HandeMade in America and the Craft Emergency Relief Fund

HandMade in America has joined with  CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund + Artists’ Emergency Resources) to invite all  professionals, serious amateurs, or students working in craft to help take the pulse of American craft artists as CERF+ helps to sustain craft careers and works to prevent or reduce losses from emergencies.

Follow this link to complete a quick and anonymous survey. Your 20-30 minute investment to complete the survey will help HandMade in America and CERF+ better serve you and our community of craft artists. Please respond today.

This survey along with research, Sustaining Careers: A National Report on the Status of US Craft Artists, will update CERF+’s 2004 study. It will allow CERF+’s board and staff to assess the needs of professional craft artists and inform their decisions about CERF+'s programs and services. The inquiry will also enlighten HandMade in America and the craft field as a whole about the needs, challenges and opportunities craft artists face as they work to maintain their careers.

With funding from the Wingate Charitable Foundation and help from Craig Dreeszen, a planner and former wood craftsman, what we learn from this research will help us strengthen and sustain the careers of professional craft artists throughout our nation.

CERF+ offers direct financial and educational assistance to craft artists, including emergency relief assistance, business development support, and resources and referrals on topics such as health, safety, and insurance. CERF+ develops, promotes, and maintains resources for emergency readiness and recovery that benefit all artists. CERF+ also advocates, engages in research, and backs policy that supports craft artists’ careers. CERF+ is working with partner organizations to build a better safety net for artists across the United States. 

Last Chance to Register for Cool Craft Market: Holiday Edition and VIP Preview Party

December 14-16, 2012

 

VIP Preview Party

Friday, Dec 14, 5pm-8pm

$10 + one item for Homeward Bound of Asheville. See below for items to bring.

 

Market

Saturday, 10am -5pm, free
Sunday, 11-4pm, free

 

Location: HandMade in America Office HandMade in America is located at 125 S. Lexington, Suite 101 Asheville, NC 28801. HandMade in America's front doors are located on Hilliard Avenue between S. Lexington Ave. and Church Street.

 

Parking information:
Free HandMade in America parking is available in the Wild Wing Cafe overflow parking lot, located on Church Street. The gravel lot that is located directly across from HandMade in America has turned into paid parking. Parking on the street is free after 6:00pm, and there is a new public parking garage two blocks away, located at the Aloft Hotel.

 

This December, HandMade in America is excited to  host its first annual Cool Craft Market: Holiday Edition. This Market will feature 25 vendors from around Western North Carolina, selling both functional and decorative items including clothing, accessories, pottery, natural products, kitchenware, and ornaments. The Cool Craft Market will be a fantastic place to find one of a kind gifts ranging from $5-$300, just in time for the holidays!

 

On Friday, December 14th from 5-8:00pm HandMade in America is having a VIP Preview Party, with item donations to benefit Homeward Bound of Asheville, a group with a mission to end chronic homelessness in the city. Guests of the party will have their first choice on market items as well as free food and drink to celebrate the holiday season. Come enjoy local craft and local music by the Willows. Local wine and food will be served. Tickets will cost $10 and HandMade asks that everyone bring one item from the Homeward Bound of Asheville necessity's list. (See below)

 

This Party is sponsored by Element Advertising, WNC Magazine, Storm Rhum Bar and Bistro, SignARama, Asheville Brewing Company and Homeward Bound.

 

Items to Bring

*Homeward Bound items are not required on Saturday and Sunday but we will still accept donations throughout the weekend.

For A HOPE
Ground Coffee
Toilet Paper
Disposable Razors
Sugar

For Pathways to Permanent Housing
Cleaning Supplies – Trash bags, paper towels, all-purpose cleaners
Toilet brush, Broom, Mop, Dust pan
Plates, Bowls, Cups, Silverware
Pots and Pans
Coffee Pots
Dishrags/Dish Towels
Toasters
Microwaves
Shower Curtains, Liner, and Rings
Pillows
Blankets/Comforters
Sheets (full and queen)

 

Participating Artists

 

Ryan-Ashley Anderson
Linda Azar
Anja Bartels
Elynn  Bernstein
Amy Brandenburg
Julie Fawn Boisseau
Melanie Carreira
Chad Alice Hagen
Linda LaBelle
Jude Lally
Cara  May
Sandra McCartney
Mary  Mikkelsen & Henry Pope
Dyann Myers
Christopher Perryman
Susan Seidman
Michon Sentner
Matthew Smith
Cara Steinbuchel
Lori Theriault
Barbara Updike
Anita Walling
Doc Welty
Sheree White Sorrells
Daniele Wickel
 

For more information about HandMade in America visit the website at handmadeinamerica.org or contact Janelle Wienke (jwienke@handmadeinamerica.org). 

