Forging Futures exhibition opens Thursday

News from the Center for Crafts, Creativity and Design 

Current Exhibit:

Tie Up, Draw Down

On view: June 2 - September 2, 2017

 

Tie Up, Draw Down explores weaving as a source for experimentation across media, genres, concept, and scale. Of the fifteen contemporary artists included in this exhibition, many hybridize weaving technologies, weave "the wrong way," or adapt and innovate weaving processes to encompass new media. Others do not weave at all, but find a rich avenue of inquiry within aspects or stages of weaving's complex field.

Artists include: Polly Apfelbaum, Joell Baxter, Jen Bervin, Francesca Capone, Liz Collins, Marianne Fairbanks, Del Harrow, Sheila Hicks, LoVid, John Paul Morabito, Danielle Mysliwiec, Meghan Price, Molly Smith, Laurel Sparks, and Margo Wolowiec.

 

 

 

Forging Futures

On view at Blue Spiral 1 (38 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801)

June 29 - August 25, 2017

Forging Futures surveys 24 emerging and established artists shaping the future of studio craft in this region. Their work represents the range of forms, techniques and materials employed to create handmade works of art, including functional and sculptural works in wood, metal, clay, glass, and fiber. 

Forging Futures was curated and organized by Blue Spiral 1 and The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Pursuing Excellence, the first survey documenting the rise and prominence of studio craft in the region. 

Artists include: Dean Allison, Alex Bernstein, Brian Boggs, Elizabeth Brim, Lisa Clague, Josh Copus, Heather Mae Erickson, Dustin Farnsworth, Jessica Green, Hoss Haley, Andrew Hayes, Eric Knoche, Stoney Lamar, Rachel Meginnes, Jaydan Moore, Zack Noble, Mark Peiser, George Peterson, Amy Putansu, Michael Sherrill, Tom Shields, Pablo Soto, Kathy Triplett, Hayden Wilson

10% of artwork sales will be donated to CCCD

 

Upcoming Events:

Free and open to the public, unless noted. $3-5 suggested donation. 

RSVP and share on Facebook

 

 

Spectacular Failure Panel Discussion

Thursday, June 29, 4 - 5 pm

Fine Arts Theatre
36 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC

Free and open to the public

REGISTER NOW

Three successful, highly regarded artists tell us about their biggest failures and how they use these setbacks as a tool to continue their work. Lisa Clague, Andrew Hayes, and Jaydan Moore provide information and inspiration for creative types everywhere. Exhibition opening reception to follow from 5-8 pm at Blue Spiral 1, 38 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC.

 

 

 

 

Why Craft, Why WNC? Lecture with Anna Fariello

Thursday, July 20, 6:30 pm

Blue Spiral 1
38 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC

Free and open to the public

REGISTER NOW

Anna Fariello, Research Associate Professor at Hunter Library at Western North Carolina University and Craft Revival Project Director, will reveal why craft has thrived in our region.

Teaching Craft Panel Discussion

Thursday, August 17, 6:30 pm

Blue Spiral 1
38 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC

Free and open to the public

REGISTER NOW

A panel of artists including Elizabeth Brim, Heather Mae Erickson, and 

Michael Sherrill will discuss the various methods of teaching a craft - from the classroom to the craft school to apprenticeships and DIY - and the pros and cons of each approach.

 

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design 

 is located at 67 Broadway St., Asheville, NC 

 

 

The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design Announces 2017 CCCD Windgate Fellows and Project Grant recipients

Each year, the Windgate Fellowship identifies ten undergraduate seniors with exemplary skill in craft. Awardees receive $15,000 - one of the largest awards offered nationally to art students. 

Now in it’s twelfth year, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design’s (CCCD) Windgate Fellowship marks $1.8 million awarded to 120 emerging craft artists nationwide. Nominated from a national network of 104 university art programs, these makers represent a skilled and motivated next generation for craft. 

