A Conference That Won’t Give Up: 38th Arts and Crafts Conference Plans Continue Post Helene

 

The last 30 days have been challenging for Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding areas of Western North Carolina in the aftermath of a “Once in a Lifetime” storm.

Since Tropical Storm Helene moved through the vulnerable area of Western North Carolina – an area usually protected from weather events by the Blue Ridge Mountain Range – the city of Asheville finds itself rebuilding. Construction workers and police have spent weeks clearing trees and toxic river runoff debris from the streets and roadways, local Asheville businesses are attempting to open safely according to basic standards, and both Asheville residents and businesses hope for progress in the recovery of water services.

 

But within these 30 days, there has been progress. Free programs continue to be given in Asheville’s central parks, roads and highways continue to be cleared ahead of the winter holidays, and major tourist attractions like Asheville’s Biltmore Estate are getting closer to re-opening to the public in time for the holiday season. The Biltmore Estate will re-open on November 2nd.

Recently, the Omni Grove Park Inn announced the unfortunate decision to cancel the annual Gingerbread House Competition, but the historic hotel has vowed to display the Christmas trees and annual holiday treat offerings during the holiday season contingent on the Grove Park Inn receiving their full water service again in the next month. Currently, the Golf Course, Sports Complex and Grovewood Gallery on the Grove Park Inn’s campus have opened successfully while the historic inn remains closed.

Director of the National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows, small business owner, and Asheville resident Kate Nixon is no stranger to navigating changes to Asheville’s landscape. After assisting conference founder Bruce Johnson in bringing a month-long online conference to collectors in February of 2021 during Covid-19 restrictions, surviving a two-week water shortage in Asheville December of 2022 in her first year directing the conference, and holding her summer online conference “Arts & Crafts In August” dedicated to the Arts and Crafts movement, Kate knows about adaptability.  Regardless, the process of planning this weekend-long, treasured experience has given Kate a reason to hit the ground power walking in this new normal.

 

 

“While the month of October has been an unprecedented challenge to navigate personally and professionally, I am consistently inspired by the grassroots efforts of my fellow citizens of Western North Carolina who are keeping their communities together with basic supplies and a wealth of resiliency,” Kate says proudly of her fellow citizens of the region. “It’s not easy to see the video footage of Asheville’s landscape like this, let alone driving through it every day. We have gone through some shattering losses, but I know the importance of getting back up after you’ve been knocked down. This region is filled with people who are getting back up and moving forward as best they can despite the indescribable loss we’ve had — and I’m proud to be part of that community.”

After receiving a number of inquiries whether the National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows will happen in February, Kate discovered the Grove Park Inn is preparing for a number of events in the next two months, ready to be functional again as soon as they get water.

“After speaking with my contacts at the Grove Park Inn, it is clear that they are moving forward with preparing for events in both November and December so they can return to full functionality when they re-open with full water service. We have not had the discussion to cancel the 38th National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows in mid-February for next year as our historic host hotel anticipates regaining full water access in time for the holiday season. ”

Registration for the 38th National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows continues both online for those who plan to stay at the Grove Park Inn and those who want to stay off campus, but still attend the three day conference and selling shows.

Click here for information on registering for the National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows February 21st – 23rd, 2025.

 

Seminars picked for the 2025 Conference

      

Pictures of four speakers out of six presentations for the 2025 National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows. From left to right: Kevin Tucker of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, author and professor of Architectural Studies Dr. Marie Frank, Antiques Roadshow Appraiser, distinguished seller and Toomey & Co Auctioneers Ceramics Expert Riley Humler, and author of Chicago creativity and the upcoming book Women, Enterprise, Craft Sharon Darling.

