Blue Ridge Craft Trails

Blue Ridge Crafted

Welcome to the second edition of the Blue Ridge Craft Trails Magazine. This guide is designed to help you navigate the small towns and back roads of the North Carolina mountains and foothills, where you can discover some of the most celebrated craft artisans, both nationally and internationally. The Blue Ridge region of Western North Carolina is renowned worldwide for its rich heritage of Southern Appalachian craftsmanship, encompassing pottery, woodworking, weaving, blacksmithing, glassblowing, and basket making, among other traditions.

The Blue Ridge Craft Trails (BRCT) is a collection of 350 artisan studios, galleries, and cultural organizations in a 25-county area, where you can buy craft, participate in a class, and step into a studio to learn about the artist, their creativity, and process.

BRCT is an initiative of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, a regional nonprofit serving 25 counties and the Qualla Boundary, which seeks to support small businesses, organizations, and communities working to preserve and promote their natural and cultural heritage.

As we prepared this issue, our region has made amazing strides in rebounding from the impact of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area worked hard to support our craft artists by providing stipends for those who lost their studios, materials, and/or income. We hosted an online winter market, promoted our artists outside the region, and organized in-region exhibitions to provide artists opportunities to sell their work.

You will be inspired by articles that focus on the resilience of three artisans and their galleries-Cold Mountain Pottery, Trackside Studios, and the Old Marshall Jail.

Despite hardships or disasters, craft artistry and craft education have been a mainstay of our region for hundreds of years. Two important craft institutions are celebrating major milestones — The John C. Campbell Folk School, celebrating its 100th anniversary, and Qualla Arts and Crafts, the oldest Native American Cooperative in the U.S., celebrating 80 years. Check out their stories and other good reads in this magazine.

You'll also find a map and a comprehensive listing of all Blue Ridge Craft Trails sites on these pages. To explore even deeper, visit BlueRidgeCraftTrails.com for an abundance of artists' profiles, itineraries, beautiful videos and imagery, and an interactive map to help you plan your visit.

During this ongoing time of recovery and rebuilding, our Western North Carolina craft artists, musicians, small town shops, and eateries need your support. We are open for business! Please visit soon.

Also, please consider donating to the Blue Ridge Craft Trails. If you love the mountain culture of Western North Carolina, please join our efforts to support and preserve all that we hold dear.

On the Cover

Double woven rivercane basket, dyed with bloodroot by the late Ramona Lossie Baith. Design is the Eye of the Sacred Bird.

Image is courtesy of Qualla Arts and Crafts, Mutual, located within the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee, NC. QUINTIN ELLISON PHOTO

The Blue Ridge Craft Trails is an initiative of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and develop the natural and cultural resources of Western North Carolina, including agriculture, Cherokee heritage, craft, music, and natural heritage.

Editor:

Bridget Herbig, Communications Manager

Blue Ridge Craft Trails Coordinator: Robin Johnston

Blue Ridge Craft Trails Consultant: Anna Fariello

Angie Chandler

Ridge National Heritage Area

Angie Chandler Executive Director Blue

Help Protect Western North Carolina’s Natural and Cultural Treasures

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is a nonprofit that preserves, cultivates, and promotes the natural and cultural heritage of 25 Western North Carolina (WNC) counties and the Qualla Boundary to benefit current and future generations. We exist to preserve our heritage and foster improved economic opportunities in the region. Donate at BlueRidgeHeritage.org.

Preserving Tradition, Perpetuating Culture

Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual

The Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee — the oldest Native American craft cooperative in the nation — showcases the work of hundreds of artisans from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

“The continuing of our history as a tribe, and also through the arts and crafts, it is a way for artists to express themselves,” said QACM manager Amanda McCoy. “No matter what they do, our artists put their heart and soul into every piece they make, and it really does show in the craftsmanship.”

With the tribe located on the Qualla Boundary, the longtime organization offers craftspeople a chance to display and sell their wares, learn from one another, and ultimately pass on their traditional ways.

“A lot of these artists are masters of their craft,” McCoy said. “And for good reason, they’re very particular in their styles — it’s an honor to be invited in amongst the ranks [of talented members].”

Establishing the Co-Op

In 1946, roughly 60 Cherokee craftspeople met to establish the Cherokee Indian Craft Co-op. Around the same time, the Great Smoky National Park, located adjacent to the Qualla Boundary, began to attract tourists to the area, presenting an opportunity for Cherokee artists to display and sell their artwork while also keeping Cherokee traditions alive for future generations within their community. By 1949, the

cooperative was juried into the Southern Highland Craft Guild. It was officially renamed Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in the 1950s.

“One of our charter members said in 1946, ‘It’s the best thing that our tribe ever chose to do,’” McCoy noted. “Because we feel that this place is just as important as anything historical because it’s becoming a part of history.”

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Ensuring Traditions Endure

To join the cooperative, craftspeople and artists must undergo a juried process, in which a board of QACM craftspeople evaluates and determines the artist’s skills and artwork. That intricate skillset — whether it be baskets, jewelry, pottery, beadwork, textiles, carvings, paintings, or weaponry — is something that’s taken very seriously by the cooperative, especially in terms of how materials are gathered and what the exact creative process entails.

McCoy also noted how a big part of the ethos of the QACM artists is to actively be aware of the sustainable harvesting of materials used in the creation of their products. QACM collaborates with local conservation groups, including Mainspring Conservation and Conserving Carolina, to study the land, educate artists, and mindfully gather materials.

In conversation, McCoy gives the example of the distinction between a basket weaver and a basket maker. “Anybody can go and pick up a splint kit from an arts and crafts supply store and weave a basket,” McCoy said. “But, to be a basket maker, they have the knowledge — to pass on to future generations — of how to go out into the woods and find the proper tree they need or the proper-sized river cane they need.”

Additionally, QACM participates in the Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources program, a grant-funded initiative under the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, working in collaboration with the NC Cooperative Extension program. From children to adults, programs through RTCAR encourage artists to learn about Cherokee cultural traditions and artwork, from land to hand, and how to protect and care for the land across generations.

