The 2021 National Arts and Crafts Shows Gone Virtual PLUS The Restorative Power of Craft

by Kate Nixon

 

When we decided to take the 34th National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows virtual, we knew that meant undertaking the task of transferring the thrill of the exhibitor shows at the Grove Park Inn to an online environment.

 

 

We began by creating four different categories of exhibitors:

  • Arts and Crafts Antiques
  • Contemporary Craftsfirms
  • Organizations & Historic Sites
  • Arts and Crafts Services (auction houses, appraisers, restorers, etc.)

 

Lists of exhibitors who will be participating in our February shows can be found here on our exhibitor show information page. Between now and February first we will be adding more exhibitors to these lists.

We will have a page for each of our Arts and Crafts shows on the website, which will be free for anyone to access starting February 1st. In 2021, in addition to the Arts and Crafts Antiques and Contemporary Craftsfirms Shows, we will have a separate page dedicated to Organizations and Historic Sites and Arts and Crafts Related Services, which includes architects, designers, auction houses, restorers, and appraisers.

A partial screenshot of the Exhibitor Show portal for the 34th National Arts and Crafts Conference. The Arts and Crafts Shows will be available to access starting February 1st.

Beginning on February 1st, when the shows open, each exhibitor participating in our virtual show will have an Exhibitor Profile containing all of their contact information as well as a direct link to their website or e-commerce store.

The conference shows will remain open the entire month of February and will be available free of charge to the general public.

For information on becoming an exhibitor in the 24th National Arts and Crafts Conference Shows, please click here.

Anyone who is interested can explore the shows free of charge starting February 1st from our website www.arts-craftsconference.com Registration or sign in information is not required to access the shows.

 

Online Course:
The Restorative Power of Craft: Within the Shadow of a Great Scourge: Tuberculosis, Van Briggle, and Arequipa Pottery

Session 2: Saturday, November 21 at 1:00 PM EST

This Saturday, the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms delivers their latest course “The Restorative Power of Craft” – a course focusing on the history of craft as a method of coping and healing through the eyes of a number of ceramic firms during the Arts and Crafts era.

The course description is as follows:

Prior to the development of an effective vaccine and antibiotics, Tuberculosis was a virtual death sentence. Like every segment of the American population, the Arts and Crafts movement was impacted by the disease, and while the results were predictably dire for those infected, the disease and the movement’s response to it left a complex legacy that included artistic and creative triumphs alongside these tragedies. Indeed, it is hard to imagine the existence of either the Van Briggle or Arequipa potteries separate from the “shadow of a great scourge” as it was described in the Brick and Clay Record in 1915. This session delves into the work of the Van Briggle and Arequipa potteries, both of which were formed as a response to the pandemic.

According to Executive Director Vonda Givens, this class in particular gives some timely context about craft during the times of a health crisis. “This week, Jonathan Clancy will focus on two potteries whose histories are inextricably linked to tuberculosis. This timely session, of course, makes me think about COVID-19—how it is being documented now and how it will be remembered, interpreted and understood by future generations. It will be interesting, and perhaps instructive, to look back at Van Briggle and Arequipa within the context of our time.”

To sign up for the class, click below:

https://www.stickleymuseum.org/learn/programs-for-adults/the-restorative-power-of-craft/

 

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