The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands 60th Anniversary July 19-22 & October 18-21, 2007 Asheville, NC

THE CRAFT FAIR OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS produced by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, celebrates it’s sixtieth anniversary, July 19-22 & October 18-21 in Asheville, NC More than two hundred craftspeople fill two floors of the Asheville Civic Center with fine handcrafted items. Local musicians play live on the arena stage; craft educators share their knowledge with adults and children alike through demonstrations and hands-on projects. Admission is $6.00. Additional information is available at www.craftguild.org.

Each exhibiting craftsperson has passed the rigorous jury process to become a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Membership is open to craftspeople who reside in the mountain counties of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and the Virginias.

The Craft Fair takes place in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains. Asheville offers architectural charm, eclectic restaurants, shops and colorful locals. Named a top ten destination in the world, people come to Asheville seeking inspiration.

This event traces its roots to the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Western North Carolina craftsmen were a focus of a revived interest in things handmade to create a movement referred to as the Crafts Revival. For the most part, these were not the professional craftsmen of today; rather, they were farmers creating functional, necessary items used in everyday life, mothers making homespun coverlets for their families, and local tradesmen providing implements for their communities. Seeking to create marketing opportunities and generate enthusiasm about craft, visionary leaders of the Southern Highland Craft Guild orchestrated the first fair in 1948. At the time, it was the largest concentration of crafts and working craftspeople ever assembled in the country.

“When someone buys a work of the hand, the purchaser is not simply acquiring a casserole, woven jacket, carved spoon or basket. Invested in the work is a part of the maker, whose creative expression is an intentional act. This intentionality is what makes craft what it is – not its material, function or cost, as so many would have us believe.”
Anna Fariello, Craft Revival Project, Western Carolina University

THE SOUTHERN HIGHLAND CRAFT GUILD, chartered in 1930, is today one of the strongest craft organization’s in the country. For over 75 years the Guild has been “bringing together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation.”

“Creating a world in which craft and other native talents can flourish – this is the Guild’s legacy. The craftspeople of Southern Appalachia are always aware of tradition and forever renewing themselves from the old sources of nature, family, spiritual life and the desire to share one’s gifts with others.”
Jan Davidson, Director, John C. Campbell Folk School