Asheville:

The Folk Art Center of Asheville, NC was all started by Frances Goodrich.  She had an idea of a cottage industry that would help mountain families to prosper.  She founded Allanstand Cottage Industries in 1897 in Madison County, which then lead to Allanstand craft shop.  In 1908, Goodrich moved her business to the downtown area of Asheville.  In 1928, the Guild met up and they collaborated with the outcome of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.  

John D. Richards was an artist that stood out to me at the Folk Art Center.  He had on display a rooster lamp that was made with a twisted wire frame, eight to ten layers of tissue paper, all glued together with  what looked to be water colors with ink lines.  John D. Richards was born in 1936, in Fond Du Lac, WI.  He came from an artistic background with his father being a writer, and his mother being an artist.  He earned a BA in English from Union College in Schenectady NY.  He also taught Spanish, Art, and English for about four years.   He then moved to NYC to attend courses at Pratt Institute to begin his art career.  Today he lives in Burnsville, NC with his wife.  

this is another piece of his works found online, similar to the rooster in the craft centerIt seems as though he has been inspired by his mixture of country and city life experiences through his works.  The animals he creates (representing the nature of the country life) is mixed with graffiti-like exterior (possibly inspired by the city).  The fact that he works through fiber art seems to incorporate his Literature background by using similar materials from which books are made.  

In interior design, craft plays a vital role in finishing a room as well as pleasing the client.  Clients ask for original works to be incorporated very often, and by knowing the world of craft, a designer will know how to please their clients.  My focus throughout this class has been on metal.  The metal wiring for the artwork above is what drew me to it.  The delacate manner of the wiring with tissue paper combination creates a beautiful light source, and can be used in many different spaces when designing.  The simplicity of fiber art is beautiful to me and thus I was drawn to Richard's work. 

The Oriole Mill:

The Oriole Mill creates beautiful, environmentally friendly fabrics that are woven on looms that use specialty software.  It is a wonderful, state-of-the-art mill in which natural fibers such as wool and manmade fibers like nylon are used to create fabrics of all kinds for many purposes such as bedding, rugs, and much more.  It was started by Bethanne Knudson and Stephan Michelson to help improve working looms for students from  The Jacquard Center.  

Glass Blowing in Asheville:

My group and I went to a glass blowing shop in downtown Ashville where we discover some amazing works by Robert Gardner.  This glass blowing shop gives workshops to those who want to learn the art of glass blowing.  We found some great pieces-