Now, with the 80th anniversary of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual quickly approaching, those storied artisans who are part of the cooperative continue to look towards the future with hope and pride.

“[The cooperative] shows and reflects our mission of keeping the arts and crafts alive,” McCoy said. “We would love to see this place continue on after we’ve passed away. We may not be here, but it will go on.”

Images Courtesy of Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual and Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

Taking the Wheel

Cold Mountain

Art Collective

On a recent afternoon, dark storm clouds overtook downtown Canton. Sitting on a couch in the Cold Mountain Art Collective on Adams Street, Hannah Burnisky gazes out at the raindrops sliding down the large front windows of the business.

“I love rainy days,” Burnisky noted. “I’m one of those moody weather people. It doesn’t really trigger me, [at least] until they start calling for flood advisories.”

Owner of CMAC, Burnisky is an acclaimed potter and instructor at the studio/gallery. With over 50 artisan members as part of the CMAC, the small one-story 102-year-old building has become a beacon for creativity and community within the tightly knit mountain town.

Withstanding the Floods

In September 2024, the CMAC was overtaken by devastating floodwaters due to Hurricane Helene. When the nearby Pigeon River spilled over its banks, over seven-and-a-half feet of water quickly enveloped the structure.

“It was Saturday around 1 p.m. and I rounded the top corner here on Main Street and saw [the building] — it was heartbreaking and emotional,” Burnisky said. “[The floodwaters] had peaked. And

I sat there for a few hours, just watching the waters recede. As soon as it was low enough, [officials] let me come in and look at everything.”

The floodwaters busted the windows and filled the CMAC with a thick, slippery, smelly layer of mud and rotting debris. Burnisky stood there in the absolute demise of her dream.

“As the waters were receding, we watched our picnic table float around, and it ended up down by the train tracks,” Burnisky slightly grinned, signaling a much-needed sense of humor in dark times. “And it still had the flower pots on it, so I went and retrieved those.”

Luckily, the day before the historic storm, Burnisky was able to pack up most of the artwork in the gallery.

“I spent all of my time getting every bit of artwork out of the gallery, loaded it into my [car] and took it home,” Burnisky said. “Because if something had happened to all of the artwork, I don’t think I would’ve

recovered as well.”

This is the second time the CMAC has been flooded since it launched four years ago. Back in August 2021, after being open for only four days, it was flooded by the Pigeon River due to Tropical Storm Fred. Burnisky reopened the facility later that year. After each flood, the art collective has been stripped and renovated twice under Burnisky. It’s been a team effort.

“My [then eight-year-old] son was shoveling mud out onto the street and the excavator would come over, scoop it up, take it away, and wave [to him],” Burnisky reminisced. “He had on his work boots and his overalls. He was just ready to get at it.”

“I knew immediately I was going to rebuild, even seeing my building submerged,” Burnisky said of the Helene aftermath.

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The “Grand Re-Reopening” of CMAC was held in April 2025. Beyond the gallery artwork for sale and its studio members, the CMAC is again offering an array of ceramic classes and other workshops.

“I’m just trying to take it one step at a time, one foot in front of the other,” Burnisky said of the reopening celebration. “I’m ready to welcome the community back more than anything.”

Creating Place

Originally from Asheville, Burnisky initially pursued a career as an English teacher. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to take a beginner’s ceramic class at AB-Tech that forever shifted the trajectory of her life.

“It was just a very basic wheel class, but it was so hands-on, and I’m a very hands-on, texture-oriented kind of person,” Burnisky said. “That’s the kind of art I love, and it always upset me that we didn’t have a ceramics class in high school. The second I got into ceramics, I knew ‘this is it.’”

From there, Burnisky rented kilns in Asheville’s River Arts District. Eventually, she wanted a place of her own– in her own style and theme. Once Burnisky became a stayat-home mom, she knew it was her chance to become a full-time artist. In 2017, the young family relocated to Canton, with CMAC coming to fruition thereafter.

“These artistic voices need to be heard,” Burnisky said of the importance of places like CMAC. “People need a creative outlet, and I just want to be an advocate for those voices.”

Walking outside, Burnisky looks up at the storm clouds, her eyes slowly descending and scanning the building, her mind undoubtedly thinking about all she’s been through with CMAC and everything the structure has witnessed in its century-old existence.

Soon, Burnisky points to a set of small plaques on the inside of one of the outer doorways. It’s the waterline markers for each of the four floods that have hit the building since the dawn of the 21st century.

The lower plaque states “Tropical Storm Fred/August 17, 2021/32 Inches,” with the next two as follows: “Hurricane Frances/September 8, 2004/4 Feet” and “Hurricane Ivan/ September 17, 2004/5 Feet 6 Inches.” Standing on your tippytoes, the top plaque reads: “Hurricane Helene/September 27, 2024/7 Feet 7 Inches.”

“She’s gone through a lot, survived a lot,” Burnisky said of the building. “And as long as she’s still standing, I’ll continue coming back.”

Hannah Burnisky

figured out it was my thing. I was so enamored by the malleability of the metal and how it worked — it set in motion to have a lifelong love affair with making jewelry.”

Now based in Asheville, with her workshop at Wedge Studios in the River Arts District, Bailey has been crafting high-quality jewelry for 25 years, including 20 years as a professional, small business owner.

“I’m always exploring and learning new things,” Bailey said. “And I also think it’s an incredible gift to make things, to make art that people choose to put on their bodies.”

Science and Art Collide

When gazing upon Bailey’s works — from earrings to necklaces, rings to bracelets — the intricate beauty and meticulous detail paid to each piece immediately shines through. With specially curated gemstones, Bailey uses sterling silver to ideally complement each precious mineral.

“I do consider it an honor that people

Pursuit of Passion Erica Stankwytch

Bailey Jewelry

make,” Bailey

that science plays a significant role in the process as much as the creative spirit does.

“I really like to understand the molecular and crystalline level of the gemstones and the silver,” Bailey said.

“And then, I interpret that back out. That’s why you see so much angularity as you do in the work, because I’m reinterpreting what I’m learning and understanding about the materials.”

While working in her studio, Bailey calls that space the “six-inch zone,” where “the tools are intuitively placed where I need them to be next.”

