Little Journeys
A Sticky Problem
February 7, 2022One of the problems with growing older is that we sometimes lose track of when we started our various projects. It’s easy for me to remember that this will be the 35th year for the Arts and Crafts Conference at the historic 1913 Grove Park Inn, but I would …
Read More...A Man Who Died For His Art
January 30, 2022Last week I attended a graveside service for a dear friend who recently passed away. It was held at Asheville’s historic Riverside Cemetery, the names of whose inhabitants read like titles in a history of Asheville. Among them is that of Thomas Wolfe, surrounded by the family members he …
Read More...Looking Ahead and Back in Time
January 24, 2022This time of year my journeys are pretty much restricted to trips to the post office, the printer, and the Grove Park Inn, as we are in the midst of our final preparations for next month’s 35th National Arts and Crafts Conference. The conference and shows will be smaller …
Read More...From Groucho to Elbert to Edith
January 17, 2022I have never been a member of any country club, in part, I suppose, because I have never been invited to be a member of any country club. Which always provides me with an opening to quote Grouch Marx’s famous line, “I refuse to join any club that would …
Read More...Kiln Closings
January 10, 2022During one of the early Arts and Crafts Conferences at the Grove Park Inn, I arranged for our attendees to tour the Pisgah Forest Pottery, a small compound of 1920s buildings nestled in an idyllic valley a few miles west of Asheville. The founder, Walter Stephen, had continued to …
Read More...The Storm Will Pass
January 3, 2022We start this new year with far more uncertainty than any of us had anticipated six months ago. The Covid virus has not yet subsided and may, in fact, remain with us for many years to come. Our uncertainty has been fueled by a stream of conflicting reports secreted …
Read More...A Change for our Educational Displays
December 25, 2021Since the first guests arrived on July 12, 1913, the Great Hall has always been the heart of the historic Grove Park Inn. Flanked at either end by twin fireplaces large enough to burn eight-foot logs, the spacious room has always been lit by massive Roycroft chandeliers designed by …
Read More...Sage Advice
December 18, 2021When I was a young, aspiring writer, as opposed to now just being an aspiring writer, I sought advice from a variety of published authors. One writer’s instructions have since remained with me: “Have one in the mail, one in your typewriter, and one in your head.” The …
Read More...The New Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
December 11, 2021There was never any doubt about the collection. For nearly three decades, Rudy Ciccarello has been buying, both privately and at shows and auctions, the best of the best of the Arts and Crafts movement, from highly-anticipated Gustav Stickley furniture and Roycroft metalware to the lesser-known fields of early …
Read More...Tacos with Gus?
December 4, 2021This article has been republished. Original date of publication: December 10th, 2017. If you’ve been a longtime reader of this column, you just might recall a trip I took back in 2010 to New York City. I was in the city for some meetings and to appear as a …
Read More...Previous Next
Stay Updated
Bruce Johnson
Author, Columnist and Director of the National Arts & Crafts Conference at The Grove Park Inn since 1988
ph: 828.628.1915
Mon.-Fri. 9-5pm (EST)
Email Us