Hometown Christmas

Hayden Wilson grew up watching his father blow glass in the South Toe River Valley of Yancey County. But it wasn’t until 2007, after Wilson graduated with a BFA from UNCA, that he began exploring the medium with his own two hands. “I started working with a glass caster and helped establish the Asheville Glass Center (now the North Carolina Glass Center) in 2011,” says Wilson, who worked as studio director there for almost 10 years. Today, Wilson crafts sculptural forms, tableware, and light fixtures. He also makes holiday ornaments as the owner of Virgil’s Art Glass, a wholesale purveyor of hand-blown glass gifts. This December, a selection of Wilson’s ornaments will be on display at Heartwood Gallery in Saluda during Hometown Christmas. Organized by the Saluda Business Association, this community-wide celebration invites folks to downtown Saluda for hot cocoa, caroling, and extended store hours. During the event, visitors can stop by Heartwood Gallery to purchase American-made crafts and sip a glass of vino. The gallery will also sell a special holiday ornament crafted by Gina DeSantis Ceramics in Ohio to benefit Outreach, a nonprofit that provides financial and food assistance to thousands of Polk County residents in need.