The final four CCCD Windgate Project Grants were awarded this year to:
Josh Copus, 2006 Windgate Fellow, Ceramics, Marshall, NC
Brian Fleetwood, 2012 Windgate Fellow, Jewelry, La Mesilla, NM
Ani Geragosian, 2009 Windgate Fellow, Fiber, Salem, MA
Adam Ledford, 2011 Windgate Fellow, Ceramics, Philadelphia, PA

The 2017 CCCD Windgate Fellows are:
Audrey An, Alfred University, Ceramics
Rachel Chalik, The University of the Arts, Jewelry/Metalsmithing
Esther Cho, Virginia Commonwealth University, Wood/Furniture
Emelie Cleveland, Parsons, The New School of Design, Fiber/Textiles
Christina Dietz, Pennsylvania State University, Sculpture/Psychology
Christina Glover, Savannah College of Art and Design, Fiber/Textiles
Breana Hendricks, State University of New York at New Paltz, Ceramics
Amy Hoagland, University of Kentucky, Glass/Sculpture/Paper/Extended Media
Steven Kaplan-Pistiner, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Jewelry/Metalsmithing
Rosa Novak, California College of the Arts, Ceramics/Fiber

CCCD Celebrates 20th Anniversary

On August 11 from 7-10 PM, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design (CCCD) celebrates 20 years of service to emerging artists, researchers, scholars, and the public.

For the 20th Anniversary Celebration and Benefit,  "the CCCD is planning a one-of-a-kind event in celebration of the history of CCCD while embracing the cultural community and artists who make Asheville and Western North Carolina the location that it is known for today," says Stephanie Moore, Executive Director.

Gather with artists, collectors, friends, and sponsors of the arts for a memorable evening of interactive installations, great food, drinks, and live music. All 20th Anniversary ticket and patron gifts support the CCCD's 2016 activities.

The Celebration will take place at the CCCD located at 67 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville NC.

Recorded Matter: Ceramics in Motion Exhibit at The Center for Crafts and Creative Design

Now - May 21, 2016; Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM at the Center for Crafts and Creative Design, 67 Broadway Street in Asheville NC: Recorded Matter: Ceramics in Motion showcases the work of eleven artists who effortlessly integrate video into their studio practice. Others use video to document a process that is perhaps more important to them than finished, fired objects. All of these pieces have a life of their own on the Internet, where they can be shared in ways that physical objects cannot.

Cover Image: Ben Harlecourtesy of CCCD

Associated events:

February 11, 6:30 PM: Showing/Making: Curator's Talk with Garth Johnson. This 60-minute multimedia lecture by Garth Johnson explores the work of a new generation of young artists who grew up with easy access to video and social media. Recent years have seen an explosion of work that uses video to not only document process, but to show the use (and abuse) of the work and extend their studio practice. Warning: THIS LECTURE CONTAINS AN EROTIC POETRY READING that may be unsuitable for some audiences. 

April 21, 6:30 PM: Artist's Talk with Thomas Schmidt. Discussion with Recycled China co-founder Thomas Schmidt.

AAAC_logo_colorRecorded Matter: Ceramics in Motion is organized and curated by Arizona State University Art Museum Ceramics Research Center Curator, Garth Johnson. This program is funded in part by the N.C. Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program through the Asheville Area Arts Council. 

WIngate Fellowship Grant Artist Talks at Asheville's Center for Craft, Creativity and Design

February 26, 6 - 7:30 PM at the Center for Crafts, Creativity and Design, 67 Broadway Street in Asheville NC: Windgate Fellowship Project Grant Artist Talks with Andrea Donnelly, Aaron McIntosh, and Mark Reigelman II.

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Windgate Fellowship Award in 2015, marking $1.5 million awarded to 100 emerging craft artists nationwide, CCCD expanded the program to include three $10,000 project grants awarded to previous Windgate Fellows. The 2015 Windgate Fellow Project Grant recipients are Andrea Donnelly (Richmond, VA), Aaron McIntosh (Baltimore, MD), Mark Reigelman II (Brooklyn, NY). Donnelly, McIntosh, and Reigelman will travel to Asheville, NC on February 26 to deliver a series of rapid fire artist talks and project updates, including:

Smokers - Mark A. Reigelman II, Brooklyn, NY.  Smokers looks at mysterious and commonplace symbols of the city, transforming one of New York's many steam emitting pipes with a meticulously fabricated mini cabin that rests on top.

