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National Arts and Crafts Conference Returns to the Omni Grove Park Inn February 19-21

 

Arts and Crafts Conference

New Hampshire-based artist Matt Brown demonstrating the craft of carving and hand-printing artwork in the traditional Arts and Crafts style of woodblock printing.

The 29th annual National Arts and Crafts Conference will take place at the Omni Grove Park Inn February 19–21. Residents from across Western North Carolina and the nation will make their way to this always popular event.

As it has in the past, the conference will again feature antiques from 1900–1940 in the Vanderbilt Wing’s Grand Ballroom. In the adjacent meeting rooms, there will be more than 50 artisans offering new Arts and Crafts furniture, pottery, metalware, jewelry, tiles, artwork, rugs, and textiles. Magazine and book publishers, authors, and nonprofit organizations with ties to the Arts and Crafts movement will be exhibiting near the silent auction that will benefit the Arts and Crafts Research Fund.

The Arts and Crafts movement began abroad and eventually made its way to the United States. It quickly became known for using simple forms and for the pride the craftspeople took in their work. Rather than mahogany and rosewood, they designed furniture made from quarter-sawn oak, creating pieces far more affordable for the rising middle class. Daring new designs by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and furniture maker Gustav Stickley quickly became popular.

It was the style that in many ways shaped Asheville—and continues to do so today. Its influence can be seen in the modest bungalows that sprang up in West Asheville, Norwood Park, Kenilworth, Oakley, and Biltmore Village.

The National Arts and Crafts Conference Shows will be open to the public from 1–6 p.m. on Friday, February 19; from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 20; and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 21.

The cost of a three-day show ticket is $10. Outdoor parking is free, as are the first three hours in the two indoor parking garages. For more information, visit arts-craftsconference.com, or call conference director Bruce Johnson at 828.628.1915.

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