Southern Highland Craft Guild Kicks Off Spring with Glass and Metal Day at The Folk Center

April 2, 2016, 10 AM - 4 PM at The Folk Art Center, Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC:   Glass and Metal Day.  With Spring around the corner, things are starting to heat upat the Folk Center.

Kicking off the season of educational events is the first Glass & Metal Day at the Folk Art Center. Several of the newest Guild members will be participating, both on the anvil and blowing glass. Earlier this month The Center hosted New Member Orientation for their growing family of artists, and will be sharing more about them with you.

The auditorium will be full of talented craftsmen and women skilled in metalsmithing and jewelry, alongside glass blowers and their kiln. With two of the five original media of craft, nearly 20 Guild members will be bringing the heat.

Through the course of the year, The Folk Art Center hosts a range of events. From Spinning Circles to Dulcimer players, The "Center" is aptly named as a central place of sharing the best of mountain craft and art. To keep up with these happenings, they have created a new online calendar -  CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE EVENTS. 

Annual Wood Day at the Folk Art Center in Asheville NC

August 8, 2015    Wood Day at the Folk Art Center  An annual celebration of wood crafts including  craft demonstrations and hands-on activities. The 14th Annual Carve Off Competition takes place between 1 - 3 PM. 

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.

NC Featured Gallery: The Folk Art Center on The Blue Ridge Parkway

The Folk Art Center,  Home base for the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Center is the hub of traditional and contemporary mountain art and crafts, with changing exhibits in both the focus gallery and the main gallery and the permanent exhibit all styles are displayed.

Demonstrations and educational opportunities are scheduled regularly and there are special events throughout the year. The members shop is visited by thousands of tourists and locals annually. The Folk Art Center's  ONLINE SHOP  offers a variety of member's hand crafted products.

Current Exhibits include:
Main Gallery - Sculpture and functional ceramics made by teachers and students of Odyssey for Ceramic Arts will be showcased Jan. 12 - April 21.
Focus Gallery -  Featuring the work of Valerie McGaughey (fiber) and Virginia McKinney (clay) Dec. 15, 2012 - March 19, 2013.

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

Find NC crafts for Holiday gift-giving this weekend at The Folk Art Center's Guild Artist Holiday Sale

December 8     Guild Artist Holiday Sale   The Southern Highland Craft Guild presents the annual Holiday crafts sale at the Folk Art Center from 10 AM - 4 PM, milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Choose from a variety of gift items - at special prices -  including ceramics, jewelry, fiber, paper, glass and wood.  Buying from artists supports the local economy and promotes the mission of the Guild which is bringing together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation.

Holiday Crafts Sale at the Folk Art Center in Asheville

December 1   Guild Artist Holiday Sale   The Southern Highland Craft Guild presents the annual Holiday crafts sale at the Folk Art Center from 10 AM - 4 PM, milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Choose from a variety of gift items - at special prices -  including ceramics, jewelry, fiber, paper, glass and wood. 

Buying from artists supports the local economy and promotes the mission of the Guild which is bringing together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation. An additional date is Dec 8 with different artists participating,
The Guild Artists’ Holiday Sale is held on December 1 and again on December 8. 70+ Members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild will be on hand in the center’s auditorium on these two Saturdays, with different artists each day,  to sell select work 10-50% off regular retail. 

While at the Folk Art Center, be sure to visit all three galleries showcasing the work of current Guild members and collections from the Guild’s history.  Member work is also available at Allanstand Craft Shop, the nation’s oldest craft gallery, located within the Folk Center.

Learn more about NC mountain crafts and artists on the NC Mountain Crafts Guide.

Heritage Weekend at the Folk Art Center

A whimmy diddle is an
Appalachian mountain toy
made of two wood sticks

September 15 - 16  at the Folk Art Center, Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC - Heritage Weekend is a two-day celebration of traditional crafts and music.

The 32nd free festival is sponsored by the Southern Highland Craft Guild and features traditional music, dancing and heritage craft demonstrations. A highlight of the weekend is the 32nd Annual World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition on Saturday, 2:00-3:00 PM. Joe “Colonel Buncombe” Bly will emcee the competition.

Apple Chill Cloggers

During Heritage Weekend, visitors learn from area experts about beekeeping, rifle making, coopering, heritage toy making, natural dyeing, spinning, quilting, whittling, print making and furniture making. Other highlights include sheep shearing demonstrations throughout the day on Saturday. The entertainment schedule is jam-packed with regional musicians on both days.

Wood Day at the Folk Art Center

August 11   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. 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.

The Folk Art Center is located at milepost 385 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC.

Folk Art Center March Exhibits

Current Gallery Exhibitions at the Folk Art Center: Alain Mailland Main Gallery  - featuring The American Association of Woodturners: An International Invitational of Turned or Sculpted Wood (work shown at right: Alain Mailland, Chamborigaud, France) Focus Gallery  - featuring Cheryl Hevrdeys (glass) and Martine House (fiber) Craft Traditions: - The SHCG Collection - an ongoing exhibition featuring traditional Appalachian crafts from the 19th and 20th centuries   Special Events  - National Quilting Day Celebration with Connie Brown and Robin Brooks, March 17 Plus -   Daily Craft Demonstrations The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC

Tellabration! this Weekend at the Folk Art Center

November 20    Tellabration! at the Folk Art Center   Thousands of people around the world gather in small towns and big cities to celebrate storytelling during the last week before Thanksgiving. Asheville Storytelling Circle hosts the local event. The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC.

Annual Wood Day at The Folk Art Center

August 13 Wood Day at the Folk Art Center in Asheville.  An annual celebration of wood crafts including live demonstrations and the Eleventh Annual Carve-Off Competition from 1 PM - 3 PM.  The Folk Art Center's auditorium will be filled with lathes, sawhorses, wood tools and the master craftspeople who know how to use them. Demonstrations include flute making, wood turning, broom making and furniture design and construction. Southern Highland Craft Guild members Sandra Rowland and Jan Morris will host activities for children.

Wood Day Participants include:
Will Hines -  coopering
Lyle Wheeler -  chair making
Derek Hennigar -  furniture
Bill Henry -  whittling
Don Duncan -  treenware
Jim McPhail -  wood turning

WNC Woodcarvers  include:
Walt Cottingham -  birdhouses
Friendswood - Brooms
Alan Hollar -  wood turning
Helen Gibson -  carving
Carolyn Anderson -  carving
Dana Hatheway -  chair making
Eddie Howard -  carving
Lee Entrekin -  flute making
David Crandall -  boxes
Sandra Rowland and  Jan Morris - kids activities

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