The Crown Jewel Project - Andrea Donnelly, Richmond, VA. The Crown Jewel Project explores questions of the false dichotomy of conceptual versus functional weaving, looking at value, object, art and labor using "scarf" as conceptual canvas.

Invasive - Aaron McIntosh, Baltimore, MD. Invasive subverts the negative characterization of invasive species and uses queer kudzu as a demonstrative tool of visibility, strength, and tenacity in the face of presumed "unwantedness".

CCCD 2015/16 Craft Research Fund Grant Recipients Announced

The Craft Research Fund advances, expands and supports scholarship in United States. Each year, CCCD solicits applications from researchers, institutions, and students from around the country to be selected by a panels of experts in the field of craft scholarship.

On January 29, the 2015/16 recipients were reviewed by panelists Jenni Sorkin, Assistant Professor of Art History, University of California, Santa Barbara, Sarah Warren, Associate Professor of Art History, Purchase College, State University of New York, and Nonie Gadsden, Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  The panel selected 11 recipients and awarded a total of $95,000 in the following categories:

Exhibition Research Grants 

• Stephanie Beck Cohen, Indiana University: $8,000 
• Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia: $15,000 
• The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY: $15,000 
• Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA: $9,500

Project Grants

• Art Jewelry Forum: $6,000 
• Noga Bernstein, Stony Brook University: $6,000 
• Hadley Jensen, Bard Graduate Center: $5,500 
• Kevin Murphy, Vanderbilt University: $6,500 
•  Kayleigh Perkov, University of California Irvine: $10,500

Graduate Research Grants

• Alessa Alexander, University of California, Santa Barbara: $10,000 
• Jacqueline Sullivan, Parsons School of Design/Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum: $3,000

Visit the CCCD website for full list of project descriptions and previous grant recipients. 

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design Announces Participation in WantedDesignBrooklyn

On January 28, CCCD announced its participation in WantedDesign Brooklyn May 7-17, 2016 during NYCxDESIGN, New York City's official annual citywide celebration of design.

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design will display its recent exhibition Made in WNC, featuring work by twenty-four regional textile, ceramic, and furniture studios, at the international fair. CCCD is grateful to Explore Asheville for making the travel of this exhibition possible.

Made in WNC photo by Jennifer Cole Rodriguez courtesy CCCD

Made in WNC was organized by The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, curated by Marilyn Zapf, presented by Explore Asheville, and received support from the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design advances the understanding of craft by encouraging and supporting research, critical dialogue, and professional development in the United States. CCCD is located at 67 Broadway Street in Asheville NC.   

Final Week of The People's Cloth Trade Show at The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design

July 14 - 25, 2015 from 10 AM to 6 PM, Tuesday - Saturday at The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, 67 Broadway St. in Asheville NC: The People's Cloth Trade Show with soft guerilla textile artist Frau Fiber from Long Beach, CA.

Artist, activist and scholar Carole Frances Lung performs her alter ego Frau Fiber, in The People's Cloth Trade Show. This exhibition plays off of the trade show format to create an approachable, immersive environment for visitors to learn about North Carolina textile manufacturing - its history, production methods, and global context.

The People's Cloth Trade Show is organized by the Institute 4 Labor Generosity Workers & Uniforms, Frau Fiber's organization for suppressing unethical global fast fashion. See Frau Fiber's documentation of the project to date on The People's Cloth Trade Show blog.

CCCD announces new, experimental program, Back to the Drawing Board, seeks volunteer participation

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design (CCCD) presents Back to the Drawing Board, a series of 24-hour take-overs of Benchspace, CCCD's gallery and workshop, intended to provoke conversation, expose process, and invite participation. Juried and invited collaborators will take over Benchspace with the goal of making the invisible creative process visible and will use the venue as a space for experimentation, collaboration, failure, and innovation. The format of each take-over is decided by the collaborator and may include performance, installation, film, or exhibition.

Each take-over will take place from 6 - 9 pm Friday and 10 AM - 6 PM Saturday at Benchspace and will include a public reception from 6 - 9 PM on Friday evening.

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design is located at 67 Broadway Street in Asheville NC.

