Southern Highland Craft Guild – “Sparkle”

The Southern Highland Craft Guild will open its newest member-focused show “Sparkle” on Saturday August 7. On the second level of the Folk Art Center in the Focus Gallery, the work of five Guild Members will be on display from August 7 through November 9. Disciplines represented include metalsmithing, wheel-thrown ceramics, batiking, hand-dyed and sewn apparel, and glass blowing. Members featured are Jason Janow, Erin Janow, Robin Ford, Teresa Hays, and Dawn Hinsley-Jones.

The jewelry and ceramic pieces in the exhibit are by Guild couple Jason Janow and Erin Janow. Guild member since 2007 and Board President, Jason Janow states “Erin and I are passionate about creating “sparkle” in our work. Whether it’s one of her beautiful teapots, or one of my pieces with a mica-filled river stone, each piece sparkles when it catches the light just right! The real “sparkle” is what we share with our customers.”

The wall hangings in the exhibit display colorful scenes that seem to be painted on textiles. The artist Robin Ford uses a technique called batiking: dyeing textiles—having first applied wax to the parts to be left un-dyed. She states, “As an artist, I loved the idea of an exhibit called “Sparkle.” In fact, isn’t this what every artist wants his art to have? Spark, or sparkle; points of light, emitting from your art piece? Maybe a spark of an idea transferred from the art creation back into the observers mind. I think my batik paintings have sparkle; what do you think?”

Sparkle is open until November 9, 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.