It all started when Christiana Layman was 11. The jewelry designer from Middletown, Rhode Island, was given a simple $5 bill from her mom to buy a strand of beads at an art show. From there, the girl was hooked. She began to collect more and more beads as her mother, a jewelry designer for engagement rings and wedding bands, taught her the value of genuine stones and pearls. Layman waited until she had enough beads and material to make her own necklace, quickly developing a passion for the art.

A buyer was impressed by her handiwork, but since Layman was only 13 at the time, she had to sell the jewelry under her mother’s name. Two years later, she gained enough popularity to start a business of her own, Christiana Layman Designs. Now at age 21 and with a decade of jewelry making under her belt, Layman has a company that is going full-steam ahead and participating in art shows around New England, including the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival on Saturday and Sunday. 

The Mystic Outdoor Art Festival embarks on its 61st year in 2018, the longest running festival of its kind in the Northeast. A two-mile stretch of downtown Mystic will be taken over by artists like Layman, and over 85,000 people from all across New England and the country will be in attendance to gawk, buy and eat their way through the festival.

This will be Layman’s first time at the event, participating in the newly launched Emerging Student Artists initiative. This program allows free registration for young artists ages 10 to 22, no matter if they are solo or connected with a school or university.

“This is totally unique, in my opinion,” Layman says. “I haven’t been aware of any other shows to give incentive to young people to participate. There’s so many young people with potential, but the cost of art shows is a deterrent for them.”

This was exactly the impetus in creating the initiative, and Mystic Chamber of Commerce President Peggy Roberts is excited about bringing 16 of these emerging artists to the festival.

“So many of our artists have been here for years,” Roberts says. “We were looking to get some younger artists and art lovers, but as young people, they might not have the resources to get in the show. We want to inspire them to continue with art.”

One of the requirements to be accepted in the category is to produce completely original work. As one of the 16 participating young artists, Layman is confident that her handiwork is unlike any other. Majoring in behavioral neuroscience at the University of San Diego, Layman views jewelry designing as her meditation and a creative outlet from nights spent cramming for tests.

“I get to exercise the right brain instead of the left, which can be a big relief,” Layman says.

A self-proclaimed visual learner, Layman describes her inspiration as a combination of traveling the globe and protecting it. While at her alma mater, Layman spent a semester at sea, voyaging all over the world and experiencing new cultures that were saturated with unfamiliar styles and colors.

Each piece of Christiana Layman Designs jewelry is carefully named; “Exiled to the Greek Isles” and “Cocktails in Cannes” drip with the artist’s traveling revelations. African opal jasper and hand-picked freshwater pearls are just some of the materials that she uses to build her designs, but what Layman takes from nature, she makes sure to give back. Five percent of her profits are directed to the Rainforest Trust, an organization that uses all donations towards saving thousands of acres of rainforest and preserving its wildlife.

“I want to give back, and nature is really what inspires me, so this is a way to return the favor,” Layman says.

The artist takes her conservation efforts one step further in her partnership with Distant Village Packaging. The fair-trade company uses banana palm fiber from the Philippines to weave sustainable packaging, creating jobs and fair wages for workers in remote villages around the world. 

Although the price tags on the jewelry can range from $50 to over $1,000, Layman, who is also a vegan, wants her potential buyers to know the impact their purchases have and wants the experience to be special for them.

“I try and make a point that, when people buy a piece from me, it’s unique and is emblematic of my environmental efforts and they are making a difference,” Layman says. “That’s what I love about designers and the individualism that comes from it; people are not going to be walking around with someone else in that same piece they just purchased.”

While the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival does not have a sustainability award, Roberts could see them go toward creating an award for that next year and has hopes of constantly bringing new ideas to the historic festival, such as this year’s Emerging Student Artists initiative.

The weekend will boast roughly 230 artists, their work including painting, photography, woodwork, pottery and, of course, jewelry.

“People should know that the quality is still here at the festival,” Roberts says. “We get the best artists we can get so that people can always find something new every year.”

Layman is honored to be a newcomer among these artists and mentions how festivals like this always re-inspire her to continue expanding the business and making a difference in the world. 

Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, downtown Mystic; (860) 572-9578.