The Center for Craft Creativity and Design Announces 2015 Windgate Museum Internship Host Institutions - applications now open for interns

The Center for Craft, Creativity and; Design (CCCD) is pleased to announce the 10th Windgate Museum Internship call for applications. This opportunity provides $5,000 stipends to four nationally selected undergraduate or graduate students to work under the direction of curators or directors in decorative arts or contemporary craft collections, exhibitions and/or programs. 

The goal of these internships is to support and expand the number of future curators with education and interest in contemporary craft. After reviewing applications from a diverse and compelling group of museums, CCCD is pleased to announce the 2015 Windgate Museum Internship Host Institutions: High Museum of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art (Decker Gallery), The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

CLICK HERE for the internship description, deadlines and application instructions.

Opening Reception for "Taking Shape" at The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design

January 24, 5 PM - 7 PM, at The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design's Benchspace Gallery and Workshop, 67 Broadway Street in Asheville NC: The Center celebrates its new location with an opening reception for  Taking Shape: Celebrating the Windgate Fellowship at ithe Benchspace Gallery and Workshop.

This special exhibit is the first group display of Windgate Fellows' work which spans a range of approaches, media, and processes. Taking Shape features a selection of recent objects completed by Fellows awarded in years 2006-2010, revealing a cross-section of up-and-coming perspectives on craft.

Taking Shape was juried by Cindi Strauss, Assistant Director of Programming and Curator for Modern and Contemporary Decorative Arts and Design at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. The show continues through May 3, 2014.

The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design Announces New Location

The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design
Relocates to Downtown Asheville
submitted by Stephanie Moore, Executive Director

 

Over the past two years, the Center's board and staff have considered and discussed our core purpose - who we are and what we would like to accomplish in the future. During the planning process, it became most evident that the Center needed to relocate in order to increase our visibility, as well as strengthen and expand programs. Last August the Center purchased 67 Broadway, our new home in downtown Asheville. As we move forward, the Center would like to extend sincere appreciation to the residents and organizations in Hendersonville that supported our mission for eighteen years.

Western North Carolina has historically been, and continues to be, a vital center for craft production in the United States. This permanent location provides us assurance towards the future - a place to be, to dig deep, and to grow. A gift from the Windgate Charitable Foundation made this purchase possible. Subsequent gifts we received from Fleur Bresler and The Bresler Family Foundation will allow us to open our renovated space debt free. We are forever grateful.

With this change also comes the separation from the University of North Carolina, which has provided foundational support since the beginning. The Center will continue to prioritize craft in higher education, as well as the scholarship of American craft, both in the region and beyond. Our mission to advance the understanding of craft through research, critical dialogue, and professional development remains steadfast.

We are excited about the plans ahead and look forward to opening our doors in early 2014. As always, keep us informed of the things in craft that matter to you most and we will do the same.

Stephanie Moore 

The Center's new home at 67 Broadway Street, Downtown Asheville

Ismini Samanidou Exhibit "TOPOGRAPHY" Opens this month at The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design

January 18,  5-7 PM at The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, 1181 Broyles Rd. in Hendersonville NC - "Topography" Exhibit Opening and Lecture with Ismini Samanidou. Textile artist and designer Ismini Samanidou seeks to understand her encounters with beauty through crafting woven surfaces and installations. Utilizing both mechanical jacquard looms and hand weaving techniques, her creative process becomes a way to document her own story. She often photographs her travels and reinterprets them with thread. Themes of transience, decay, and history emerge through her poetic textiles.

Ismini Samanidou was born in Athens and trained at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, London. Her work involves designing and making textiles for exhibitions, commissions, and collaborations, focusing on the use of digital weaving technology and designer maker methods, touching on the boundaries of craft, art and design.

This exhibition is a partnership project between The Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts and The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design. A catalog to accompany the exhibition is published by the Crafts Study Centre.

January 16, 5:30 PM - WNC Textile Study Group Lecture by Ismini Samanidou: at  HandMade in America
125 S. Lexington Ave., Suite 101, Asheville NC.  Ismini Samanidou will discuss her practice and developing work, including her approach to and influences of travel experiences. Samanidou will include information on her exhibition, Topography.

