An Arts & Crafts Conference Schedule is Finalized
A special inclusion by National Arts and Crafts Conference Director Kate Nixon
The 38th National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows at the Grove Park Inn
February 21st – 23rd, 2025
Registration options include reserving an Arts & Crafts Weekend Package, purchasing a Conference Events Pass from Kate’s office (for those not staying at the Grove Park Inn during the weekend), or simply attend the shows for $10 admission. Fundraiser events an extra cost.
“That’s the best thing about old friends, they bring back the best times without the need for explanation.” — Sameh Elsayed
Thursday, February 20th
Exhibitors Setup, Pre-Conference Workshop, and a Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms Dinner
Early in the morning, Antiques dealers, Contemporary artisans, book sellers and historic sites will arrive to the Grove Park Inn to set up their 2025 National Arts & Crafts Show booth spaces, so the 8th floor of the Vanderbilt Wing will be chock full of top Arts & Crafts dealers and artisans from around the country moving precious antiques and vibrant new works. Please do not enter the 8th floor to talk to the vendors during the setup hours: they will need all the preparation time they can have to set up a quality booth space. Additionally, only those with exhibitor badges will be allowed in the space, so please do not come visit the vendors as they prepare for the shows all day until 7:00 PM.
At 2:00 PM, the Pre-Conference workshops will kick off a maker’s weekend at the Grove Park Inn. Every year, certified Roycroft Artisans come from New York to the Grove Park Inn to teach two-day intensive workshops in the fields of printmaking, embroidery, coppersmithing and metalsmithing. The following workshops will kick off their special first day of a two-day workshop:
Coppersmithing Arts & Crafts Style with Frank Glapa:
Session 1 – Thursday, February 20th: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Session 2 – Friday, February 21st: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
2-day registration fee: $225.00 per person
See office hours below for signing up.
Linoleum Block Printmaking with Laura Wilder:
Session 1 – Thursday, February 20th: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Session 2 – Friday, February 21st: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
2-day registration fee: $225.00 per person
See office hours below for signing up.
Arts & Crafts Style Embroidery with Natalie Richards:
Session 1 – Thursday, February 20th: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Session 2 – Friday, February 21st: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
2-day registration fee: $225.00 per person
See office hours below for signing up.
Creating your Hand Hammered Cylinder Vase with Ron Van Ostrand:
Session 1 – Thursday, February 20th: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Session 2 – Friday, February 21st: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
2-day registration fee: $225.00 per person
See office hours below for signing up.
Signing up in the remaining days of December
Signing up: you must call the office of the National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows (828-628-1915) and sign up with a credit card number during the office hours. This next week, the special office hours (in Eastern Time) apply during the days of December 21st – December 27th before returning to regular office hours Monday through Friday 10:00am – 4:30pm.
Saturday, December 21st: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Monday, December 23rd: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Tuesday, December 24th: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Thursday, December 26th: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Friday, December 27th: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
The office will be closed December 31st and January 1st for the holiday. January signups will resume during regular office hours.
The Craftsman Reception, hosted by the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, will return to the Skyline Room in the Grove Park Inn’s Sammons Wing at 6:00 PM; the event runs through 8:00 PM.
This annual fundraiser kickoff event brings together friends old and new with good food and a presentation spotlighting the resilience of Asheville locals and the journey of the Stickley Museum reopening in 2024. It’s an evening of inspiration with The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms with special guests Director Kate Nixon, Conference founder Bruce Johnson, contemporary artists Brian Brace of Brian Brace Fine Furniture and Amy Brandenburg of Amy Brandenburg Studio.
After serving delicious small plates, wine and beer in a cozy party atmosphere (catering from the Grove Park Inn), you’ll spend the rest of the evening learning about resilient journeys here, the journey of Craftsman Farms, and leave with a few new friends made.
Click here to register for the Craftsman Reception via the Stickley Museum’s website. ($140 a ticket – proceeds go towards the operations of the Stickley Museum)
Friday, February 21st – Day 1 of the National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows
Day 1: you can feel the excitement in the air.
The conference events are already starting with hourly walking tours of the Grove Park Inn and the Biltmore Industries Tour, free to conference attendees. Badge identification recommended! And plus the second day of the Pre-Conference Workshops, plus a new offering:
The Ultimate Color Workshop For Your Arts & Crafts Interiors
with Designer Karen Hovde of Interior Vision in the Craftsman Style
Friday, February 21st
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Price per registrant: $125.00
Karen Hovde, interior designer with a specialty in Arts & Crafts design, brings her decades of experience to the Grove Park Inn in this special Friday morning workshop. Color is everything and when planning the design of your interiors, there’s plenty to consider. Karen will lead a three hour workshops and advise you one on one as you create comprehensive and organized color boards for your space of choice. Don’t miss this special offering for those who want a picture perfect Arts & Crafts interior!
Call the National Arts and Crafts Conference office number at (828) 628-1915 during the special office hours (Dec. 21st – 27th) or regular office hours 10:00 aM – 5:00 PM Eastern with a credit card to register.