“It’s the one place in my life that every object in the room is exactly where I want it,” Bailey chuckled. “And I’m in my studio more than I am anywhere else — I’m incredibly grateful for my creative space.”

For Bailey, it’s not lost on her that she can make something from nothing with her hands, which is only amplified by the tools used.

“I’ve always said that I think I communicate better with my hands than anything else,” Bailey said. “And in my field, tools are really important. Yes, my hands are essential, but the tools I’ve worked hard to acquire over the years are also such an important part of the story.”

Heart and Soul of Craft

Being based in the River Arts District and greater Western North Carolina, Bailey finds a great deal of solidarity, camaraderie, and artistic fellowship with the beehive of creative minds that inhabit these mountains and valleys.

“This has been my career my whole life. And to be surrounded by other people who are doing that? It’s truly priceless,” Bailey said. “I could talk forever about how great it is to be in a community that understands that artists have value, and

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that art as a career is legitimate.”

Even in the “here and now,” Bailey remains grateful to be able to do what she truly loves to do with her time and as a career. Not only within the artistic realms of her heart and soul, but also to be able to make a living in doing so. This ancient craft continues to be fulfilling on a myriad of levels, either personally or professionally.

“I’ve found something that was so exciting to me that it has stayed exciting all these years,” Bailey said. “The process and the materials? I still get giddy about it sometimes. I just want to be kind of a ‘forever learner,’ always wanting to get better at it — it keeps me so engaged.”

Images Courtesy of Dana Schiffman and Erica Stankwytch Bailey

Erica Stankwytch Bailey

Discover the Art Mountains OF THE

Within the Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills is a vibrant community of makers—people who shape tradition into something new. The Blue Ridge Craft Trails is your guide to this living heritage, a curated journey through galleries, studios, and workshops where you can meet the makers and bring a piece of their artistry home.

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events. On November 7-8, catch Craft Trails artists from 10 am-6 pm at the Hickory Furniture Mart’s Fall After Market Sale. Craft artists from across Western North Carolina will exhibit and sell their works. In December, our digital Holiday Market returns, offering a unique opportunity to begin your gift search from the comfort of your own home. And save the date for our next exhibit, opening May 16, 2026, at The Bascom: Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands.

It was precisely 10 years ago when Julie Ann Bell, Michael Allen Campbell, and Lynn Stanley decided to expand their large art studio in Asheville’s River Arts District into something even more elaborate and intricate.

“It’s just the artists’ commitment to one another,” Bell said. “The sense of place where they can be creative and they can explore — it’s really a welcoming place.”

Located at 375 Depot Street and open seven days a week, Trackside Studios opened its doors in 2015. Since its inception, the property has become a beehive of creativity, ultimately containing numerous artisan workspaces, galleries, and other rooms for a wide array of classes.

“It’s not like a club with a bunch of rules. We’re just open,” Bell chuckled. “[For example], when an artist leaves and someone new comes in, people are very inviting of them into Trackside.”

The Artists’ Commitment

Trackside

Studios

So Many Options

Trackside holds over 60 artists — from acrylic to fiber, sculpture to mixed, watercolor to weaving, and beyond. And with a motto of “take classes, be inspired,” the ethos of Trackside is one of creative freedom in the name of individuality and passion, where workshops range from wood burning to wabi-sabi gelli print classes.

“From the minute we formed [Trackside], it was so that we could work together, create together, laugh and talk together, support one another,” Bell said. “And so, from the beginning, we’ve had a blend of emerging artists to professional artists who have been at it for years.”

For Bell, Trackside is the culmination of a lifelong love of (and curiosity for) art. A registered nurse for the last 45 years, she’s been slowly sliding into retirement, with more of her time being dedicated

towards operating the studio. Nowadays, Bell specializes in wire sculpture, with the road to that medium one of trial and error in other artist mediums.

“I used to crochet, but I would have never called myself an artist,” Bell modestly stated. “I tried painting. I tried watercolor. I tried drawing. I tried everything. And I wasn’t pleased.”

Determined to find a creative path that best suited her, Bell wandered into mixed media. Eventually, on a road trip, she came across a wire sculpture and something clicked deep within her.

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MICAH USHER PHOTO

“And I’ve been making things from wire since 2012,” Bell said. “[With wire sculpture], I can have an idea in my head of what I want something to look like or be, but the wire has its own personality and its own ‘what it will or won’t do.’”

Rebuilding Together

Beyond the camaraderie of the artists at Trackside and the greater RAD, the most difficult situation the district and its inhabitants faced was the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the fall of 2024. Historic floodwaters bulldozed through the RAD, buffering the French Broad River. Countless studios were damaged or affected, including Trackside.

“Of course, it was devastating,” Bell said in a somber voice. “But, everyone — our artists, our building owner, the contractors — just kept putting one foot in front of the other and just doing what needed to be done.”

Initially, the rebuilding process felt monumental, if not downright impossible. Layers of thick, slippery mud covered seemingly everything in the RAD. Broken windows and broken dreams. But each day was a new opportunity to clean up and start over again. By December 2024, just two months after the flood, Trackside reopened and was one of the first to do so in the beloved RAD.

“We’re continuing to support our artists by being open and selling art,” Bell noted. “Well, I guess it is resilience. You get up and you go because you’re creators, and that’s what you do.”

With the RAD and the rest of Western North Carolina returning to some semblance of normalcy since Helene, there’s still a lot of work that remains. But, for Trackside and hundreds of other artisan studios around the region, the spirit to create and the iron-clad resolve to protect and nurture the arts in these mountains is as steadfast as ever.

“The collective voice of artists is to able to say, ‘art matters,’” Bell said. “And to say that, for society, art and craft matters.”

Images Courtesy of Trackside Studios

Dogwood Crafters Cooperative has been a showcase of handmade traditional mountain crafts, as well as a treasure of memorable gifts since 1976,with a membership of 85 craftsmen!

Preserving the Feeling

It was five years ago when Samantha Oliver took a deep dive into learning everything she could about the beautiful flowers in her backyard. At the time, she and her husband had bought their first house. The previous owner had a treasure trove of native flowers that bloomed across the property. Ultimately, the view itself inspired Oliver’s pottery. “And I wanted a way to translate how to keep these flowers alive,” Oliver said. “So, I started putting them onto my pots.”