The Center for Craft Creativity and Design New Exhibit

New Exhibition: Harvey's Legacy: The Next Generation of Studio Glass in Western North Carolina   

The year 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the development of studio art glass in America. To celebrate this milestone, The Center for Craft,Creativity & Design presents "Harvey's Legacy: The Next Generation of Studio Glass in Western North Carolina", an exhibition of work by studio glass movement founder Harvey K. Littleton as well as exceptional glass artists of generations X and Y who are working in the region. Western North Carolina's Toe River Valley was home to Littleton, who settled there after his retirement, and now includes a growing community of over 50 notable glass artists. 

Opening Reception: Thursday, December 6th, 5-7 PM
The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design
1181 Broyles Rd. Hendersonville NC 28791  

Support the featured artists by purchasing an item from the gallery. Buy a pint glass at the opening and get a free beer courtesy of Asheville's Highland Brewing Company.

Join the raffle at the opening to win hot shop and flameworking classes at the Asheville Glass Center, private lessons from exhibitors Kathryn Adams and Hayden Wilson, vases, ornaments, and more. A portion of proceeds from the raffle and gallery sales will go towards subsidizing the first glass course at Warren Wilson College as well as future programming by The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design.

Live Glassblowing Demonstrations: Saturday, December 8th, 10-6 PM at the Asheville Glass Center, 140C Roberts St. Asheville, NC.  On Saturday, December 8th, join the Asheville Glass Center staff and exhibitors Kathryn Adams, Ben Elliot, Ben Greene-Colonnese, Justin Turcotte, Hayden Wilson with special guests Alex Bernstein, Penland Resident Artist Micah Evans and exhibition curator Lauren Pelletier for exciting glassblowing and flameworking demonstrations to be held at the Asheville Glass Center in the River Arts District.  

Center for Craft, Creativity & Design Announces Dialogue in Clay: A Cross-Cultural Learning Experience

From August 4 to 18, the Center for Creativity, Craft & Design will host its fourth International Artist Residency with Magdalene Odundo, OBE. The residency will provide students and faculty from Western Carolina University, Appalachian State University, Warren Wilson College, Haywood Community College, and the University of North Carolina Asheville a meaningful opportunity to work closely with a preeminent scholar artist over the course of two weeks.

The residency is structured in a way that allows for thoughtful dialogue, for consideration of other perspectives, and for exploring cultural diversity. Learning will take place on a number of levels within an immersive context. The students will contribute to open dialogue in an informal, intimate setting with peers that are outside their current learning environment. During the evenings following dinner, students and faculty will share information about their interests. Each day, Odundo will task students with different exercises towards realizing one or many resulting works of art. The residency provides a participatory, exploratory experience through craft.

"I am extremely interested in the sharing of ideas, the transfer of knowledge for ceramics arts and crafts practice in general, the exchange of academic experience and collaborations with colleagues at other institutions, universities and communities with my emphasis on links with developing countries. The latter for me is important because for many years artists from Europe and Americas have been inspired by art from these countries but not shared their acquired wealth materially or in spirit with those artists." Magdalene Odundo

Center for Craft, Creativity and Design Announces 2012 Wingate Fellows

2012 WINDGATE FELLOWS  

On Wednesday, March 21st, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design hosted the selection panel to name the 2012 Windgate Fellows.  The selection process presents a rare opportunity to survey the best and brightest emerging makers in the field of craft.  We are honored to continue the important legacy of this program - one that gives these emerging artists both the validation and financial resources to pursue their dreams.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the selection panel, discover additional images and read about the Fellows.

 

Rachel Columb, University of Georgia, BFA in Jewelry/Metals

Patrick Aaron Decker, Maine College of Art, BFA in Jewelry/Metals
Brian Fleetwood, Institute of American Indian Arts, BFA in Jewelry/Metals

Eric Heying, Arizona State University, BFA in Ceramics

Adam Hill, University of Alabama, BFA in Sculpture

Joseph Kraft, Alfred University, BFA in Ceramics

Tanner Price, Maine College of Art, BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design

John Souter, University of the Arts, BFA in Ceramics

Kaii Tu, California College of the Arts, BFA in Design/Craft

Christopher White, Indiana University, BFA in Ceramics