July Roundup: Quilting With Wood, Lobsters and Lighthouses, WNC Craft Residencies
In this month’s roundup, we chat with woodworker Valerie Berlage, nibble on lobster rolls in Nova Scotia, and learn about the Center for Craft’s new residency.
July was a busy month for the ArtsvilleUSA crew. We welcomed a new team member, Editor-in-Chief Morgan Laurens, an experienced arts writer with a background in printmaking and classic literature. She’s due in Asheville the third week of August for a visit with ArtsvilleUSA founder Louise Glickman. Say “hi” if you see the two traipsing through Asheville-area galleries and studios during Morgan’s week-long stay, or send her an email here.
In our June newsletter, we mentioned a shakeup at ArtsvilleUSA. With Morgan’s guidance, we’ve been working on new editorial programming to inspire our readers and enrich their lives with the art we love. Readers can expect a new story to appear in our online journal every Monday. Subscribers will continue to receive our end-of-month newsletter, a curated collection of ArtsvilleUSA stories and news from the craft community. A sincere thank you to all our readers, subscribers, and patrons as we enter a new phase in our mission to support the craft community in Western North Carolina.
Without further ado, we present the stories that shaped our journal in July. Louise reports from Nova Scotia’s South Shore during her summer getaway, Morgan chats with Leicester woodworker Valerie Berlage, and Asheville marketing wunderkind Sarah Benoit drops by our recording studio for an interview on social media strategies. Finally, we stop by the Center for Craft to speak with Executive Director Stephanie Moore and learn about the Center’s groundbreaking new residency program for the artists of Western North Carolina. Happy reading!
Lobster and Lighthouses in Nova Scotia: Read Our Summer Travel Guide
When businessman and author Robert Townsend said, “Getting there isn’t half the fun—it’s all the fun,” he might have been talking about the route from Nova Scotia’s lighthouse-dotted South Shore to Annapolis Royal on the peninsula's Bay of Fundy. Follow ArtsvilleUSA founder Louise Glickman into Nova Scotia for an art- and nature-filled adventure on the Canadian peninsula.
Read the full Nova Scotia travelogue here.
Book a Studio Tour With Woodworker Valerie Berlage
In July, we chatted with woodworker artist Valerie Berlage, who told us about her home studio in Leicester. “My two grandmothers taught me traditional handcrafts like quilting, crochet, and embroidery, and I find that referenced most often in my work,” says Valerie, born and raised in Western North Carolina. “I like to think of all my pieced surfaces as quilting with wood. The colorful textiles that were used then can be seen on individual surfaces now through patterning, textures, and brushstrokes.”
Read the full interview with Valerie here, or book a tour of her studio with Art Connections.
Elevate Your Social Media With Asheville Marketing Maven Sarah Benoit
On our podcast, marketing wunderkind Sarah Benoit joins us to discuss the practical tools artists need to grow their businesses in the digital era. As co-founder and lead instructor for the Asheville-based marketing agency JB Media Institute, Sarah leverages her experience as a digital marketing strategist to create training courses for small businesses and creative professionals. In this episode, Sarah shares her extensive knowledge of social media, the ethics of AI, and optimizing websites for selling art more easily. She also dives into using SEO effectively and the benefits of planning a “content strategy roadmap.”
Listen to our conversation with Sarah Benoit here.
Explore the Center for Craft’s New Residency Program for Artists in Western North Carolina
Sponsored by Asheville’s Center for Craft, the WNC Artist Residency allocates resources to two craft-based artists living and working in Western North Carolina. The new program, launched in 2024 and underwritten by the Maxwell Hanrahan Foundation, supports regional craft artists with a $10,000 honorarium, a $2,000 professional development stipend, and studio space in the Center for Craft’s Ideation Lab.
Read about the WNC Artist Residency’s first year here.
Book a Studio Tour With Art Connections
We encourage ArtsvilleUSA readers to use our stories as springboards to learn more about their favorite artists. Sherry Masters of Art Connections offers bespoke studio tours that give participants an inside glimpse into the inner workings of craft artists throughout Western North Carolina. Learn more about Art Connections studio tours here, or schedule a tour by contacting Sherry here.
News + Notes
Discover Asheville-area community news and events worth sharing, all in one place.
- 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.
- Don’t miss the opportunity to see Preserving a Picturesque America at the YMCA in Chandler before it closes on Aug. 30, 2024. Preserving a Picturesque America is an Asheville-area organization that upholds the conservation work begun by Victorian artist-explorers, who documented America’s unspoiled natural beauty with prose and illustrations. Their expeditions paved the way for PAPA and its contemporary conservation efforts, which come to life in this new exhibition. Catch our interview with PAPA founder Scott “Doc Varn here, or read about the show in the Biltmore Beacon.
- Stop by the Center for Craft to see RIP STOP, the latest solo exhibition from Ohio-based fiber artist Adrian Max. Adrian’s patchwork textiles and inflatable installations draw from the rich legacy of queer art and theory. RIP STOP runs through March 2025.
- Sign up for Georgia Deal’s Papermaking Open Studio. Georgia’s August workshop is perfect for experienced papermakers to perfect their skills. All studio tools are provided, though artists are welcome to bring their own fibers with advanced notice. This workshop is a rare opportunity to work on personal projects while receiving guidance from master papermaker Georgia Deal. Learn more about the Open Studio workshop or register here.
- Catch Weaverville artist Jim McDowell in SOCO Gallery’s group show, New North State, curated by Nasher Museum’s Marshall Price. Jim’s exquisite clay “jug faces” are well worth the trip to SOCO Gallery in Charlotte, where the exhibition runs through Aug. 7, 2024.
- Get your tickets to the Penland School of Craft Annual Benefit Auction now! The Penland Auction is a singular experience where attendees meet and network with America’s most renowned contemporary craft makers. The two-day event (Aug. 23 - 24) is Penland’s largest of the year and your opportunity to bid on exciting artwork from leaders in the craft field. Register for the Penland Auction here.
Special Thanks to Our Supporting Partners
