Trip to Asheville for American Craft Week

Folk Art Center

The Southern Highland Craft Guild was started in 1930 with only 8 memebers. It is an organization of crafts people that serves the Appalachian region. Its purpose it shared resources, education, marketing and conservation. Now it has 900 members and over 2400 artworks. These works are displayed at the Folk Art Center and some are sold there.

Frances Goodwich (1856-1944) was native to Asheville. She did watercolor paintings, carving and weaving. She started the weaving movement and taught many women of the town how to weave. Weaving is still a very important part of Asheville's craftwork today much because of her influence.

Handmade in America

Using craft for interiors gives a better quality though it is more expensive. It is more expensive because it takes much more time to produce and it benefits the local economy.

Connie Molland, a local crafter, grew up in her father's woodshop where the smell of sawdust was farmiliar. As she grew older she started experimenting with wood and its different functions. She produced a purse cutting board (as shown below) which has an interesting and different look for a cutting board, and function with the handle. Her use of different woods adds a beautiful color change.

Purse Cutting Board I (Bird's Eye maple, walnut and oak)Purse Cutting Board I (right), Purse Cutting Board II (left)Purse Cutting Board II (Bird's Eye maple, Purple Heart and Rosewood)

Center for Craft Creativity and Design

 Lia Cook has been doing work since 1980 around the United States. She mostly works from Berkely, California. Her Bridge 11 exhibit at the Center for Craft Creativity and Design "explores the sensuality of the woven image and the emotion connections to memories of touch and cloth." This exhibit evokes emotion in the viewer because when you look at the images close up they look like weavings, but from far away they make a beautiful face. This exhibit was very interesting.

Lia CookClose up

The Oriole Mill

The thing that sets The Oriole Mill apart from every other mill in the United States is that it is lit naturallly. Its large windows give great light even on a cloudy day. This mill produces beautiful custom blankets, pillow covers, ect. that will last a lifetime. The jacquard loom simplifies the process of making complex patterns. It is ultimately controlled by a computer which signal individual punch cards which control one individual row in the design. 

River Arts District

Judi Harwood is a Raku Artist and Sculptor. Judi has been making pots for years, selling in galleries and shows. She is an experienced ceramics instructor, teaching in private schools, private lessons and retirement communities. her encouragement and gentleness coupled with her eagerness to learn new techniques makes her a wonderful teacher. Judi is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

Ceramic Raku horse

beautiful use of color