Celebrating Craft

During American Craft Week, sculptor Dan Essig will take part in a studio tour October 8 at Grovewood Gallery in Asheville. Photograph courtesy of Grovewood Gallery

Celebrating Craft

Given the abundance of artisans, galleries, and supportive institutions such as HandMade in America, Western North Carolina doesn’t take its crafters for granted. That’s why the region stands out in a nationwide initiative to increase recognition and support for craft. American Craft Week, October 7 through 16, offers nine days of exhibits, studio tours, kiln openings, workshops, demonstrations, and talks taking place in 20 cities across WNC, all centered around promoting artisans and handmade objects.

The event was created by Craft Retailers & Artists for Tomorrow (CRAFT) in partnership with Los Angeles-based Craft in America. Between 30 and 40 states are hosting special events, with Western North Carolina representing the largest contingency.

“People here just get it,” says Sherry Masters, general manager at Grovewood Gallery in Asheville and one of three national chairpersons for Craft Week. It’s been her job this year to raise awareness and participation in cities across the country.

Here are just a few of the event’s regional highlights:

• American Craft Week kicks off on Friday in Asheville at the Grove Arcade with a talk by Mayor Terry Bellamy. On the 9th at the Fine Arts Theatre, Carol Sauvion will talk about her work as creator of the PBS series Craft in America, which documents the American craft movement and its cultural heritage.

• Black Mountain galleries and businesses have united to organize a community-wide craft day on October 8, featuring demonstrations on the streets and a gallery stroll. And through the 16th, Black Mountain Studios is offering a Crafts for Clunkers program, allowing people to exchange their mass-produced clunker mugs for handcrafted cups by donating a minimum of $10 to Craft Emergency Relief Fund, a nonprofit that assists craftspeople after natural disasters.

• On October 8, Grovewood Gallery in Asheville will open its artist studios for visitors to see the craft-making process. The Art of Making Music exhibit, featuring handcrafted instruments from the past and present, will open as well.

• The Spruce Pine Potters Market, featuring works by 30 renowned ceramicists, takes place October 8 & 9.

• Tryon hosts an annual Kiln Opening Festival, October 8 & 9.

• Haywood Community College in Waynesville hosts a lecture by Anna Fariello, director of the Craft Revival Project and author of Objects and Meaning, on October 13.

• The Folk Art Center in Asheville is offering daily craft demonstrations, including basket making, silk-screening, and woodturning, by Southern Highland Craft Guild Members.

• On October 15, fiber artists from the craft collective Flow~handmade adornment, Body + Home will offer native plant dying demonstrations in downtown Marshall.

For more events, visit www.AmericanCraftWeek.com.