September 2024 Roundup: The Cultural Rebirth of Candler, A New WNC Craft School, Plus Affordable Business Workshops for Artists
In September, we toured the overlooked community of Candler, reported on The Kitagawa School’s development, and spoke with Jamie Karolich of Craft Your Commerce.
A Closer Look: From the Desk of ArtsvilleUSA Director Louise Glickman
The arts and crafts play a crucial role in Western North Carolina’s cultural vitality and vibrancy, driving economic growth and improving quality of life. As ArtsvilleUSA celebrates its fifth anniversary, I want to share our role in the region’s evolving cultural ecosystem. We champion local creative entrepreneurs with journalism and programming that illuminates their work and connects them to a broader audience. Each month, our small but dedicated team works to close the gap between the creative community in WNC and the widespread, international appreciation of their work.
Our key takeaway from the past year is the importance of community to an artist's success. In 2024, we launched our second Virtual Gallery of Artists, a program that supports emerging and established WNC artists with access to like-minded creators, digital and in-person exhibitions, and marketing, branding, and business education. ArtsvilleUSA programming fosters a symbiotic relationship between artists and the community, encouraging growth, engagement, and accessibility.
In a larger sense, our programming helps artists, creative activists, and organizations connect with our growing global audience. You can support our mission to democratize the arts and establish WNC as a model of cultural and creative development by subscribing to our newsletter, sharing our journalism, or donating to the cause. We also welcome relevant story ideas from readers—if you have a story worth sharing, please contact our editor, Morgan Laurens, here. We’re looking for untold stories on cultural trends or projects highlighting WNC as the capital of contemporary American craft. Start a conversation with us on Facebook or Instagram—we’d love to hear from you.
Artfully yours,
Insights for Emerging Artists From Regional Crafters Tom Ashcraft and Georgia Deal
This month, we spoke with sculptor Tom Ashcraft and printmaker Georgia Deal about the unique challenges emerging artists face in Asheville. 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. “The artists [in Asheville] are pretty resilient,” says Tom. “There’s always been a rolling renaissance among the younger artists. These artists look at the landscape and socioeconomic space and just figure out how to make it work. Things are happening, but you have to look inside the cracks.”
Read our interview with Tom and Georgia here.
Support The Kitagawa School: Blending Craft, Ecology, and Community
There’s no shortage of craft schools in Western North Carolina. Penland School of Crafts is undoubtedly the most famous, but the region boasts plenty of small, grassroots organizations that cater to craft makers living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Soon, a new craft school in nearby Madison County will open its doors to woodworking students eager to deepen their understanding of craft, community, and ecology. Founded by Asheville sculptures Melissa Engler and Graeme Priddle, The Kitagawa School aims to provide an immersive experience that nurtures the relationship between craft, creativity, and the land.
Learn more about The Kitagawa School here or donate to the project here.
Craft Your Commerce’s Jamie Karolich Empowers Artists Through Business Education
Making a living from the arts can be a tough gig. Most art schools rightfully focus on studio skills and critical thinking but place very little emphasis on their real-world applications. Artists often double as their own marketers, using dated information that doesn't translate to tech advances in social media or the contemporary arts industry. In today’s podcast episode, Asheville printmaker Jamie Karolich joins us to discuss Craft Your Commerce, an Asheville-based program that equips artists with essential business skills through affordable workshops.
Listen to our podcast episode with Jamie Karolich here.
Investing in the Legacy and Future of Candler
When most people think of Buncombe County in North Carolina, they picture downtown Asheville and the River Arts District, with little thought to neighboring Candler. Sandwiched between Asheville and the westward artery to Canton, a historic mill town in economic flux, Candler possesses a long and evolving history. This month, photographer and area resident Bob Ware presents Enka-Candler: Byways and Crossroads, a new exhibition on view at the Ferguson Family YMCA through October 30. His elegant work fosters a careful reexamination of this overlooked community and dares to dream about its future.
Read our Enka-Candler travelogue here.
News + Notes From Asheville and Beyond
Here’s where we share quick craft bites for busy hands and hungry minds. From self-guided studio tours to hair-raising scares at Mitchell County’s Hilloween festival, October in Western North Carolina promises plenty of cold-weather fun for adventurous spirits.
Craft Fair of the Southern Highland (Oct. 17 - 20): Hosted in downtown Asheville at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, this spectacular craft fair includes contemporary and traditional works in clay, wood, metal, fiber, paper, and leather. Learn more about the Southern Highland Craft Fair here.
Craft Watch! (Oct. 18): Attend the Center for Craft’s virtual craft celebration in your jammies or join a watch party with friends. This innovative experience clocks in at just one hour and includes a keynote panel, a presentation of the Center’s new Catalyst Award, an eye-popping auction, and a paddle raise. Television personalities Tan France ("Queer Eye," "Next in Fashion") and Katherine Gray ("Blown Away") highlight the Center for Craft’s mission to a national audience. Deborah Needleman—basketmaker, former editor of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and founding editor of Domino magazine—MCs the event. Buy tickets to Craft Watch! here.
Woven Windows at Art Play (Oct. 19): Join local artist Katie Knorovsky for this one-of-a-kind workshop, where participants learn the meditative art of circular weaving. The Saturday afternoon workshop unfolds at Asheville’s Art Play, a community space that encourages creativity at all ages. Register for Woven Windows here.
Hilloween (Oct. 23 - 25): This annual Mitchell County event is packed with hair-raising fun. Expect ghost stories, hay rides, a haunted pub crawl, and spooky music from headliners Old Crow Medicine Show. Hilloween is free, family-friendly, and includes shuttle service between activities and events. Learn more about Hilloween here.
Weaverville Art Safari (Nov. 2 - 3): One of the first and longest-running craft events, this popular, self-guided studio tour offers a glimpse into the working environments of Weaverville artists. Widely recognized for the quality of the artistry and craft, the Weaverville Art Safari allows art appreciators to meet artists where they work and live. Learn more about the Weaverville Art Safari here.
Pumpkin Spice Flameworking at NC Glass Center: Celebrate the fall by creating a mini glass pumpkin at the North Carolina Glass Center’s one-hour workshop. If pumpkins aren’t your thing, the Center offers a variety of glassblowing classes for beginners, pros, and everyone in between. Dates and times for the Pumpkin Spice workshop vary; please review the schedule here.
Patti Quinn Hill: This fall, the Asheville Symphony program book features exquisite work from regional basket weaver Patti Quinn Hill (pictured above). The cover art is accompanied by a feature from Michael Manes, gallery director of downtown Asheville’s Blue Spiral 1, who represents Patti. Watch for Patti’s upcoming solo exhibition, A New Leaf, at Blue Spiral in 2025.
Spruce Pine Potter’s Market: Start at the Spruce Pine Potter’s Market, then branch out through Mitchell and Yancey counties for an extraordinary adventure in traditional and contemporary clay. The rich history of craft in this mountain region and the renowned history of Penland School of Craft make this two-county region a comfortable place for artists to call home. The Spruce Pine Potter’s Market is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more here.
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