Asheville Trip

Traveling to Asheville to immerse ourselves in Appalachian art was truely a great experience. I had never been to the area before, which led to many different surprises that helped me learn about Appalachian culture, art, and textiles. Our first stop was to The Folk Arts Center, then Handmade in America, The Oriole Mill and then a Potter's workshop and gallery. Each visit was extremely different, but yet I could still see where all the places are little puzzle pieces that fit together to create a whole genre called Appalachian Art.

Folk Art Center

Our visit to Folk Art Center helped us learn more about the history of the area and how people settled down and survived in this area. We learned that missionaries were traveling through, when they decided that east Tennessee/South-West North Carolina was where they wanted to settle. The easy access to fresh water and fertile ground helped them create a growing community. They relied on themselves to make their own furniture, quilts and blankets, which generated them to also create art. I was intrigued by the set of wooden rocking chairs that we were shown, because they came from an area called Berea, Kentucky, which is located right next to my hometown. I was proud that such a small area could be showcased through these magnificent rocking chairs. An artist who I also loved in the exhibit was the story of the little boy who took his dad's clay scraps to create little clay pigs, and from this he became famous because the First Lady absolutely loved them while traveling through the area. This story is inspiring because it shows how it doesn't take much to create great art.

Handmade in America

Handmade in America was an informative stop that helped us grasp what they did as a society, and how they supported crafters and artists in the area. I enjoyed seeing this exhibit because it allowed me to see how as an interior designer it is important to incorporate crafts in interiors because it will not only be add intrigueing aspects to the interior, but it will more importantly supporting artists and their craft. The artwork below is a teapot that I found witty and creative, because it visual replicates a tree branch. It is created from clay, and is worked with to create the woodlike grooves all throughout the pot. The artists are Maud and Austin Boleman, who I have learned also create a whole line that contains mugs and other such pieces that use witt and creativeness different pottery.

The Center for Craft Creativity and Design

The Center for Craft Creativity and Design displayed an extremely different kind of Appalachian Art that I found really modern and cool. They were textile rugs that contained blurry images of peoples' faces on them. Each face on the textile was different, making expressions that were mysterious and puzzeling. I personally liked the wall that contained a line of textiles each containing different facial pieces. You had to really study each one carefully to identify what the part was by getting close to it then stepping back to analyze.

The Oriole Mill

Our stop at The Oriole Mill was my favorite. I thought learning about the process of making such amazing textiles while seeing it being done right in front of us was so informative and a great experience. Textiles are made by first choosing the type of fabric they want to use for the fabric, and then they put it through the warp beam to get it prepared before it goes to the jacquered loom where the textile will be produced. I thought it was interesting learning about the different types of threads, and how some are thinner then others, and how that little aspect completely changes the process of making the textile. It was also cool hearing about the different types of looms, and how each one has a different design that is made to create a certain type of textile. Hearing about how the design is originally created on the computer, and is then hooked up to the loom to where it automatically creates that design just amazes me. It was funny coming from The Folk Arts Center and hearing about how quilts were made from hand looms, and then coming to The Oriole Mill where these highly developed mahines can whip quilts out in a couple hours.

River Arts District

Our last stop was to a Potters's gallery and workshop. I also thought this was another highlight to the whole trip, because it was cool to see how these potters are so skilled in what they do and how they can create magnificent pottery in a couple minutes on a wheel. I was intrigued by Sarah Wells Rolland, because we got to see her work in the workshop, and then see her finished product in their art gallery. She described how she loves making a series of one thing such as a drinking cup, but then changing each one slightly to see what she likes best in the end after she fires them. I was also amazed by one piece that she does which is a bowl that contains tons of cut outs, createing a new dynamic to a typical potter's bowl.