Mixed-Metal Alchemist Did What They Said Couldn’t Be Done
byYou have to be flexible when you work with metal. So says Julie Louise Merrill, who has been forging, fusing, pounding, soldering, and even…
Folk Art Center
Pastoral Pottery from a True Believer
byWaynesville ceramicist Laurey-Faye Dean grew up in a fundamentalist preacher’s family, around churchgoers who were true believers. Then, as a child, she found the…
Professional Crafts Program puts Local Talent to Work
byFour years ago, Annah Bible-Sullivan found her fate in a spoon. She was a junior at Asheville High School, looking for an elective to…
The Yellow Clay Road Leads to Leicester
by“While attending Herron School of Art & Design in Indianapolis, I carried my supplies around in an old doctor’s bag, prompting my pals to…
A Well-Made Scenic Overlook: Inside the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway
byEstablished in 1930 to help boost employment, and thus income, during the Great Depression, the Southern Highland Craft Guild continues to thrive. By…
Potter Gives Us the Dirt Behind Her Passion for Ceramics
byPotter Samantha Oliver conjures exquisite eye candy that’s endearingly functional and fun to touch. She earned her BFA from Winthrop University, studied ceramics at…
Jewelry Artist Struck Silver With Symbolic Rings and Pendants
byWhen Mary Timmer was in high school in Chapel Hill, she took a clay class; rather than a bowl or a mug, she made…
Theriault on Gray
by{Legacy Craft Series} Ceramic sculptor Verdelle Gray was born in 1918 and moved to Asheville in 1962, opening her own art studio. She continued…
They’ve Been Crafting Rings Around the Industry for 40 Years
byKathleen Doyle remembers the moment she realized she and Tom Reardon were built to last. It was the mid-’80s. Doyle and Reardon, already well-established…
Danielle Burke on Frances Louisa Goodrich
byFrances Louisa Goodrich (1856-1944) was a Presbyterian missionary from Binghamton, New York, who came to Buncombe County — living in East Asheville’s Riceville community…