Wandering around her Tryon (Polk

County) property, Oliver would find a particular flower and sketch it on paper, cut it out, then carefully transfer the designs to the clay pots using a slip transfer and stencil. Since then, Oliver has tweaked and refined the process.

“It’s what I was seeing in my yard,” Oliver said. “Especially that time of day, near dusk, when everything’s getting kind of dark and things aren’t as bright — that’s why I’ve stuck with the red clay and the white slip [in the designs].”

What has resulted is a unique take on an ancient craft, one where Oliver’s work immediately catches the eye and the imagination. When you look at her pieces, you get a sense that Oliver is preserving not only the memory of that particular flower, but also the feeling of gratitude one experiences when encountering the splendor of Mother Nature.

“In a sense, a flower is a really easy

thing to draw because you don’t need every tiny detail — the brain will fill in a lot of that for you,” Oliver noted. “And that hardest challenge is learning what information translates in my brain, and how it translates in other people’s brains.”

Piecing Together a Future

Growing up, Oliver threw “a little bit of clay in high school.” However, it wasn’t until she was in college and facing an existential crossroads that she began to wonder what the next step was.

“My mom saw how not well I was doing [in school],” Oliver recalled. “And she got me a gift certificate to take a pottery class. She said, ‘Try to do something that makes you happy, get a hobby.’ And that hobby turned into 24-hour access to the clay studio, and I just started spending all of my time there.”

S. Oliver Pottery

From there, Oliver decided to go to school for pottery. Within that realm, she found a group of kindred spirits.

“At first, it was the community — that’s what drew me in,” Oliver said. “And then, once you get a little past the basics and ‘the rules,’ you start breaking those rules. That’s really when I started falling in love with it and finding a bit more of my voice, my own voice.”

Following graduation, Oliver opened a studio in her home and started gaining a reputation as a talented potter. That parlayed into Oliver teaching at renowned institutions such as the Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, and the Touchstone Center for Crafts.

Handcrafted Happiness

“My happy place is when I’m trying something new and it’s completely absorbing,” Oliver said. “Clay is so humbling, and there are so many things that could go wrong at any point in the [creation] stage. So, you’re trying to think several steps ahead.”

Beyond the pure enjoyment of honing her craft and pushing the boundaries of her creativity, Oliver finds a genuine joy in teaching. It’s a platform not only to educate and instruct, but also to interact with others, where both sides of the conversation walk away with new ideas.

“Every single student I’ve worked with has left an impact on me. I get as much from [them] as they do from me,” Oliver said. “My biggest thing [I tell them] is that, ‘Nothing’s ever going to be perfect.’ We’re not making pots that’ll make or break our career — we’re learning. And you’re going to learn as much from your mistakes as from your wins.”

Images Courtesy of S. Oliver Pottery and Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

Samantha Oliver

Embark on an Adventure

Blue Ridge Craft Trail Sites

FAR WEST

ROBBINSVILLE

Graham County Barn Quilt Trail

grahamquilttrails.org/barn-quilts QUILT TRAIL

Hunting Boy Wood Carving facebook.com/huntingboywoodcarving WOOD

Snowbird Cherokee Matriarchs Mural greatgc.org

MURAL

Stecoah Drive-About stecoahvalleycenter.com

STUDIO TOUR

Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center stecoahvalleycenter.com

ARTS ORGANIZATION

CANTON

Cold Mountain Art Collective coldmountainartcollective.com

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Sabbath-Day Woods sabbathdaywoods.com

WOOD

Thomas Langan American Folk Art

thomaslangan.com

WOOD

CLYDE

Art Jewelry by Ilene art-jewelry-by-ilene.com

JEWELRY

Crafted Glory craftedglory.com

WOOD

Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program creativearts.haywood.edu

EDUCATION

MAGGIE VALLEY

Different Drummer Pottery

differentdrummerpottery.com

POTTERY

Haywood Barn Quilt Trails haywoodquilttrails.com

QUILT TRAIL

Mike McKinney mikemckinneywoodturning.com

WOOD

Mountain Mike's Whetstone Woodworks

maggievalleycarving.com

WOOD

Woodburnings by Myron facebook.com/woodburningsbymyron

WOOD

WAYNESVILLE

Axe & Awl Leatherworks axeandawlleatherworks.com

LEATHER

Christina Bendo Pottery christinabendo.com

POTTERY

Folkmoot folkmoot.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Glass by Gayle glassbygayle.com

GLASS

Green Hill Gallery facebook.com/greenhillgallery11

GALLERY

Haywood County Arts Council & Gallery haywoodarts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

Hazelwood Pottery facebook.com/laureyfayelongpottery

POTTERY

Jewelers Workbench thejwbench.com

JEWELRY

Kaaren Stoner

Design Studio

POTTERY

Metzger's Burl Wood Gallery burlgallery.com

WOOD

Before you head out

This is an annual publication. Please note that hours and locations are subject to change. We encourage you to contact the sites before visiting them.

Mud Dabbers Pottery and Crafts

muddabberspottery.com

POTTERY

Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts sheltonhouse.org

MUSEUM

Red Metal redmetal.net

METAL

Twigs & Leaves Gallery twigsandleaves.com

GALLERY

Waynesville Public Art Trail waynesvillepublicart.org

SCULPTURE

Whitewoven Textile Arts Studio graffitimats.com FIBER

CASHIERS

Cashiers Historical Society cashiershistory.org MUSEUM

Mountain Mist Gallery mountainmistgallery.com GALLERY

Wofford Sculpture Studio woffordsculpturestudio.com

SCULPTURE

CULLOWHEE

Mountain Heritage Center wcu.edu/engage/mountain-heritage-center MUSEUM

Mountain Heritage Day mountainheritageday.com

FESTIVAL

Rogers Metals Studio rogersmetals.com

METAL

WCU Fine Art Musem wcu.edu/bardo-arts-center MUSEUM

DILLSBORO

Appalachian Women's Museum appwomen.org

MUSEUM

Dogwood Crafters dogwoodcrafters.com

GALLERY

Green Energy Park jcgep.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Tunnel Mountain Crafts facebook.com/tunnelmountaincrafts

