Craft Arts Events

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands

Stoic. Sarah Wells Rolland, artist

The annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands returns to the U.S. Cellular Center this fall. Hosted by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the three-day fine craft event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, October 19 and 20, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 21. “The Southern Highland Craft Guild has a legacy that paved the way for ceramic artists like myself,” says Sarah Wells Rolland of The Village Potters, who will be present at the fair to demonstrate wheel throwing, hand building and surface design techniques. “The Guild’s years of influence have firmly established an appreciation for creativity in our culture, which laid the foundation for the success of The Village Potters Clay Center and other wonderful craft schools in our region. This event is a weekend where you get to connect with the history of craft and the vitality of the Guild while experiencing everything from folk craft passed down for generations to current, contemporary craft.”

More than 170 booths will feature contemporary and traditional work in clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media and jewelry. The show is limited to juried members of the Guild, who undergo a two-step jury process in which their work is evaluated by peers in the industry. Old-time musicians and bluegrass bands will perform live on the arena stage daily. A number of Guild members will be demonstrating their craft throughout the weekend, including John Turner applying raku glazes to pots and Jeffrey Neil warping wood into shaker boxes. The North Carolina affiliate of the Artist- Blacksmith’s Association of North America (NC-ABANA) will be blacksmithing on forges outside the entrance to the fair.

Lesley Keeble will also be present at the Fair to demonstrate how she assembles her mixed media dolls. “I will share samples of my unfinished work showing the many steps to completion, from design inspiration on paper and initial pattern making to selecting materials for fully realized figures,” she says. Keeble cites her Guild membership and mentorship from a fellow Guild member as defining components of her successful career in the arts. “My artistic spirit has been respected and nurtured and has flourished in the 23 years that Asheville has become my true home,” she says. “The Southern Highland Craft Guild has a unique and empowering history supporting traditional Appalachian craftspeople.”

The U.S. Cellular Center is located at 87 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. General admission tickets for the Craft Fair are $8, weekend passes are $12, and student tickets are $5. Children under 12 enter free. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit CraftGuild.org.

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