Ententé by Alan Carter and Marc Tickle
Southern Highland Craft Guild Offers Fall Fair and Fellowship Exhibit
The 69th Fall Edition of the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands comes to Asheville’s US Cellular Center October 20–23, displaying the work of 178 artists in traditional and contemporary mediums and offering live music and craft demonstrations. New exhibiting artists include Brian Brace, furniture; Laura Peery, pottery; and Ken Hall, knives.
This year, visitors to the Craft Fair also have a unique opportunity to head to the Folk Art Center and see a special collaborative show. “The notion that creators of craft are ‘lone wolves’ who generally lead isolated lives is evident in the media,” says Hannah Barry, SHCG public relations manager. “But the Southern Highland Craft Guild was founded in 1930 on the idea that economic success is greater through community and collaboration between artists.”
In keeping with this philosophy, through November 6 the Guild is offering a new exhibit in the upstairs gallery of the Folk Art Center. Called “Fellowship,” the show highlights collaborations between nearly 50 SHCG members and features more than 30 pieces crafted and fused through multiple hands, exalting the dynamic play across many media.
Kaleidoscope maker Marc Tickle and woodworker Alan Carter worked together on a piece titled Ententé. “Both of these Guild members are well known in their own fields, and have seamlessly fused their talents into quite a magnificent piece,” says Barry.
Tickle, who owns On Reflection Kaleidoscopes, says of the artistic duet with Carter, “We have a mutual respect for each other’s work, and quickly recognized that our work would grow and be something quite special as a collaboration. We are planning to develop more together and I’m very excited about that.”
Carter, who creates contemporary woodturned sculptures, agrees. “Working with Marc was a terrific experience. I learned quite a bit about kaleidoscopes and I think he picked up a little about woodworking. The combination of metal, glass and wood is a powerful one and we were both thrilled with the results.”
On the theme of “Fellowship,” Carter adds that, “by definition, all artists are creative, but generally we work alone and our creative thoughts are driven by our individual, often insular, experiences. Too often we get so focused on our own little corner of the universe that our thinking can become a bit stale and repetitious. Collaborating allows us to expand our horizons, see what the other person sees, and apply that to our own work.”
SHCG is a nonprofit organization established to bring together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation. An authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, SHCG has its headquarters in the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Folk Art Center, where it showcases the Allanstand Craft Shop, two galleries, an interior design space, a library and archives, and a Permanent Collection Gallery.
The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands runs October 20–23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8, with children under 12 admitted free of charge. The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The main gallery upstairs is open year-round with free admittance. The building is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information visit craftguild.org or call 828.298.7928.
