Tom Gow, artist
On Saturday, August 13, from 10 a.m to 4 p.m., woodworkers and enthusiasts will gather at the Folk Art Center to celebrate all things wood. Wood Day will showcase a variety of woodworking techniques via demonstrations and interactive, hands-on activities. From trunk to branch to bark, this remarkable material will be celebrated by some of the region’s most talented artisans.
Valerie Berlage will be demonstrating surface treatment at Wood Day and talking about her creative process and how she incorporates color, pattern and texture in her work. She says Wood Day “allows people in the community to interact with our makers, see how an object is created and perhaps better appreciate how much time, effort and love it takes. You have to slow down to make craft. It is not mass-manufactured, nor immediately produced. It is created with deliberation, skill and creativity. This is especially significant for our children to understand—our next generation of makers.”
Valerie Berlage, artist
Flutemaker Lee Entrekin will have a booth at Wood Day where he will display handmade Native American-style flutes. “I will play a little and explain how the flutes are made,” he says. Entrekin also offers lessons on playing the flutes, which he has been making for 25 years.
“Woodworking is one of the oldest craft forms, and has been practiced in the Southern Appalachians for centuries,” he says. “Wood Day is always special for me because it’s both an opportunity to inform people about the craft of native flute-making and a chance to mingle with and get inspired by my fellow woodworkers.”
Admission to Wood Day and the Folk Art Center is free. The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. For a complete list of makers participating in Wood Day, and to learn more about Southern Highland Craft Guild programs at the Folk Art Center call 828.298.7928 or visit CraftGuild.org.
