Photo by Michael Hatch
Southern Highland Craft Guild Artists’ Holiday Sale Returns to Folk Art Center
Each year artists of the Southern Highland Craft Guild liquidate overstocks and annual inventory at the Guild Artists’ Holiday Sale. Held again this year at the Folk Art Center, this opportunity to purchase handmade for the holidays is set for two consecutive Saturdays, December 3 and 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Members will be on hand in the center’s auditorium selling select work from ten to 50 percent off the retail price.
“This sale provides artists a market in which they can cycle out remaining 2016 product to begin the New Year with a fresh start,” says Hannah Barry, public relations manager for the Guild. “This allows many creatives to try out new techniques and efficiently begin their annual production process.”
For the customer, the sale means great deals for holiday shopping and a chance to connect with the makers. It also provides an exciting, festive alternative to mall and big-box import shopping. Nearly 70 artists will participate with a different group of artists represented each day. Shoppers can choose from a variety of gift items including ceramics, jewelry, fiber, paper, glass and wood.
Ivan Ivanoff is a Guild artist who makes leather handbags along with his wife, Kathleen A. Ivanoff. Their business, I & K Leather Goods, is based in Tamassee, South Carolina. “I will be selling handbags that are discontinued from our line, as well as old styles we no longer carry, at a discount price. My handbag styles are classical but casual,” he says. “The people who are involved in this sale are always great and I enjoy meeting the other artists, seeing their crafts and discussing their process.”
Visiting the Folk Art Center also affords the chance to see the Focus Gallery show, Mystery, and the Main Gallery exhibition with work from artists of North Georgia State University. Visitors will also want to browse through the many offerings at Allanstand Craft Shop, the nation’s oldest craft gallery.
“Buying from artists,” says Barry, “supports the local economy and promotes the mission of the Guild, which is bringing together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation.”
The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville, just north of Highway 70. For more information, visit craftguild.org or call 828.298.7928.