GALLERY

SYLVA

BarkWood Studio facebook.com/barkwoodstudio

PRINTMAKING/PAPER

Gallery 1 Sylva gallery1sylva.com

GALLERY

Rotunda Gallery jacksoncountyarts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

Shira Forge shiraforge.com

METAL

WNC Pottery Festival wncpotteryfestival.com

POTTERY

FRANKLIN

Carol Lynn Johnson Glass Art carollynnjohnson.com

GLASS

Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center coweeschool.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Cowee Textiles coweetextiles.com

FIBER

NC Mountain Made ncmountainmade.com

GALLERY

Rickman’s General Store mainspringconserves.org/ be-a-mainspring/properties/therickman-store

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Silver Threads and Golden Needles silverthreadsyarn.com FIBER

The Uptown Gallery, Macon County Art Association franklinuptowngallery.com

GALLERY

HIGHLANDS

Bijou Jewelry bijoujeweler.myshopify.com

JEWELRY

The Bascom: A Center for Visual Arts thebascom.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

CHEROKEE

Bearmeat’s Indian Den bearmeats-indian-den.com

GALLERY

Cherokee Baskets and Vessels

facebook.com/traditionalcherokeenc

BASKETS, CLAY

Cherokee Indian Fair (October) visitcherokeenc.com/events/ detail/cherokee-indian-fair FESTIVAL

Medicine Man Crafts medicinemancrafts.com

GALLERY

Mountain Farm Museum nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/mfm.htm

MUSEUM

Museum of the Cherokee People motcp.org

MUSEUM

Native American Craft Shop nativeamericancraftshop.com

GALLERY

Oconaluftee Indian Village visitcherokeenc.com/play/attractions/oconaluftee-indian-village MUSEUM

Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. quallaartsandcrafts.com

GALLERY

Saunooke’s Mill cherokeesaunookemill.com

GALLERY

Traditional Hands traditionalhands.com

JEWELRY, GALLERY

BRYSON CITY

Gallery Zella galleryzella.com

GALLERY

Local Handmade Pottery (828) 736-5123

POTTERY

Southwest Community College Heritage Arts facebook.com/scc.nsa EDUCATION

Susan Coe Pottery susancoepottery.com

POTTERY

Craft Trail Regions

Relis Art Studio relisart.com

PAINTING

Silva Gallery facebook.com/silvagalleryart

GALLERY

Smoke in the Mountains Pottery smokeinthemountainspottery.com

POTTERY

Time to Fuse timetofuse.com

GLASS

HAYESVILLE

Cherokee Cultural Center

cccra-nc.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Cherokee Heritage Festival

cccra-nc.org/cherokee-culture FESTIVAL

BRASSTOWN

Old Jail Museum

clayhistoryartsnc.org

MUSEUM

Waldroup Woodworks waldroupwoodworks.com

WOOD

MURPHY

Cherokee County Arts Council

cherokeeartscouncil.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Cherokee County Chamber & Welcome Center cherokeecountychamber.com

CHAMBER

Cherokee County Historical Museum

cherokeecounty-nc.gov/183/historical-museum

MUSEUM

Cherokee Homestead Exhibit clayhistoryarts.org

Gallery 26 gallery26.org

Brasstown Carvers folkschool.org/brasstowncarvers GALLERY

Fall Festival folkschool.org

FESTIVAL

Highlander Gallery highlandergallery.com

GALLERY

John C. Campbell Folk School folkschool.org

EDUCATION

Pine Needles and Things facebook.com/pineneedlesandthings

BASKETS

MUSEUM

Clay County Barn Quilts Trail historichayesvilleinc.com

QUILT TRAIL

Clay County Chamber Mural claychambernc.com

MURAL

Festival on the Square clayhistoryartsnc.org

FESTIVAL

Goldhagen Art Glass Studio goldhagenartglass.com

GLASS

Historic Clay County Courthouse / Beal Center bealcenter.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

GALLERY

Jo Kilmer, Spirit Tall spirittall.com

WOOD

Lotsa Memories lotsamemories-shop.info

GALLERY

Murphy Art Center

valleyriverarts.com

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Olive's Porch olivesporch.org EDUCATION

Turning Point Clay turningpointclaystudio.com

POTTERY

ANDREWS

Valleytown Cultural Arts and Historical Center vcahs.com

ARTS CENTER

CENTRAL MOUNTAINS

MARSHALL

Flow Gallery

flowmarshall.com

GALLERY

Madison County Arts Council madisoncountyarts.com

ARTS COUNCIL

Marshall High Studios marshallhighstudios.com

ART STUDIOS

Melting Mountain Pottery meltingmountainpottery.com

POTTERY

Moon Girl Glass moongirlglass.com

GLASS

Old Marshall Jail oldmarshalljail.com

MUSEUM

Robert Bragg Designs robertbragg.com

WOOD

Rose Hollow Connections rosehollowconnections.com

WOOD Township 10 township10.org

POTTERY

MARS HILL

Lybar Creations facebook.com/lybarcreations

METAL

Mars Landing Gallery marslandinggalleries.com

GALLERY

Mudluscious Pottery and Gardens

mudlusciouspottery.com

POTTERY

Rachel Elise Studio rachelelise.com

FIBER

HOT SPRINGS

Artisun Gallery facebook.com/artisungallery

GALLERY

Gallery 339 terrythirion.com

GALLERY

OLD FORT

Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League arrowheadart.org

GALLERY

Grove Hill Pottery

& Farm

facebook.com/grove-hill-pottery1418263098386541/?ref=page_

internal

POTTERY, FIBER

Turtle Island Pottery turtleislandpottery.com

POTTERY

MARION

McDowell Arts Council mcdowellarts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

McDowell County Quilt Trail mcdowellquilttrails.com

QUILT TRAIL

LITTLE

SWITZERLAND

Artisan League of Little Switzerland (ALLS) Gallery facebook.com/artisanleagueoflittleswitzerland

