A variety of organizations offer technical assistance, instruction, funding, archives, and other resources to assist with efforts to preserve and promote the craft heritage of Western North Carolina.
Center for Craft
Based in Asheville, NC, Center for Craft is a national center that supports and advances craft, creativity, and design through education, research, and exhibits.
Craft Revival: Shaping Western North Carolina Past and Present
A website and digital archive providing a history of the effort to revive handcraft in Western North Carolina. The website is a project of the Hunter Library of Western Carolina University.
John C. Campbell Folk School
The Folk School offers week-long and weekend instruction in a variety of crafts including basketry, jewelry, quilting, weaving, clay, glass, woodworking, woodcarving and blacksmithing.
Penland School of Crafts
Penland School of Crafts is a national center for craft education located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Penland offers one-, two-, and eight-week workshops in books & paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking, textiles and wood. The school also sponsors artists’ residencies, educational outreach programs, and a craft gallery.
Qualla Arts and Crafts
Qualla Arts and Crafts is a nonprofit cooperative that markets the work of over 300 Cherokee artists and works to preserve authentic Cherokee craft traditions. It operates a retail shop in Cherokee, NC.
Southern Highlands Craft Guild
The Southern Highlands Craft Guild, chartered in 1930, is one of the nation’s strongest craft organizations, representing more than 900 craftspeople throughout the Southeastern United States. Headquartered in Asheville, the Guild operates three retail shops in Western North Carolina that exclusively feature Guild members’ work. The Guild’s website provides direct links to members’ websites.
Arts Councils
North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the state’s Department of Cultural Resources, provides technical assistance, resource information, and grants to artists and non-profit organizations. The NC Arts Council’s website includes an extensive database of artists, art organizations, and related information.
Western Arts Agencies of North Carolina
Western Arts Agencies of North Carolina is a supportive peer network of 21 members representing local arts organizers and presenters in 20 counties in Western North Carolina. The group shares information, technical assistance, and cooperative programming to strengthen and expand member agencies’ services and promote Appalachian arts and cultural traditions. Its website lists member agencies.
County Arts Council
Many counties in Western North Carolina have their own art councils, serving their community with exhibits, events, workshops, and educational programming.