In its 37 years, the seminars of the Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows have covered a wide variety of topics from Arts & Crafts furniture to the beauty of American Art Pottery to a variety of textiles to the innovation of Arts & Crafts metalwork. In February 2025, the beauty and form of the Arts & Crafts Dining Room will be explored by Decorative arts historian and High Museum of Art chief curator Kevin W. Tucker. Kevin will consider a selection of these sideboards, servers, and related accessories as the legacy of some of the designers, craftspeople, and families who influenced and shaped the history of the early 20th century dining room in the Arts & Crafts style. Additionally, for the first time at the Grove Park Inn, a presentation about the well known Roycroft artist Dard Hunter will debut. Most Arts and Crafts enthusiasts are familiar with Dard Hunter’s ubiquitous designs such as the square rose motif and his font, but few know the scope of his graphic design career from 1902-1912.  A presentation by Dard Hunter III of Dard Hunter Studios  will provide an insight on the influences and thought processes that guided him as an artist and craftsman.  The imagery and content will be derived from original drawings, personal correspondence, diaries, and publications some of which have never been seen before.

The design theory behind one of Boston’s most important minds in the fine art scene will be shown within the lens of the Arts & Crafts style; the life and work of Denman Ross shows a direct connection and influence to artists of the Arts & Crafts style. Ross helped to usher in the philosophies of John Ruskin and in doing so, gained a friend and colleague in Arthur Wesley Dow – his connection to important figures in the origins and the American revival is explored by Dr. Marie Frank,  author and professor of art history and architecture at University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

The annual continued revelations of the world of American Art Pottery and ceramics continue with presentations from ceramics expert Riley Humler and author Sharon Darling. Any art pottery collector knows the name Rookwood, the Cincinnati art pottery firm who firmly placed America on the global decorative arts stage. Collectors all across the country covet and look for the name Kataro Shiriyamadani: his pottery is featured in collections all over the world and his name is synonymous with the high quality and innovation that Rookwood is known for. Shiriyamadani remains one of the most popular – and one of the most mysterious – artists in the Rookwood catalog and in the world of art pottery. Ceramics and Rookwood expert Riley Humler will show the beauty and form of his works – and reveal his life story as an artist in a new country carving a new life and career. Additionally, author of the newly published Women, Enterprise, Craft – Chicago’s Atlan Ceramic Art Club, 1893–1923 Sharon Darling will reveal the story of Florence Pratt Steward and her leadership within the Atlan Ceramic Art Club. Pratt’s efforts brought about a new era of ceramic excellence in the Windy city and the national genre of decorative arts.

More presentations will be added to the website.

Click here for more information on registering for the Conference Events Pass or the Grove Park Inn Weekend Package

 

Book Club selections

What The Mountains Remember

by Joy Callaway

For the first time, The Grove Park Inn is a character in its own right in this 2024 release in historical fiction!

“April 1913 —Belle Newbold hasn’t seen mountains for seven years since her father died in a mining accident. But when her stepfather’s friend, Henry Ford, invites the family on one of his famous Vagabonds camping tours, she is forced to face the hills once again—primarily in order to reunite with her future fiancé, owner of the land the Vagabonds are using for their campsite. It is a veritable arranged marriage, but she prefers it that way. But when the Vagabonds group is invited to tour the unfinished Grove Park Inn and Belle is unexpectedly thrust into a role researching and writing about the building of the inn—a construction the locals are calling The Eighth Wonder of the World—she quickly realizes that these mountains are no different from the ones she once called home. As Belle peels back the facade of Grove Park Inn, of Worth, of the society she’s come to claim as her own, and the truth of her heart, she begins to see that perhaps her part in Grove Park’s story isn’t a coincidence after all. International bestselling author Joy Callaway returns with a story of the ordinary people behind extraordinary beauty—and the question of who gets to tell their stories.”

 

The Art of Seeing Things: Essays by John Burroughs

edited by Charlotte Zoe Walker

A collection of essays by noted naturalist John Burroughs in which he contemplates a wide array of topics including farming, religion, and conservation. A departure from previous John Burroughs anthologies, this volume celebrates the surprising range of his writing to include religion, philosophy, conservation, and farming. In doing so, it emphasizes the process of the literary naturalist, specifically the lively connection the author makes between perceiving nature and how perception permeates all aspects of life experiences.

 

Click here to see links on where to purchase the Book Club recommendations! 

Next week:

Pre-Conference Workshops Registration opens: Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisans Return and a Returning Addition

 

 

 

 

Next week, we’ll delve into the popular Pre-Conference Workshop offerings in February 2025. Makers will see the return of instructors who annually return for their workshops — and they will also see the return of beloved exhibitors coming back to offer workshops from the past.