GALLERY

BAKERSVILLE

Andersen Pottery (828) 337-3654

POTTERY

Aurichio Ironworks coleaurichio.com

METAL

Bandana Pottery bandanapottery.com

POTTERY

Collene Karcher Stone

Carver collenekarchersculptor.com

STONECARVING

Courtney Martin

Pottery

courtneymartinpottery.com

POTTERY

Gertrude Graham Smith

Pottery gertrudegrahamsmith.com

POTTERY

Guerard Studios guerardglass.com

GLASS

In Tandem Gallery intandemgallery.com

GALLERY

Jenny Lou Sherburne

Pottery

jennylousherburnepottery.com

POTTERY

Joerling Studio joerlingstudio.com

POTTERY

John Geci Glass jgeciglass.com

GLASS

Kline Pottery klinepottery.com

POTTERY

LZS Pottery & Summerfield

Glass lzspottery.com

POTTERY, GLASS

Mica Fine Contemporary Craft micagallerync.com

GALLERY

Nathan & Mariella Favors nathanfavors.com

WOOD

Speckled Dog Pottery speckleddogpottery.com

POTTERY

Teresa Pietsch Pottery teresapietsch.com

POTTERY

Terry Gess Pottery terrygesspottery.com

POTTERY

PENLAND

Bringle Gallery cynthiabringlepottery.com

POTTERY, FIBER

Penland Gallery penland.org/gallery

GALLERY

Penland School of Craft penland.org

CRAFT SCHOOL

SPRUCE PINE

Fire on the Mountain facebook.com/fireonthemountainfestival

FESTIVAL

Flattoad Farm flattoadfarm.com

FIBER

Spruce Pine Potters Market sprucepinepottersmarket.com

FESTIVAL

Spruce Pine Toe River Arts Gallery toeriverarts.com

GALLERY

Stroup Hobby Shop strouphobbyshop.com

WOOD TREATS Studio treatsstudios.org

ART STUDIOS

Woody's Chair Shop woodyschairshop.com

WOOD

BURNSVILLE

Bernstein Glass bernsteinglass.com

GLASS

Burnsville Toe River Arts Gallery toeriverarts.com

GALLERY

Crowder Guitars facebook.com/crowderguitars

LUTHIER

Forde-Wilson Glass instagram.com/fordewilsonglass

GLASS

Hartsoe Pottery hartsoepottery.com

POTTERY

Hearth Glass hearthglassnc.com

GLASS

Levin Glass robertlevin.com

GLASS

McWhirter Pottery mcwhirterpottery.com

POTTERY

Mudventions mudventions.com

POTTERY

Page Pottery pagepottery.com

POTTERY

Paul Eisenhauer (828) 208.5854

WOOD

Pieper Glass pieperglass.com

GLASS

Rutkowsky Pottery rutkowskypottery.com

POTTERY

Selena Glass & Metal selenaglassandmetal.com

GLASS,METAL

Toe River Studio Tour toeriverarts.org/about-the-tour

GALLERY

TW Weaving twweaving.com

FIBER

Yummy Mud Puddle yummymudpuddle.com

POTTERY

ASHEVILLE

Appalachian Craft Center appalachiancraftcenter.com

GALLERY

Arbitrary Forms Studio robertmilnes.com

POTTERY

Ariel Gallery arielcraftgallery.com

GALLERY

Asheville Art Museum ashevilleart.org

MUSEUM

Beaverdam Studio Tour beaverdamstudiotour.com

STUDIO TOUR

Biltmore Industries

Homespun Museum grovewood.com/biltmore-industries-homespun-museum

MUSEUM

Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center blackmountaincollege.org

MUSEUM

Blue Spiral 1 Gallery bluespiral1.com

GALLERY Center for Craft centerforcraft.org

GALLERY

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands southernhighlandguild.org/ shops-and-fairs/craft-fair-of-thesouthern-highlands

FESTIVAL

Edwin Salas edwinsalas.com

SCULPTURE

Folk Art Center southernhighlandguild.org

GALLERY

Gallery of the Mountains galleryofthemountains.com

GALLERY

Grovewood Gallery grovewood.com/grovewood-gallery

GALLERY

JCR Designs jcrdesigns.net

POTTERY

Laura Wood Studio laurawoodstudios.com

JEWELRY

Lexington Glassworks lexingtonglassworks.com

GLASS Momentum Gallery momentumgallery.com

GALLERY

Mora moracollection.com

JEWELRY

Noir Collective AVL noircollectiveavl.com

GALLERY

North Carolina Arboretum ncarboretum.org

GALLERY

North Carolina Glass Center ncglasscenter.org

GLASS

Pure Ritual pure-ritual.com

JEWELRY

The Basket centerforcraft.org/community-initiatives/the-basket

PUBLIC ART, SCULPTURE

The Village Potters Clay Center

thevillagepotters.com

POTTERY

The Woodrow Instrument Company thewoodrow.com

LUTHIER

Waxon Batik & Dye Studio waxonstudio.com

FIBER

Woolworth Walk woolworthwalk.com

GALLERY

RIVER ARTS

DISTRICT ASHEVILLE

362 Depot St. aboutcolor.net

FIBER

Erica Stankwytch Bailey esbjewelry.com

JEWELRY

Foundation Woodworks foundationwoodworks.com

WOOD

Local Cloth, Inc. localcloth.org

FIBER

Pink Dog Creative/Noel Yovovich noelyovovich.bigcartel.com

JEWELRY

Rite of Passage Clothing and Sew Co. riteofpassageclothing.com, wcsewco.com

FIBER

River Arts District Association riverartsdistrict.com

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Trackside Studios tracksidestudios.com

