Booth of pottery dealers Joe and Tina Tunnell at the 39th National Arts and Crafts Antiques Show.
Photo by Kate Nixon
The National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows returns to Asheville’s Grove Park Inn Friday, January 8, through Sunday, January 10, 2027. The 40th anniversary event will feature antiques and contemporary artisan shows, educational seminars, workshops and demonstrations, with a lineup of speakers that includes museum curators, authors and prominent figures in the antiques world. The event runs from 1–6 p.m. on Friday; 12–6 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m on Sunday.
Rooted in the American Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century, the gathering honors a design philosophy that emerged in response to industrialization and mass production. The movement emphasized craftsmanship, natural materials and the individuality of the maker, values that continue to resonate with contemporary artists and collectors.
“Shoppers who buy from our shows support hardworking artists who come to the Grove Park Inn from across the country, creating these beautiful works as tributes to the natural world,” says Kate Nixon, director for the event. “At the shows, we celebrate the human-made over the factory-made every time. It’s part of the 40-year legacy we’ve developed.”
Growing up in Chicago, Asheville jewelry artist Amy Brandenburg developed an early fascination with architecture, particularly the decorative details of Prairie-style buildings and other structures influenced by the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements.
“The beauty of the Art Nouveau period captured my imagination, with the swirling natural forms found in the ironwork of many gates, doors and stair railings, where everything flows in an almost effortless way,” Brandenburg says. “These forms were also present in much of the jewelry of the day, along with representations of the natural world—a theme that is present in many of my pieces today.”
The event’s antiques show offers another perspective on the movement’s lasting influence, bringing together dealers like Bryan Mead, owner of Hammered & Hewn Antiques. His specialty is Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau metalwork and lighting, although he also deals in pottery, textiles, artwork and furniture.
“The beauty of this conference is its focus on specifically the Arts & Crafts movement as opposed to being what we call a ‘general line’ antique show,” Mead says. “When you walk in, if you are familiar with the movement, you will be simply overwhelmed by the depth of objects to behold!”
This year’s conference will feature presentations by ceramics expert and Antiques Roadshow appraiser David Rago; Arts and Crafts scholar David Cathers; Metropolitan Museum of Art curators Adrienne Spinozzi and Alyce Englund; and Nonie Gadsden, senior curator of American decorative arts and sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Additional speakers include authors and collectors Ryan Berley, Michael McCracken and Andre Chaves.
Beyond the seminars, visitors can explore three shows dedicated to antiques, contemporary artisans, and books and related materials. The weekend will also include demonstrations, author signings, a silent auction benefiting the Arts & Crafts Research Fund and educational displays exploring the work of Asheville artist and designer William Waldo Dodge Jr. and fashion from the Arts and Crafts era. For makers interested in developing their own skills, pre-conference workshops will cover embroidery, metalsmithing and printmaking.
“The continued existence of this conference and the community surrounding it shows that time may pass, but humans will always value the beauty and craft of handmade items,” says Brandenburg.
The Grove Park Inn is at 290 Macon Avenue, Asheville. Admission for all three days is $10 for adults and $5 for students, with free admission for children under 14. Conference Events Passes, which include seminars, tours and show admission, cost $175. For information and to purchase passes, visit Arts-CraftsConference.com.
