August Roundup: Leaf-Peeping in Weaverville, Pearl-Encrusted Jewelry, Plus Career Advice From a Self-Made Painter
In August, we visited Weaverville for small-town charm, chatted with jeweler Mary Timmer, and learned about grassroots marketing from painter Sue Dolamore.
Change is in the air at ArtsvilleUSA this fall. Be part of that change; take the ArtsvilleUSA survey and win $50! Five minutes of your time can make a difference in the future of the Asheville-area craft community. Your opinion will help us develop programming to better serve our audience of artists and art lovers. Participating artists will receive a chance to win a $50 gift card to Cheap Joe’s Art Supplies with an option to donate the funds to their favorite arts organization. Take the ArtsvilleUSA survey here.
Without further ado, we present the stories that shaped August at ArtsvilleUSA. Louise reports from Asheville-adjacent Weaverville, Morgan heads to Weaverville’s Miya Gallery to chat with jewelry artist Mary Timmer, and self-taught watercolor painter Sue Dolamore drops by our recording studio to impart career advice on our podcast. Finally, we take a temperature check of the Asheville arts and crafts scene in our in-depth interview with regional ceramicist Robert Milnes.
Happy reading!
Asheville Insights From Regional Ceramicist Robert Milnes
While Asheville has blossomed into a multifaceted city with a bustling downtown and robust cultural ecosystem since the ‘70s, it presents unique challenges to working artists eager to make a living within its walls. In a new series of features, ArtsvilleUSA investigates the major issues facing Asheville-area artists through first-person interviews with regional leaders in the craft field. Our first guest is ceramicist Robert Milnes, who owns and operates Arbitrary Forms Studio from his home in the Appalachian Mountains of Asheville.
Read our interview with Robert here.
Tour Mary Timmer’s Metalsmithing Studio at Weaverville’s Miya Gallery
Located just north of Asheville in quaint Weaverville, NC, Mary Timmer’s studio is one of four spaces occupying the back of Miya Gallery on Main Street. The gallery, owned and operated by Mary and her business partner, jewelry artist Jason Janow, has been in business for two decades and represents over 40 regional artists. The gallery specializes in fine jewelry but also carries ceramics, handblown glass, leather journals, and traditional 2D fare for your walls. “[Miya Gallery] is a must-see when visiting this area,” says Mary, who recommends an afternoon in Weaverville for travelers weary of Asheville’s crowded River Arts District: “Weaverville has become a destination spot, too.”
ArtsvilleUSA visits Weaverville (and Mary’s studio!) in our August travelogue. To book a studio tour, contact Sherry Masters of Art Connections, an Asheville-based organization that offers an insider’s look at the region’s art and culture.
Read our interview with Mary Timmer here.
Practical Insights From Self-Taught Painter Sue Dolamore
When Sue Dolamore started painting, she joined a small group of Asheville-area plein-air artists. Under her leadership, the outdoor painting group ballooned from 12 members to nearly 400 over a five-year period. All the while, Sue learned to capture the breathtaking mountain vistas of Western North Carolina by working outdoors. These days, Sue also works inside a studio, but her abstract landscapes and lively sketches always retain the joyful, lighthearted energy of plein-air painting. In this month’s podcast, Sue Dolamore discusses her most valuable insights as an artist, educator, and marketer.
Listen to our podcast episode with Sue Dolamore here.
Visit Weaverville, an Asheville-Adjacent Destination Spot
As summer winds down and fall moves in, we’re chasing slow days (and falling leaves) in charming small towns. This month, we visit Weaverville, NC, a quaint destination town just north of Asheville’s bustling River Arts District. We recommend visiting Miya Gallery to see Mary Timmer, who forges her pearl-encrusted pieces from the gallery’s anterior studio space. Learn more about Mary and her work in this month’s Q+Art interview, or book a tour of Weaverville with Art Connections.
Read our Weaverville travelogue here.
News + Notes From Asheville and Beyond
Here’s where we share quick craft bites for busy hands and hungry minds. Fall is festival season in Western North Carolina, so there’s no shortage of arts and crafts to see. Scan the list below for our favorite festivals, events, and exhibitions through September 2024.
BOOK NOW for leaf season: Visitors coming to town? Book a half-day studio tour with Art Connections and meet Asheville-area artists at the peak of leaf season.
Enka-Candler: Byways and Crossroads: Find Bob Ware’s exquisite photographs of historic Asheville neighborhoods Enka and Candler (see image above) at the Ferguson Family YMCA from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31, 2024.
Virginia Derryberry: One of ArtsvilleUSA’s favorite artists, figure painter Virginia Derryberry appears in the August edition of Rapid River Magazine. To see Virginia’s work up close, visit her show at Maker Exchange in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sept. 1 through Oct. 15, 2024.
Brevard Plein Air Festival: Head to historic downtown Brevard on Sept. 13, 2024, for the town’s annual plein air festival, where collectors can meet the artists, learn their stories, and gain insight into North Carolina’s landscape and natural history. For info and tickets, please visit Brevard’s website here.
Second Saturdays in the RAD: Grab a coffee on Sept. 14, 2024, and meet the makers who call the River Arts District home. Drop by the reception for David Shelton’s exhibition, FLOW, at Mark Bettis Gallery, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. EST for an added treat.
The American Craft Council Awards: Tune into this two-hour special on September 19, 2024, when the American Craft Council honors the individuals and organizations that dedicate their careers to the advancement of craft. Find out more here.
From Paper to Print: Join master papermakers Georgia Deal and Denise Markbreit Sept. 20 - 23 for four days of paper- and monoprint-making at Asheville Print Studio and Gallery. Register for the class here.
Art in Autumn Outdoor Arts and Crafts Festival: This much-loved event occurs annually on Main Street in Weaverville, just 15 minutes north of Asheville. Attend this year on Sept. 21, 2024. Visit the Weaverville website for more information.
Haywood County Arts Studio Tour: The Haywood County Studio Tour is a two-day self-guided tour where hundreds of visitors are invited into artists’ studios to meet the artists, view demonstrations, and purchase art. Sept. 21 - 22. Learn more about the event here.
Goombay Festival: This long-running festival was created in 1982 to celebrate the richness and diversity of the African diaspora in Asheville. Hosted by the recently renovated YMI Cultural Center, this year’s festival, Back to Our Roots, is free, family-friendly, and open to the public. Sept. 26 - 28, 2024. Find out more here.
Asheville Quilt Show: This year, the Asheville Quilt Guild celebrates the 40th anniversary of their landmark quilt show in Asheville. Celebrate their Ruby Jubilee at the WNC Agricultural Center Sept. 26 - 28, 2024. Visit the Asheville Quilt Guild for more information.
Art on the Island: Madison’s annual art fair on Blannahasset Island returns on Sept. 28, 2024. Visit the Madison County Arts Council for more information.