(Left) Hog Hill Pottery; (Right) Heintz Art Metal. David Surgan Antiques
By Natasha Anderson
For three days, starting February 17, the 36th National Arts and Craft Conference and Shows will feature Arts and Crafts antiques and contemporary items, seminars, workshops, tours and demonstrations celebrating America’s only truly original style. The event takes place at Asheville’s Omni Grove Park Inn, the most famous example of this architectural style in the South. Shows are open Friday, February 17, from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday, February 18, from 12 to 6 p.m. and Sunday, February 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“The Arts and Crafts movement is rooted in a very lovely philosophy that the simplicity of this kind of design can improve your life,” says the event’s director Kate Nixon. “That’s what bungalow owners, collectors, enthusiasts and those who appreciate the handcrafted know today and it will be reflected in our shows in February.”
More than 100 exhibitors from all over the country offer vintage and antique items as well as handcrafted contemporary pieces in the Arts and Crafts style. Items include new and antique jewelry, rugs, furniture, pottery, tiles, artwork, furniture and metalware. Visitors get an opportunity to browse some of the finest examples of the style as well as talk with collectors and craftspeople who are experts in the field.
“At age 16, I began an 8,000-hour apprenticeship through the state of Vermont, working for a master craftsman; I cut my teeth on the Arts and Crafts style,” says exhibitor Brian Brace of Brian Brace Fine Furniture in Black Mountain. “I love the challenge of recreating original Arts and Crafts pieces while blending in my own contemporary designs.”
Back by popular demand, the pre-conference workshops provide students with the chance to demonstrate and participate in the “head, heart, and hand” philosophy and learn from a Roycroft Master Artisan. Workshops include printmaking with Laura Wilder, coppersmithing with Frank Glapa, embroidery with Natalie Richards and metal art with Ron Van Ostrand.
Other activities include historic home tours, walking tours of the Grove Park Inn and the historic Biltmore Industries, small group discussions on a variety of topics and demonstrations covering everything from Limbert lamp construction to ceramics with Arts and Crafts motifs. Seminars delve into various aspects of the history and style of the movement.
“The seminar lineup is usually something people get excited about, and this year is no different,” says Nixon. “Fans of HBO’s Gilded Age will love Ulysses Dietz’s seminar about finding the Arts and Crafts angle during that era.”
Other seminars include Jonathan Clancy’s presentation on Stickley’s imitators, an exploration of Arts and Crafts-era book artwork led by Clinker Press’ Andre Chaves and the contemporary application of the philosophy of William Morris by Yoshiko Yamamoto.
Adult admission for all three days is $10; student admission is $5; no charge for children under the age of 14. Outdoor parking at the Grove Park Inn is free as are the first three hours of indoor garage parking. Learn more at Arts-CraftsConference.com.
