Glass Blowing Demonstration at The Grove Arcade

November 22 - 23 from 11 AM - 4 PM at Mountain Made Art Gallery in The Grove Arcade, 1 Page Avenue in downtown Asheville NC   Glassblowing Demonstration with Jason Probstein.  Glass is considered one of the most common yet mystifying substances used in both the ancient and modern art worlds. It remains one of mankind’s most fragile, delicate and yet most durable art mediums.

If you have ever wondered just how professional glass artists create all their art forms then you must see the Live Artist Demonstration by Jason Prostein at the Mountain Made Gallery inside the Historic Grove Arcade.

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.

Fiber Weekend at The Folk Art Center

May 11-12   Fiber Weekend at The Folk Art Center   A celebration of textile arts. Throughout the weekend, craftspeople will be sharing their inspiration and expertise as the Southern Highland Craft Guild hosts Fiber Weekend 2013.

Educational craft demonstrations on Saturday will include: natural dyeing, sheep shearing, weaving, tapestry, and surface design. Southern Highland Craft Guild members Sandra Rowland and Jan Morris will host activities designed especially for children.

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

PlottFest Seeks Artisans and Craft Demonstrators

PlottFest celebrates it's second annual festival with the best in mountain music, American Plott Association and National Plott Association sanctioned Bench Dog Shows, and the Smoky Mountain Trout Festival. All profits from the Festival will Benefit Head Start of Haywood and Jackson Counties.

The Festival is currently seeking artists, crafters and craft demonstrators to participate in the event. PlottFest will be held at the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds in the heart of Maggie Valley on June 22-23, 2013.

One of the highlights of the event is a mountain music festival celebrating WNC's heritage. Some of the popular musicians performing include Balsam Range, the Darren Nicholson Band, Eddie Rose & Highway 40 and Mark & Amy Bumgarne.

For details and an application visit www.PlottFest.org

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.

Reminder: River Arts District Stroll This Weekend

November 10-11 in Asheville NC:  River Arts District Studio Stroll   The largest and most walkable tour of working artists' studios in the region, the River Arts District Studio Stroll takes place in 19 historic buildings along the French Broad River. There will be artists' demonstrations and hands-on activities throughout the weekend.

Shop handmade and "Give a Gift of Art," this holiday season. Browse through over 200 different artist studios within a 1 1/2 mile stretch.  There are family friendly festivities for all ages.  Enjoy artists demonstrations, hands-on activities, music, food and more at the River Arts District Studio Stroll. 10 AM  to 6 PM both days.  Get your stroll on...

The Stroll is easily accessible by car from Downtown, West Asheville and Biltmore Village, and there is plenty of parking. Catch the trolley at Riverview Station or any of the stops listed on the map. An Information Booth is located at the 5-points intersection of Depot St. across from the Clingman Café.

American Craft Week Kick-off Tonight

October 5, 6 PM - The American Craft Week WNC celebration kicks off tonight at the Haywood Park hotel Atrium in downtown Asheville. Jan Davidson, Executive Director of the John C. Campbell Folk School, begins the evening with thoughts on the role of craft in Western NC and the significance of celebrating American Craft Week in WNC.

There will be craft demonstrations at both the Haywood Park Hotel and the Asheville Visitor's Center.  Visit with artists and see them at work during the national celebration of the ingenuity and creativity of American artisans.

Haywood Park Hotel demonstrators: Kim Attwooll - original art greeting cards; Yvonne Engler- weaver; Barbara McGuire - polymer clay jewelry; Shannon Norris - lampworked glass; Charlie Patricolo- doll maker; Mary Timmer - jeweler. Asheville Visitors Center demonstrators: David Alberts - chainmail jewelry; Irene Semanchuk - polymer clay jewelry & sculpture; Peter Werner - broom maker.

The Kick-off coincides with the first Friday Asheville Downtown Gallery Stroll.

Art on the Mountain in West Jefferson

September 22  Art on the Mountain   Pottery, paintings, photography, quilting, knife making, leather crafts, barn quilts, jewelry, baskets, fiber, knitting, felting, spinning, rug hooking and more! Unique art for sale and Artist demonstrations. Door prize drawings each hour. The Gary Poe Show will broadcast live from the Arts Center, featuring the Garden Variety String Band.

The events is held on the Ashe Arts Center grounds from 9 AM to 3 PM, is FREE to the public with door prize drawings every hour. Get local information on the Jefferson and West Jefferson NC Visitor Guide.

Leicester Studio Tour

August 18-19   7th Annual Leicester Studio Tour   A free, self-guided studio tour including painting, prints, jewelry, pottery, fiber, brooms and more. To begin the tour, head northwest on Leicester Highway (NC 63) from Patton Avenue and follow the bright yellow signs to the studios, the first of which is only 15 minutes from downtown Asheville.

Visitors can also take Newfound Road to Morgan Branch Rd. and follow the signs to the Wildberry Lodge, 135 Potato Branch Road in Leicester. Wildberry, the founding sponsor of the Leicester Artists organization and there will be samples of each of the artists' works to help tour participants plan out their visits. The tour also will feature food vendor stops, one located centrally on South Turkey Creek Road and the other at the intersection of Leicester Highway and North Turkey Creek.

