Those Pre-Conference Activities
While at first glance it may seem like the 30th National Arts and Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn is a three-day event, we actually have enough pre-conference activities to give you an excuse to come to Asheville a day earlier.
(And to have a good time.)
If three words can sum up the Arts and Crafts philosophy, they are Head, Heart and Hands.
Our Hearts start beating faster when we step into the shows each afternoon and see the fabulous array of Arts and Crafts furniture, art pottery, hand-stitched table runners, hand-printed books and artwork, and hand-hammered silver and copper.
Our Heads are equally as stimulated by the morning and evening seminar presentations and daily Small Group Discussions, covering more than 40 different Arts and Crafts topics.
And we don’t overlook our Hands.
On Thursday afternoon from two until five you have the opportunity to pick up a planishing hammer and work a piece of copper, to pick up a pencil and design a landscape plan for your yard, or to pick up a knife and carve a block of linoleum before hand-printing a greeting card. And on Friday morning we offer a second session of landscape design, as well as a textile embroidery class for your nimble fingers.
We limit each class in size to insure that you receive plenty of personal attention from your instructor, which means some sessions are nearly sold out. You can read more about them at the website link below, then call our office at (828) 628-1915 to register.
And Arts and Crafts collectors know how to party, too, as evidenced by the turnout for the annual Thursday night Conference Kick-Off Party, expertly organized each year by the staff of the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. Held in the hotel’s spacious Skyline Room, offering panoramic views over Asheville and access to the Sunset Patio, the Kick-Off Party features live music, fine food, and lots of fun, laughter and good friends as everyone competes in the Arts and Crafts Trivia Challenge pitting table against table.
Add to all this our free guided Friday morning walking tours of both the Grove Park Inn and Biltmore Industries next door and you’ll understand why this has grown to become a four-day Arts and Crafts celebration.
Until next Monday,
“It only happens once a year.”
Bruce