
Evocative exhibits and conferences footed in the American craft movement
The Center for Craft in downtown Asheville advances the understanding of craft by encouraging and supporting research, critical dialogue, and professional development in the United States.
The Center administers $300,000 in grants each year through seven national award programs for makers, curators, and scholars, legitimizing the study and practice of craft by providing resources, fostering craft studies, exhibitions, and conferences. The Center is the only organization in the United States functioning as a catalyst for scholarly research in craft.
Additionally, at its headquarters in downtown Asheville, the Center convenes national meetings, curates exhibitions (recently: In Times of Seismic Sorrows, featuring the work of Rena Detrixhe and Tali Weinberg), programs lectures and workshops, and sponsors international residencies.
The Gallery at the Center for Craft is a platform for investigating contemporary practices of making in the shifting creative landscape of the 21st century. Exhibitions are one of the main ways the Center connects its field building initiatives with new and local audiences. Exhibition programming, including artist talks, family fun days, book clubs, and workshops, offer local audiences the opportunity to engage with the themes of each exhibition.
More than simply a place to display finished objects, this innovative flex space is about engaging in critical dialogue and pushing at disciplinary boundaries.
Concerned with modes of production – how skill, process, materials, and ideas are assembled, the Center provides a valuable opportunity for artists, makers, designers, curators, students, academics and the public to engage in collaborative practice.
For hours and notices on current or upcoming exhibitions and workshops, please check in at www.centerforcraft.org.