July Issue 2000
The Craft Fairs of the Southern Highlands Host 53rd Season in Asheville, NC
With a long and prominent history in the southern
mountains, the Craft Fairs of the Southern Highlands anticipate
fresh work to celebrate in the coming season. Craft enthusiasts
and other visitors to the region will want to mark July 20 - 23,
and Oct. 19 - 22, 2000 as dates for taking time to experience
a spectacular gathering of some of the finest craftsmanship in
a nine-state region at the Asheville Civic Center, in Asheville,
NC.
The Craft Fairs of the Southern Highlands showcase the members
of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, known region-wide for their
excellence in design and craftsmanship. Heritage crafts, reflecting
rich southern Appalachian traditions, complement a growing wealth
of collectable contemporary designs. The Craft Fairs offer a unique
opportunity to meet over 160 craftspeople from the mountains of
nine states while surrounded by their finest work. Visitors also
enjoy the sounds of live regional music, old and new, and over
a dozen craft demonstrations.
In addition to featuring artist demonstrators from the region, the Fair's Summer Edition invites guest demonstrator Lidia de Lopez to share the remarkable traditions of Mayan weaving. From the small Guatemalan weaving village of San Antonio Aguas Caliente, Lopez is descended from a long line of Mayan weavers. The brightly colored, intricate patterns of her Mayan heritage have been passed down orally for thousands of years, and are memorized by each new generation of weavers. The Mayan loom is also ancient, utilizing the weaver's body to hold the tension of the warp. This "backstrap weaving" technique, though simple, can produce innumerable weaving designs with a profusion of color.
The entertainment line-up for the 2000 Fairs
is becoming a sizable event within an event. With nearly a dozen
acts from the region, the Fairs will host a range of performers
from bluegrass to old-time fiddle music to mountain ballads and
stories. This year, celebrated singer-songwriter Michael Reno
Harrell performs at both summer and fall fairs. Harrell hails
from the Tennessee mountains, a setting which backdrops many of
his songs.
The quality of craftsmanship and diversity in style found at the
Craft Fairs of the Southern Highlands is unequaled in any exhibition
regionwide. Traditional crafts such as functional folk pottery
made by historic methods, as well as sculptural, one-of-a-kind
masterpieces relate the imagination and painstaking detail necessary
to make a truly valuable handmade object.
The Craft Fairs of the Southern Highlands are
held Thursday - Sunday from 10am - 6pm at the Asheville Civic
Center on Haywood Street in historic downtown Asheville, NC. Tickets
are $5. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.
Group tickets are available with advanced notice.
For more info check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call
the Folk Art Center at 828/298-7928.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
Subscriptions are available for $18 a year.
Carolina Arts
is published monthly by Shoestring
Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2000 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts
Online, Copyright© 2000 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved
by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use
without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina
Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.