry holders, her community seems grateful she brought her creativity with her.

Junior Shelbie Greenaway is a friend and classmate of Indigo’s, but also a customer.

Greenaway said she has four seashell jewelry holders - and her mother has two.

“I love Indigo because she’s just so many interesting things all at once. She’s creative and artistic, but also so funny and smart,” she added.

Ollie Mainguy, another customer of Allain’s, said she finds the jewelry holders to be beautiful and one of a kind.

“It’s not too common for people to enjoy arts and crafts once they’re in college. Everyone is so busy doing homework and scrolling on their phones. I think more people should create things like Indigo because you can tell it makes her so happy - and it makes us so happy to see what she makes.”

The Art Club is hosting their next craft fair on April 28.

Miranda Allicon, vice president of Art Club, said she is so excited for the spring fair. “Everyone is so creative and I’m glad people feel confident in sharing their skills to others,” she said.

Regarding Indigo’s crafts, Allicon said she “has no words for how creative they are. I’ve been watching her progress on Instagram stories and I’m always seeing them. I know so many people looking forward to getting them this time around and I hope she will continue to be a part of it in the future.”

Indigo said she is excited for the craft fair and selling more of her jewelry holders - this time in warmer weather.