Center for Craft acquires ACC library and archives
In a milestone moment for the national craft community, the Center for Craft has announced it will acquire the American Craft Council (ACC) Library and Archives Collections — one of the country’s most significant repositories of contemporary craft history. The move positions Asheville as a major center for craft scholarship, adding intellectual depth to a region already known for its vibrant community of makers and craft schools.
The collections will be housed at the Center’s downtown Asheville headquarters, with a public opening planned for 2028. When complete, the newly formed Center for Craft Community Library and Archives will bring together approximately 20,000 books and periodicals, 25,000 digital records, and thousands of artist and institutional files. Few archives rival this breadth; within the U.S., only the Smithsonian’s craft collections are larger in scope.
For the Center for Craft, the acquisition strengthens an ongoing mission to expand and protect craft history.
“From our beginnings 30 years ago, the Center for Craft has always connected scholarship about craft to its making and exhibition,” Stephanie Moore, Center for Craft executive director, shares in a press release. “We have long recognized that what gets documented and studied shapes our understanding of culture and inspires the next generation of makers. With the acquisition of this incredible library and archive, we are creating a destination for study and visitation that will directly connect to the artists and scholars we support and exhibit.”
Center for Craft, 67 Broadway St., Asheville, centerforcraft.org.