Southern Highland Craft Guild: Wood Days

The second weekend of August makers of the Southern Highland Craft Guild will convene at the organization’s headquarters, the Folk Art Center, to showcase a variety of woodworking techniques at the annual Wood Day. Saturday, August 13 from 10am to 4pm, visitors are invited to join more than 15 fine masters of wood as they demonstrate their craft. This event is free to the public and includes opportunities to get hands-on with basic woodworking techniques.

The material of wood has multiple sources, such as branches, trunks, roots and even bark, that are used in both function and decoration. Its earliest forms were generated for basic living, as a means of shelter or protection. Pieces of Egyptian furniture from around 2500 BC survive as literal examples of man’s ability to create objects of beauty from wood. Being one of Appalachia’s indigenous resources, trees formed items for the early settlers of this region, such as tables, chairs, bowls, coopered barrels, as well as wagons and homes. Over time, woodwork transitioned into a leisure activity through whittling and carving.

This free event not only educates the public on the rigors and talent that goes into woodworking, but serves the mission of the Guild in preserving a longtime culture and heritage.

Admission to Wood Day and 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. For a complete list of makers participating in Wood Day, and to learn more about Southern Highland Craft Guild programs at the Folk Art Center call 828-298-7928 or visit www.craftguild.org.