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| Mountain Made gallery in the Grove Arcade (www.grovearcade.com) |
Since we love being in western North Carolina, which is full of talented people who make hand-crafted items, and being that we’re big believers in supporting our local artisans and craftspeople, we’re excited to share what will be going on in our area during American Craft Week, October 7-16, 2011.
What is American Craft Week? For ten days in October, local communities all over the country give a nod to locally handmade crafts, holding special events for the public to be able to learn all about American craft up close.
For example, on Saturday, October 8, Several of our local shops in the town of Black Mountain will be holding craft demonstrations and other celebrations of American Craft Week. Black Mountain Yarn Shop, Gingko Tree Gallery, Visions of Creation and the Black Mountain Center for the Arts are just a few of the places where you can see local crafts at their finest. And venues like White Horse Black Mountain and Monte Vista Hotel will be hosting craft workers’ demonstrations during the Craft Demonstration Day on October 8.
In Asheville, the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Grove Arcade and several other galleries will share in the celebration of American Craft Week with demonstrations and other events.
In McDowell County, you can make an appointment to visit Turtle Island Pottery‘s showroom in Old Fort during American Craft Week (and they’ll be at a festival in nearby Waynesville on October 8). In Marion, the Mountain Glory Quilter’s Guild will be hosting its annual quilt show at the McDowell Arts Council Association Gallery. Additionally, McDowell County has its own Quilt Trail, a driving trail of quilt blocks painted by local artists and installed on businesses {two blocks are right here at the Inn on Mill Creek}, schools, libraries, residences and other buildings throughout the county. There are almost 100 quilt blocks on the trail!
Finally, the East of Asheville Studio Tour takes place during the final days of American Craft Week. We’ll be making a special blog post to tell you all about that fantastic (and free!) studio tour event.