The Omni Grove Park Inn will once again be the setting for the 39th annual National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows, which will be held Friday, February 20, from 1–6 p.m., Saturday, February 21, from 12–6 p.m. and Sunday, February 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will include workshops, demonstrations, historic house tours and Arts and Crafts antiques and contemporary items for purchase. Participants come from all over the country as well as the Asheville area and the Carolinas, and the event welcomes collectors, enthusiasts and those who want to learn more about Arts and Crafts.
Mission Guild, longtime exhibitors in the Contemporary Show, display art and tiles in the Arts and Crafts style. Photo courtesy of Kate Nixon
This year’s seminars include “The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright,” “The Women of Newcomb College” and “An American Handcrafted Utopia.” The conference celebrates the transformational Arts and Crafts movement that began in the late 1800s and ran through the early 20th century.
“Not only are we getting new collectors every single year coming to the show out of curiosity and because word of mouth is spreading but interior designers are embracing the Arts and Crafts style in large cities,” says Kate Nixon, director of the event. “They are recognizing the desire for the warm woods, botanical motifs and design with a history. The need to preserve historic house elements rather than tear them out for a whitewashed house—that is so important these days. We preserve the natural and we’re seeing an increase in customers who want the natural in their house, too.”
Barbara Gerr and Arnie Small of Barbara Gerr Antiques are among the long-time participants, having displayed for 27 years. Their store specializes in American Arts & Crafts pottery featuring works from Grueby, Newcomb College, Marblehead, Saturday Evening Girls, Teco, Weller, Roseville and others.
“This is the premier Arts and Crafts show in the country and all involved look forward to attending and displaying,” Gerr says. “If you are looking for anything special to add to your collection, this is the place where you will find it.”
Among this year’s speakers is Thomas Guiler who will attend for the first time. “I am really looking forward to connecting with other people about what we are passionate about: the artistry and messages behind the Arts and Crafts Movement and its relevance today,” he says. Guiler will sign copies of his new book, The Handcrafted Utopia: Arts and Crafts Communities in America’s Progressive Era. The book visits the utopian communities of Byrdcliffe, Roycroft and the Rose Valley Association. “These groups used a combination of idealism, communal living, commerce and art to challenge ideas of capitalism and industrialization at the turn of the 20th century,” says Guiler. “Not only did they create some of the most iconic and beautiful pieces of furniture (the Roycrofters even made early furniture for the Grove Park Inn), metalwork, pottery and printing of the Movement, they also challenged Americans then and now to imagine a better, handcrafted world.” The book and Guiler’s talk tie in with a special display, American Utopia: Exploring Paradise Through Arts & Crafts Colonies, that will be a part of this year’s event.
Preparations for next year’s 40th conference and show are already in the works. Because of planned renovations at the Omni Grove Park Inn, that show will be held January 8–10, 2027.
Admission for all three days of the Conference is $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for children under the age of 14. To learn more, visit Arts-CraftsConference.com or call 828.628.1915.