ART STUDIOS

ARDEN

Erica Stankwytch Bailey esbjewelry.com

JEWELRY

Ruthie Cohen etsy.com/shop/ruthiecohenjewelry

JEWELRY

BLACK MOUNTAIN

Black Mountain Center for the Arts

blackmountainarts.org

GALLERY

Mountain Nest mtnnest.com

GALLERY

Obee Editions/Wishing Flower Press & Bindery obeeeditions.com

PRINTMAKING

Rickenbacker Violins rickenbackerviolins.com

LUTHIER

Sarah Sunshine Pottery sarahsunshinepottery.com

POTTERY

Seven Sisters Craft Gallery sevensistersgallery.com

GALLERY

The Red House Studios & Gallery redhousegallery.org GALLERY, STUDIOS

FAIRVIEW

The Patchwork Underground thepatchworkunderground.com FIBER, PAPER

LEICESTER

Cat Jarosz facebook.com/catjaroszpottery

POTTERY

Come to Leicester Studio Tour cometoleicester.org

STUDIO TOUR

Doc Welty thepotterydoc.com

POTTERY

Macadoo Pottery (828) 242-5110

POTTERY

Peggy Eckel, Warp7wvr 828-215-9293

FIBER

SWANNANOA

Spirit Handpans spirithandpans.com

METAL, INSTRUMENT BUILDER

WEAVERVILLE

Crucible Glassworks crucibleglassworks.com

GLASS

Mangum Pottery mangumpottery.com

POTTERY

Miya Gallery miyagallery.com

GALLERY

Out in Jupiter Farm annhord-heatherley.com

FIBER

Pride and Archive prideandarchivejewelry.com

JEWELRY, WOOD Q Evon Design qevon.com

JEWELRY

Reems Creek Pottery facebook.com/reemscreekpottery POTTERY

Salvaterra Pottery & Woodworks potsandwood.com

POTTERY, WOOD

Weaverville Art Safari weavervilleartsafari.com

STUDIO TOUR

HIGH COUNTRY TO YADKIN VALLEY

SPARTA

Alleghany Arts & Crafts facebook.com/alleghanyartscrafts GALLERY

Blue Ridge Fiber Fest blueridgefiberfest.com

FIBER

Carolina Farm Table carolinafarmtable.com

WOOD

Mangum-Cater on Main mangumcateronmain.com

POTTERY

Pottery Place ncmountainartsadventure. comthe-pottery-place

POTTERY, GLASS

Three Crows Metal Works threecrowsmetalworks.com

JEWELRY

LAUREL SPRINGS

Hughes Glass hughesglass.net

GLASS

ROARING GAP

James Garrett jamespgarrett.net

PAINTING

WEST JEFFERSON

High Meadows

Pottery (336) 877-0446

POTTERY

Ashe County Arts Council & Arts Center ashecountyarts.org

ARTS CENTER

Ashe County Studio Tour ashecountyarts.org

STUDIO TOUR

Doe Ridge Pottery doeridgepottery.com

POTTERY

Florence Thomas Art School florenceartschool.org

ARTS CENTER

CRUMPLER

Grassy Creek Pottery grassycreekpottery.com

POTTERY

CRESTON

Red Salamander Pottery redsalamanderpottery.com

POTTERY

LANSING

Lost Province Center for the Cultural Arts lostprovincearts.org

ARTS ORGANIZATION

CROSSNORE

Crossnore

Weavers crossnore.org/crossnore-weavers

FIBER

BANNER ELK

Art Cellar Gallery artcellaronline.com

GALLERY

Before you head out

This is an annual publication. Please note that hours and locations are subject to change. We encourage you to contact the sites before visiting them.

BE Artists Gallery at Historic

Banner Elk School Cultural Arts Center beartistsgallery.com

ARTS CENTER

Maggie Black Pottery maggieblackpottery.com

POTTERY

NEWLAND

MH Studios mhstudios.com

WOOD

Pam Brewer pambrewer.com

POTTERY

Stringham Carvings facebook.com/stringhamcarvings

WOOD

BEECH MOUNTAIN

Avery County Quilt Trail beechmtn.com/avery-countyquilt-trail

QUILT TRAIL

LINVILLE FALLS

Anvil Arts Sculpture Garden and Gallery studiosculpture.com

SCULPTURE

LENOIR

Bolick Pottery bolickandtraditionspottery.com

POTTERY

Caldwell Arts Council caldwellarts.com

ARTS ORGANIZATION

Gin's Knob Folk Art (828) 729-2437

FOLK ART

Kogut Violins (828) 493-4875

LUTHIER

Latos Pottery (828) 381-1589

POTTERY

Wishful Thinking Studio wishfulthinkingstudio.com

POTTERY

WNC Sculpture Center

wncsculpture.org

SCULPTURE

HUDSON

The HUB Station Arts Center thehubstation.com

ARTS ORGANIZATION

ELKIN

Foothills Arts Center foothillsarts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

John Furches Gallery johnfurches.com

PRINTMAKING

The November Room GALLERY

Two Creeks Pottery (336) 428-7324

POTTERY

Yadkin Valley Fiber Center yadkinvalleyfibercenter.org FIBER

Yadkin Valley Quilts yadkinvalleyquilts.com QUILTING

MT. AIRY

Surry Arts Council surryarts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

BLOWING ROCK

Blowing Rock Art & History Museum blowingrockmuseum.org MUSEUM

High Country Candles highcountrycandles.net CANDLES

Southern Highland Craft Guild in Moses Cone Manor southernhighlandguild.org/ mosesconemanor GALLERY

The Mountain Thread Company themountainthreadcompany.com FIBER

Traditions Pottery bolickandtraditionspottery.com POTTERY

BOONE

Hands Gallery

facebook.com/handsgalleryart

GALLERY

Jones House joneshouse.org

GALLERY

The Pottery Lot thepotterylot.com

POTTERY

Turchin Center tcva.appstate.edu

MUSEUM

Watauga Arts Council watauga-arts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

SUGAR GROVE

Capozzoli Guitar Company

capozzoliguitarcompany.com

LUTHIER

BOOMER

Betsy Brey (336) 921-2424

BASKETS

TRAPHILL

Mary Freas-Sunset Fiber Works sunsetfiberworks.com FIBER

MILLERS CREEK

Susan Roath (336) 452-1762

GLASS

NORTH WILKESBORO

Taupe Gallery taupegallery.com

GALLERY

Wilkes Art Gallery wilkesartgallery.org

GALLERY

Wilkes County Hardware hardwarelifewife.com

GALLERY

WILKESBORO

Ben Long Fresco-St. Paul's stpaulwilkesboro.org/frescoes-ofst-pauls

MURAL

YADKINVILLE

Beth Andrews Art

bethandrews-art.com

MIXED MEDIA

Lisa Reavis Drum yadkinarts.org/artisans/lisa-reavis-drum

MIXED MEDIA

Ron Davis (336) 466-3182

WOOD

Yadkin County Quilt Trail visityadkin.com

QUILT TRAIL

Yadkin Cultural Arts Center yadkinarts.org

GALLERY

FOOTHILLS

MORGANTON

Burke Arts Council burkearts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

