New Members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild
byIn the 1890s, Presbyterian missionary Frances Louisa Goodrich settled in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her hope was to “bring material help to…
Folk Art Center
Beautiful Mystery, Opening August 23
byMuch of art making is about relinquishing control to the creative powers that be. Sue Grier knows this firsthand. A potter living near Asheville,…
Hand Over Matter, Opening May 24
byost young people dye their hair or listen to loud music when confronted with existential unknowns. But Asheville ceramic artist Robert Milnes isn’t most…
Craft Chronicles
bySure, rhododendron leaves may look verdant and waxy. But when boiled in an iron kettle, the leaves dye wool a steely shade of gray….
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…
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…