11:00 AM – Next, the first of the Small Group Discussion sessions begin at 11:00 AM on Friday (see the live schedule of Small Group Discussions)
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM – the opening of all three of the 38th National Arts and Crafts Shows. The shows open from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM and general admission can be purchased at the 8th floor Vanderbilt ticket booth. Make sure to get in line as early as possible – the line forms early! Included in the show admission are access to the shows, the silent auction for benefiting the Arts & Crafts Research Fund, educational displays, demonstrations, an author book signing, and seeing the top collectors and American Arts & Crafts movement experts and artists in the country!
4:30 PM – Book club discussion with Pat Bartinique: What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway
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. IBut 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.
Buy it at your local bookstore!
7:00 PM – Dessert social outside the Heritage Ballroom, served by the Grove Park Inn catering services
Friday Evening Opening Night Seminars
8:00 PM – Opening Remarks by Conference Director Kate Nixon
8:10 PM – “Are You Being Served? The Bounty of the Arts & Crafts Dining Room” by Kevin Tucker, Chief Curator at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA.
9:00 PM – “The Artistic Achievements of Dard Hunter: A Personal Perspective” by Dard Hunter the III of Dard Hunter Studios.
Saturday, February 22nd – Day 2: China Painting, Denman Ross, An Arts & Crafts Auction, Five Historic Homes and “The Bungalows of Rockaway” movie
7:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Continental Breakfast by the Heritage Ballroom, The Sammons Wing
After a calm continental breakfast, day 2 kicks off with the Saturday morning seminars.
9:00 AM – “China Painting Redeemed: The Passion and Persistence of Florence Pratt Steward” by author Sharon Darling
10:00 AM – “Denman Ross and the Science of Beauty” by author Marie Frank
Noon – 6:00 PM – Day two of the 38th National Arts & Crafts Shows. $10 Admission includes access to the shows, the silent auction for benefiting the Arts & Crafts Research Fund, educational displays, demonstrations, an author book signing, and seeing the top collectors and American Arts & Crafts movement experts and artists in the country!
If you purchased admission on Friday, bring the program back to return to the shows free of charge.
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Final session of the ACRF Silent Auction. It’s your last chance to bid on the silent auction items – it’s a fun chance to walk away with a deal for an Arts & Crafts treasure for a good cause. The auction is open to anyone admitted to the shows.
If you want to donate to the silent auction, please see this ad.
1:00 – 5:00 PM – The Historic Homes Tours by The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County
Register here for this five home tour of historic homes in the Chestnut Hills neighborhood of Asheville.
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – The Book Club Discussion #2 with Pat Bartinique
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.
Purchase this book at your local bookstore or online today!
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – A special lecture at the Asheville Art Museum
“In Conversation with Elizabeth Brauneis: The Richard Sharp Smith and Douglas D. Ellington Collections”
The Asheville Art Museum is nearing the end of a two-year project documenting over 6,000 records related to architects Richard Sharp Smith (1853–1924) and Douglas D. Ellington (1883–1960). These collections highlight their rich contributions to Asheville’s architectural history. Join Elizabeth Brauneis, IMLS project registrar, for a presentation on her work and a special behind-the-scenes viewing of collection materials.
The ticket will also cover museum admission to see the Art Museum mid-February opening exhibition “Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene.”
Please note that due to a loss in fall 2024 revenue, transportation will not be provided to the Asheville Art Museum.
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – Small Group Discussion session #2 – please check out our SGD schedule in January.
8:00 PM – 9:30 PM – The Saturday Evening Movie
“The Bungalows of Rockaway”
Directed by Jennifer Callahan
Narrated by Estelle Parsons
with an introduction to the movie by Jessie Landl, Executive Director of the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County
Admission is paid for by the Arts and Crafts Research Fund.
It’s a story of New York. It’s a story of the fight in historic preservation. It’s a 100-year old story of beach-side Bungalows told in film, photos and candid interviews by the lively New York citizens who made these bungalows their home along New York’s Rockaway Peninsula. Directed by Jennifer Callahan and narrated by Estelle Parsons, this hour-long documentary tells the story of the Rockaway, a summer bungalow colony by the beach boardwalks of New York. The history of this bungalow colony goes through generations of Americans from the early 20th century to the modern day fight to save these historic homes by the sea. An architectural, social, and political history with themes of race, ethnicity, and grassroots activism are shown in this praised documentary.
Nearly 15 years after its completion, The Bungalows of Rockaway will be shown at the Heritage Ballroom.
Sunday, February 23rd – Day 3: A Mysterious Rookwood Artist, Four Decades of Greene & Greene, and The Last Day of the Historic Homes Tour
7:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Continental Breakfast by the Heritage Ballroom, The Sammons Wing
9:00 AM – “Kataro Shiriyamadani: Rookwood’s Most Talented and Most Mysterious Artist” by Riley Humler
10:00 AM – “A Craftsman Lens: Stories and Photography From Four Decades in Greene & Greene” by Alexander Vertikoff
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM – Day three of the 38th National Arts and Crafts Shows at the Grove Park Inn
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Small Group Discussions Session #3
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Historic Homes Tour by the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County
4:00 PM – Conference and Shows close
See Arts-CraftsConference.com for the latest.