 

HandMade in America Exhibit: FLUX:A Craft Exchange

November 30 - February 22 at HandMade in America, 125 Lexington Avenue,Suite 101 in Asheville NC:

  

Opening Reception

Friday, November 30, 5:30pm-8pm

At HandMade in America

HandMade in America has been working with Flux Studios of Mt. Rainier, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C., to exchange exhibits in an effort to share new ideas and demonstrate the importance for artists to stay abreast of national trends. Flux Studios resident artists will be exhibiting work at HandMade in America while artists from the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts will be showing at Flux Studios; these handcrafted items will travel nearly 500 miles.

 

Flux Studios is an arts space in Northeast DC that houses the studios of six professional sculptors, a large classroom space and an informal exhibition gallery. The underlying concept behind Flux is one of exploration, experimentation and dialog among its members and the greater arts community. Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts is an Asheville-based school and studio which promotes the understanding, appreciation and professional development in the ceramic arts. To find more about Flux Studios, click here

 

Novie Trump, founder of Flux and one of the residents featured in the exhibition says, “We are delighted to collaborate with HandMade in America on an exchange exhibition.  This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce artists and collectors in the DC area to the work of NC ceramicists.  In addition, the members of Flux are excited to present our work to the arts community in Asheville. This continues our tradition of exchange and our desire to engage in an active dialogue with artists and arts enthusiasts both nationally and internationally.”

Participating Artists

Jessica Beels
Andy Hamilton
Inga Hamilton
Jeff Herrity
Tamara Laird
Laurel Lukaszewski
Novie Trump
Elizabeth Vorlicek

Handmade in America Sponsors Asheville Cinema Festival

November 1- 4  The Asheville Cinema Festival (ACF) is the annual independent film festival produced by the Asheville Cinema Society the first weekend of every November. Handmade in America is a co-sponsor along with several local businesses. Filmmakers from around the country will be on hand to do Q&As for their films.

Filmmaker workshops will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Historic Masonic Lodge in Downtown Asheville (80 Broadway Street). Subjects include: YouHollywood: Creating and Marketing Films for Viral Audiences;   Editing Your Film: Beginnings, Endings, and Engaging the Audience; and,  Sexy Lighting Using What You’ve Got: A Minimalists’ Approach to Cinematography. 

The Opening Night film, Silver Linings Playbook, and the Closing Night film, Quartet, will play at the Regal Biltmore Grande in Biltmore Park.  Additional venues will host a variety of Festival events including a competition, awards ceremony and local independent films.


Find additional details and a schedule for the Asheville Cinema Festival HERE.

HandMade in America's Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs Upcoming Meetings

• Asheville- HandMade In America offices, Wednesday, September 5, 6-8 pm
• Todd/Boone- Todd Mercantile and Bakery, Wednesday, August 8, 5:30-7:30 pm
• Hendersonville / Brevard- Blue Ridge Community Collage, Patton Building, Monday, August 20, 5:30-7:30 pm
• Marion- McDowell Technical Community College, Harold Smith Building, Monday, Aug 27, 6-8 pm
• Cullowhee- Fine Arts Museum, Western Carolina University- Star Atrium, Wednesday, August 22, 10am-12pm

Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs is a HandMade in America program that connects Western North Carolina women with one another, with resources (including training and technical assistance) and with markets – for the purpose of creating new and expanded craft based businesses.  For all the information on HandMade in America's Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs CLICK HERE

HandMade in America Celebrates Asheville's Grovewood Gallery

August 30, 6:00-9:00 PM, A Handmande Meal with HandMade in America - Join HandMade in America to celebrate Asheville's own Grovewood Gallery, enjoy a handmade meal, local wine, and walk away with a handcrafted gift from Grovewood Gallery. All lovers of Western North Carolina craft are invited so please share this invitation with your friends and family.

Hosted by Diane and Bob Levy, the celebration marks Gorvewood's 20th year of operation with a private four course dinner prepared by Chef Mauricio “Mo” Abreu, and local wine from Appalachian Vintners.

Grovewood Gallery is located in Asheville, North Carolina, next to The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa. The gallery was opened in 1992 to revitalize the Homespun Shops that once housed the famous weaving and woodworking complex of Biltmore Industries. Grovewood showcases 9,000 square-feet of traditional and contemporary crafts by more than 500 artists from Western North Carolina and around the United States. Over the years, Grovewood has earned the reputation of being one of the nation's top retailers of fine American craft.
The special guests for the evening are Grovewood Gallery owners Barbara Blomberg and Marilyn Patton and Grovewood Gallery general manager Sherry Masters. Tickets are $100 per person, and will include four specially prepared courses, local wine and a handmade object from Grovewood Gallery. Proceeds from this dinner benefit HandMade in America, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that grows economies through craft entrepreneurship, economic development and education.

Please RSVP by August 28th to Janelle Wienke at (828) 252-0121 x 307 or jwienke@handmadeinamerica.org.