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.

West Asheville Studio Stroll this Weekend

June 9-10   West Asheville Studio Stroll   A behind-the-scenes look at the vibrant arts community in West Asheville which is quickly becoming one of the city's most vibrant arts centers. The tour begins at the east end of Haywood Road (just up the hill from the River Arts District) and continues along the street to the Interstate bridge.

Annual Cherokee Gourd Artist Gathering this weekend

Cherokee Gourd by Brad Hawiyeh-eh

June 1-2  10th Annual Cherokee Gourd Artist Gathering   Featuring exquisitely crafted gourd art, this year’s Cherokee Gourd Artists Gathering brings together collectors and exhibiting artists for a weekend of live demonstrations, classes, competitions and a spectacular art market offering stunning works of gourd art, materials, tools and supplies.

Come see how an inexpensive, traditionally utilitarian component of the Cherokee household is transformed into a piece of artwork. Get local information and lodging on the Cherokee NC Visitor Guide.

East of Asheville Studio Tours

May 5-6 , 10 AM - 6 PM.   East of Asheville Studio Tours in the towns of Towns of Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Bee Tree, Haw Creek, Fairview and Old Fort. Artists invite you to visit their studios, explore the backroads that wind EAST of Asheville and discover the wonderful art produced in those areas. Meet the artists as you enjoy the scenery along Western North Carolina's favorite studio driving tour. Visit website to download a map of studios.

ArtMart will be open next Saturday in Old Fort

December 10   ArtMart  Locally created arts and crafts displayed inside the historic Old Fort Depot. Stop by to chat with the creators of these one of a kind items while you shop for yourself, family or friends. Something for everyone including baskets, paintings, woodwork, wreaths, candles and live demonstrations. Sponsored by Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League.

Stecoah Valley Annual Artisans Drive-About

November 25 - 26    Annual Artisans Drive-About Tour in Stecoah Valley -   Visit local artists' studios and galleries and see pottery, original art, a working candle making studio and the Stecoah Gallery featuring a variety of local artisans. Find great holiday gift ideas. Studios are open 10AM - 5 PM both days.

River Arts District Studio Stroll this weekend

November 12-13 Asheville's River Arts District Studio Stroll -  During the Studio Stroll, artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic of the River Arts District.  The Stroll is the first, largest, and most walkable tour of working artists’ studios in the region, including 19 historic buildings and artists’ demonstrations and hands-on activities throughout the weekend.

River Arts District  is open year around, providing the public an opportunity to meet artists in their studios. Schedules are available online. Twice a year, every second weekend in June and November, Asheville’s River Arts District opens to the public for two days of festivities known as the STUDIO STROLL.The District include a variety of cafes, eateries and a brewery to provide sustenance and refreshment during the stroll. There is plenty of parking and you can catch the trolley at Riverview Station or any of the stops listed on the Stroll map. An Information Booth is located at the 5-points intersection of Depot St. across from the Clingman Café.

Weaverville Fall Art Safari this weekend

October 29 - 30    Weaverville Art Safari   The Fall Weaverville Art Safari features self-guided tours of various artists' studios, tucked away in the countryside communities of Weaverville, Barnardsville, and Alexander. The tours are free and open to the public, and some artists' studios are open year-round by appointment.

ArtsMart this weekend at the Old Fort Historic Train Depot

October 1     ArtsMart  Locally created arts and crafts displayed inside the historic Old Fort Depot, Railroad Museum and Visitor Center . Stop by to chat with the creators of these one of a kind items while you shop for yourself, family or friends. Something for everyone including baskets, paintings, woodwork, wreaths, candles and live demonstrations. Sponsored by Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League.

Heritage Crafts Weekend at the NC Arboretum

Sept 24-25  Heritage Crafts Weekend The North Carolina Arboretum celebrates Southern Appalachian traditions during Heritage Crafts Weekend. The event, now in its fifth year, features craft demonstrations, plant sales and musical performances in the Heritage Garden, Baker Exhibit Center and Education Center.

Vitally important to the region’s craft heritage is the close relationship between crafts and the plants used in their production. Much of the fiber, color and artistic expression of mountain craft arises from the character and nature of plants.

The Arboretum's Heritage Garden showcases plants used in the multi-million-dollar craft industry of Western North Carolina, including those used for handmade paper and brooms, baskets and dyes. Visitors can explore the many plants that support crafts, understand how they are grown, prepared and used, and appreciate their value to the industry.

35th Annual Yadkin Valley Harvest Festival includes craft demonstrations

September 17  in YADKINVILLE (near North Wilkesboro) 35th Annual Yadkin Valley Harvest Festival   All-day family festival featuring live music - country, rock, gospel, bluegrass and pop - on two stages, agricultural displays, a farmers' market, artist demonstrations, blue ribbon competitions, a petting zoo and relay races for the kids, art, crafts and food vendors, carriage rides and more. Don't miss the popular Yadkin "Idol" competition!