“Magic is in the Air” at the Folk Art Center

The Southern Highland Craft Guild will open its member-focused show “Magic is in the Air” on May 1st in the Focus Gallery. Located on the second level of the Folk Art Center, the exhibit will feature the work of five Guild Members: Cindy Billingsley, Sharon Gordon, Jane Cole, Jeanne Rhodes-Moen, and Lisa Besler. Disciplines represented are metalsmithing, rag-weaving, quilting, hand-built ceramics, and leather work.

 

The lively animal sculptures on display are created by Cindy Billingsley, member since 2004. When asked about the magic in her work,  she states, “Art in itself is magic- the artist creates an illusion. What appears to be a dog, lion, or baby orangutan is really just a lump of clay. The artist’s imagination made it so.”

 

The leather work in the exhibit is by one of the Guild’s newest members, Lisa Besler (2019). She states “My work is an expression of creativity, love, and imagination. You can create almost anything you want with two things: your imagination and the materials at hand—and that is magic.”

“Magic is in the Air” will be open until August 3, 2021. Admission to the Folk Art Center is free. The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. Headquarters to the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Center also houses three galleries, a library, a craft shop and a Blue Ridge Parkway information desk and bookstore