Valerie Berlage, exhibitions curator with the Southern Highland Craft Guild, knew a little levity would go a long way in the wake of Hurricane Helene. “After considering a theme for this year’s member exhibition,” says Berlage, “it seemed we could probably use an opportunity to engage in a little bit of fun.” Enter big/LITTLE, a group show that invites Guild members to toss out the rulebook and embrace “perfect disproportion.” As Berlage explains, “Typically, we spend a great deal of time getting our designs in perfect proportion, but for this show, we will be working towards perfect disproportion.” Expect a duck with feet much too large for its body, a wildly oversized carpet bag, and other clever riffs on scale that bring humor and curiosity to the Main Gallery. Meanwhile, in the Focus Gallery, five artists will cull inspiration from the natural world in An Organic Edge. “Whether they use natural elements in their creative process, or are inspired by nature and use it as the theme they work around, there is an organic edge that runs through the work of these five artists,” says Berlage.
big/LITTLE: August 30-January 21, 2026
An Organic Edge: July 19-October 5
Folk Art Center / Milepost 382, Blue Ridge Parkway / southernhighlandguild.org