Asheville's Folk Art Center Hosts Wood Day

August 10    Wood Day at the Folk Art Center  An annual celebration of wood crafts including craft demonstrations and hands-on activities. The Twelfth Annual Carve Off Competition takes place between 1 - 3 PM.

Lyle Wheeler

For the contest, participants have two hours to turn a simple block of wood into a work of art. Carvers must sign up by 12:30 to participate. Demonstrations include flute making, wood turning, broom making and furniture design and construction. FREE admission.

Admission to Wood Day and the Folk Art Center is free. The Folk Art Center is located at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. Headquarters to the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Center also houses three galleries, a library, Allanstand Craft Shop and a Blue Ridge Parkway information desk and bookstore.

Clay Day at The Folk Art Center in Asheville NC

June 1   From 10 Am - 4 PM  Clay Day at The Folk Art Center.   The the Southern Highland Craft Guild  celebrates ceramic arts with craft demonstrations and hands-on activities including the Annual "Make and Take" Raku Firing. Buy a $10 pot, glaze it and watch expert potters raku fire it for you.  Raku is a ceramic firing process which uses fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs.

Other demonstrations include clay sculpture, hand building, surface design and throwing on the potter's wheel. Volunteers from Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Department will be demonstrating and assisting visitors with a try at the potter’s wheel.  Southern Highland Craft Guild member Cindy Billingsley will lead a collaborative sculpture project.  Members Becky & Steve Lloyd will demonstrate sgraffito on porcelain and wheel throwing.

Participating Artists include:

Steven Forbes de Soule, raku

Gary Clontz, raku

Lynn Jenkins, raku

Jan Lee, raku

Cindy Billingsley, collorborative sculpture

Ann Gleason, sculpture

Rose Mueller, sculpture

Rodney Leftwich, folk pottery

Becky & Steve Lloyd, wheel throwing and sgrafitto on porcelain

Janice MacDonald, mixed media figures

Hugh Bailey, folk pottery

Haywood Community College, wheel throwing

Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts, wheel throwing and surface design

The Folk Art Center is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 382 in Asheville NC.

Haywood Graduate Exhibition at the Folk Art Center

April 21,  3 - 5 PM the Opening Reception for the Haywood Community College's Professional Crafts Department Graduate Exhibition will be held at the Folk Art Center in the Main Gallery.  Light refreshments will be served.  The exhibition will continue through June 23, 2013.

Graduates of Haywood’s Professional Crafts Program will showcase their talents in wood, clay, fiber, metal and jewelry. Haywood Community College is located in Clyde, NC, just west of Asheville.  This exhibition continues the historical relationship between the Folk Art Center and Haywood, an Educational Center Member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. 

The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC. 

National Quilting Day at the Folk Art Center

March 16    National Quilting Day at the Folk Art Center   Celebrate National Quilting Day at the Folk Art Center with Connie Brown and Robin Brooks, who are members of the Asheville Quilt Guild and the Southern Highland Craft Guild, demonstrating their craft from 10 AM to 4 PM in the center’s lobby.  

Trip around the world quilt

Visitors are also invited to bring a quilt – a family heirloom, an antique purchase, or a vintage quilt with a unique design, for questions and analysis by Connie. Helpful information about how to care for quilts and how to learn more about the process will also be provided. 

During the event, Allanstand Craft Shop at the Folk Art Center will feature a variety of traditional and contemporary quilts made by members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

The first National Quilting Day was held in 1991 and local quilting groups across the country have since used the event as a way to raise awareness of the traditional craft.

The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on The Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC

Odyssey Ehhibit in the Main Gallery at The Folk Art Center

January 12 - April 21: Exhibition by the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts at The Folk Art Center. Both sculpture and functional ceramics made by teachers and students at the Odyssey Center will be showcased in the Folk Art Center Main Gallery.

Odyssey, located in the River Arts District of Asheville, is an educational center and member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Under the stewardship of Highwater Clays, The Odyssey Center "is a school and studio which promotes understanding, appreciation and professional development in the ceramic arts". The Center includes a Gallery which exhibits new work by instructors, residents, members and student assistants. The Gallery serves to inspire and educate the community and ceramic students about the nature of clay and the variety of ways clay can be used, enjoyed and valued. Exhibits are continually changing and include five unique shows throughout the year.

The Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts is located at 236 Clingman Avenue in the River Arts District of Asheville NC.
Learn more about Asheville arts and crafts on the Asheville NC Visitor Guide.