Above: Glass artist Michael Hatch (Photo by Sarah Carballo)
Gearing up for this season’s series of educational events, the Southern Highland Craft Guild is beginning by hosting Glass & Metal Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. Guild artists, who each possess their own distinct touch and style, will demonstrate a range of techniques in both mediums.
These master craftspeople will be blacksmithing, glass blowing, piercing and soldering metals, knife making, bezeling, creating repoussé, copper etching, assembling stained glass, forging, and performing many other manipulation processes.
Guild member Rachelle Davis will be working with fine sterling silver, showcasing her well-known talent in piercing. “All the designs on the back of my pendants are (sawed) by hand,” says Rachelle. Her pieces contain intricate designs and messages that often tell a story. “I have always loved hidden symbols and meaning.”
Glassblower Michael Hatch of Crucible Glassworks is currently assembling a small kiln to exhibit the quick thought process of blown glass.
Those scheduled to do demonstrations are jewelry artists Erica Bailey, Martha Biggar, Amy Brandenburg, Ruthie Cohen, Rachelle Davis, Judy Ochs, and Molly Sharp; metalsmith Cecile Keith; glass artist Michael Hatch; stained glass artists Greg Magruder and Cheryl Stippich; blacksmith Jim Sabo; knife maker Danny Robinson; and copper etching artist Jay Pfeil.
For a schedule of artists participating in Glass & Metal Day, and to learn more about the Southern Highland Craft Guild, visit craftguild.org or call 828.298.7928. Admission to Glass & Metal Day and the Folk Art Center is free.
The Southern Highland Craft Guild is a nonprofit, educational organization established in 1930 to bring 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 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just north of the Highway 70 entrance in east Asheville.
