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Folk Art Center Events
TELLABRATION
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

Folk Art Center
Sunday, November 23, 2008
3:00-5:00pm


Asheville and surrounding communities will join the global TELLABRATION! Spirit for the twelfth year, as Asheville Storytelling Circle hosts the local event on Sunday, November 23, 2008, 3:00 p.m. at the Folk Art Center on Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville.

Information: 828-274-1123 or 828-658-4151.
HOLIDAYS WITH THE GUILD
Sunday, November 30th, 2008 - Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

Throughout the holidays the Folk Art Center will be abuzz with holiday cheer. The full schedule of live music, shopping, children’s events and daily craft demonstrations promises to entertain while the greenery, holiday décor and, of course, fine handcrafts will delight.

Let’s not forget Allanstand Craft Shop at the Folk Art Center, the oldest craft shop in the country, where you can always find beautiful, one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on the Holiday shopping list. This Christmas, Allanstand will be displaying an array of handmade dolls created by members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

Click on the "details" button to your right for the complete schedule of events.

GUILD ARTISTS' HOLIDAY SECONDS SALE
Saturday, December 6th, 2008

Folk Art Center
Saturday, December 6, 2008
10:00am-4:00pm


The Guild’s Annual sale provides an opportunity for individual members and the organization to sell overruns, discontinued stock and studio seconds in a festive atmosphere during the holiday season. Artisans of the Guild will be liquidating their handcrafts of 2008 just in time for Christmas. Examples include potters who have discontinued a glaze color, jewelers who are trying a new concept, and glass artists and weavers with overstocks. Discounts range from 10 – 50% off of retail prices.

Folk Art Center Main Gallery
New Traditions: Cabinetmaking
Saturday, October 4th, 2008 - Sunday, January 11th, 2009

All members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild were invited to showcase their creative interpretation of cabinetmaking in this exhibition. The show provides visitors the opportunity to experience the talent of this juried membership organization as participants stretch their boundaries and create new traditions.
Folk Art Center Focus Gallery
Robert Stephan and Heather Allen-Swarttouw
Saturday, October 11th, 2008 - Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

On display October 11 through December 2 in the Folk Art Center's Focus Gallery is the glass work of Robert Stephan and the fiber art of Heather Allen-Swarttouw.
2008 Focus Gallery Schedule
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 - Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Planning ahead? Click details to see the 2008 schedule of exhibitions in the Focus Gallery at the Folk Art Center.
Educational Resources
PERMANENT COLLECTION GALLERY

Folk Art Center
Craft Traditions:
The Southern Highland Craft Guild Collection
An ongoing exhibition


This exhibit of approximately 200 works features the best of traditional woodcarving, textiles, furniture, basketry, pottery, dolls, and other crafts of Southern Appalachia, dating from 1855 to the late 20th century.

The Southern Highland Craft Guild Collection represents the historical crafts of southern Appalachia. Many pieces date from the 19th century and were collected in the Asheville area by Frances L. Goodrich, a founding member of the Guild. Goodrich came to the region in 1890 to do educational and organizational work as a volunteer for the Presbyterian Home Mission Board. She had not planned to work in the crafts field, but rather, the idea was thrust upon her in the form of an antique bedspread.
THE ROBERT W. GRAY LIBRARY COLLECTION

The mission of the Robert W. Gray Library is to collect, preserve, and make available for research materials concerning the appreciation and knowledge about traditional and contemporary crafts - particularly the craft heritage of the Southern Appalachian region.

Library materials relate to craft work from around the world and in all media with historical background as well as "how-to" information. There are also materials on regional history and development.

The collection contains over 7,000 books and exhibition catalogs, 45 current periodical titles as well as many that have been donated and are no longer available. A recent addition is an audio-visual area where visitors may choose from over 100 craft-related videos.

While the resources do not circulate, the materials are available for use on site. There is a Xerox machine for photocopying materials for personal use.

The Library is open whenever the Folk Art Center is open- every day from 9-6 (5pm in winter). It is housed on the second floor, to the left of the receptionist desk. The collection catalog is available on the library's computer at all times and a librarian is present four day's a week( T-W-Th-F) to assist users. The staff is happy to work with you on research questions.
THE ARCHIVES

Folk Art Center
The Guild takes great effort to preserve the historical documents relative to the organization. The Archives are available for assisted research by appointment only.

For more information contact Guild Librarian: Deb Schillo - library@craftguild.org

A portion of the Southern Highland Craft Guild Archive is available online.
The Craft Revival project

Western Carolina University
The Craft Revival website, headquartered at Western Carolina University, has attracted hundreds of hits after just 18 months in operation, and the number of hits is expected to climb as more information is added to the growing, online collection at http://craftrevival.wcu.edu/ . Anna Fariello, leader of the state-funded project, says visitors to the site are finding the beginnings of a robust digital archive of materials from the Craft Revival of the late 1800s and early 1900s. “This was an important period for our region of the Southern Appalachians,” she says. “Without the Craft Revival, much of the work of the mountain crafts people would have been lost and their handcrafting skills might have died out. That means there would have been only a very limited foundation for today’s continuing craft activities.” Instead, the revival triggered the growth of handcraft guilds, weaving centers and folk schools, attracted tourists, scholars and artisans to the region; helped to promote the sale of traditional mountain crafts; and shaped the development of new craft forms as mountain tourism flourished.
Links and Logos

In this section you'll find web links to organizations affiliated with the Southern Highland Craft Guild - as well as a retrospective gallery of Guild Logos.
Charlie Patricolo
Doll Maker
Making dolls has been a passion of mine for nearly 40 years. The love of fabric and the creative process began to develop during the 60's when I started making dolls as a casual hobby. In the early 90's I left my career in the computer industry and while trying to decide what I was going to do ‘next', I began making figures again and realized that I WANTED to make dolls. I began to spend all of my time developing dolls of my own design. I came to the realization that I appreciated the freedom of being self-employed.
I ended up in North Carolina about 8 years ago at a class at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. At the end of that first week here in the mountains of westrn North Carolina, I felt that I had found a home for my heart and hands. I became involved in the work/study program and later the host program at the folk school. At the end of the two programs I made the decision to move to the mountains and begin the next chapter of my life. Now I spend my days creating figures, teaching and demonstrating doll making.

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