Hamilton Williams Gallery and Studio hamiltonwilliams.com

POTTERY, GALLERY

Markey & Son markeywoodcraft.com

WOOD

Oak Hill Iron + Wood oakhilliron.com

METAL, WOOD

OSuzannah's osuzannahsyarnonunion.com

FIBER

Paradise Custom Glass paradisecsg.com

GLASS

West Union Art Studios westunionartstudiosllc.com

POTTERY

DREXEL

Denise Riddle Art (828) 358-8569

POTTERY, MIXED MEDIA

VALDESE

Rock School Arts Foundation rockschoolartgalleries.com

ARTS ORGANIZATION

TRYON

Kudzu Patch Productions kudzupatch.net

LUTHIER

Meghan Bernard meghanbernardpottery.comabout

POTTERY

Nest Artisan Market facebook.com/the-nest-artisan-market-663378487092561

GALLERY

S. Oliver Pottery samanthaoliver.com

POTTERY

Saluda Forge saludaforge.net

METAL

Tryon Arts & Crafts School tryonartsandcrafts.org

CRAFT SCHOOL

Tryon Fine Arts Center tryonarts.org

ARTS COUNCIL AND ARTS CENTER

Tryon Painters & Sculptors tryonpaintersandsculptors.com

GALLERY

Upstairs Artspace upstairsartspace.org

GALLERY

MILL SPRING

BJ Precourt, Wood facebook.com/bjthefolkartcover

WOOD

COLUMBUS

Dacey Porcelains daceyporcelains.com

POTTERY

RUTHERFORDTON

Beard Instuments facebook.com/pages/ category/musical-instrument-store/beard-instruments-209431466155662

LUTHIER

Dragonfly Market Place facebook.com/dragonflywnc

GALLERY

Impulse Art Shop impulseartshop.com

GALLERY

Night Owl Iron Works nightowlironworks.com

METAL

Porch Potters theporchpotters.com

POTTERY

Rutherford Visual Arts Center artatthevac.com

ARTS CENTER

FOREST CITY

Bairs Den Pottery facebook.com/bairsden-pottery-1042966892513692

POTTERY

Off the Beaded Path offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com

JEWELRY

Weitzel Art weitzelart.net

SCULPTURE

CHIMNEY ROCK

Doug Bowman Galleries therusticlamp.com WOOD

UNION MILLS

Parsons Wood Artistry parsonswoodartistry.com WOOD

BREVARD

Blue Moon Gallery and Frame bluemoongalleryandframe.com

GALLERY

DerGara Studios anndergaraart.com PRINTMAKING Lizards Rock lizardsrockbrevard.com

GALLERY

Local Color facebook.com/localcolorshop

GALLERY

Mud Dabbers Pottery of Brevard muddabbers.com

POTTERY

Newfound Artisan newfoundartisan.com

LEATHER, JEWELRY

Number 7 Arts number7arts.org GALLERY

Red Wolf Gallery redwolfgallerync.com GALLERY Starfangled Press starfangledpress.com

PRINTMAKING

The Duckpond Pottery facebook.com/theduckpondpottery POTTERY

The Lucy Clark Gallery & Studio lucyclarkgallery.com POTTERY, GALLERY

Transylvania Community Arts Council

tcarts.org

ARTS COUNCIL

HENDERSONVILLE

A Walk in the Woods awalkinthewoodswnc.com

GALLERY

Apple Country Woodcrafters

applecountrywoodcrafters.org WOOD

Art MoB Studios and Marketplace artmobstudios.com

GALLERY, STUDIOS

Carolina Mountain Artists Guild facebook.com/carolinaartists

GALLERY

Heritage Weavers & Fiber Artists hwfawnc.org

FIBER

Pink House Studio (561) 339-0932

POTTERY

Woodlands Attire & Art shopwoodlands.com

GALLERY

FLAT ROCK

Art on Main acofhc.org

EVENT

Arts Council of Henderson County acofhc.org

ARTS COUNCIL

Berning Pottery berningpottery.com POTTERY

Henderson County Open

Studio Tours

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/henderson-county-open-studio-tour STUDIO TOUR

Sweet Magnolia Gallery melindalawton.com

JEWELRY

The Gallery at Flat Rock galleryflatrock.com

GALLERY

MILLS RIVER

Leftwich Pottery leftwichpottery.com

POTTERY

A Sense ofPlace

John C. Campbell Folk School

Not a Class, A Place

Martha Owen can sum up the John C. Campbell Folk School in one sentiment; this single statement holds a genuine place in her heart.

“You’re not just coming to a class,” Owen said in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’re coming to a place.”

Located in the bucolic mountain community of Brasstown (Clay County), JCCFS sits on 300 acres of open fields cradled by the Blue Ridge Mountains. The campus plays host to a wide array of creative outlets through its arts and crafts programming , including blacksmithing, knitting, gardening, cooking, woodcarving, and more.

“It’s not an industrial setting, it’s more of a homestead kind of setting,” said Owen, who is the creative programming assistant at JCCFS. “And you have people who come here to improve their calligraphy or how to write their first novel or learn photography — [JCCFS] is anything that anybody can imagine.”

“We promise ‘joy’ in our mission statement,” added Programs

Development Manager Annie Fain Barralon. “And sometimes when you’re trying something new, it’s not always comfortable. So, there’s this discomfort we need to be open to supporting. Here, the teacher learns as much as the student and vice versa — it’s this feedback loop instead of a hierarchy.”

The School's 100th Anniversary

The renowned cultural institution is in the midst of its 100th anniversary in 2025.

“A lot of what’s going on is the exchange of ideas across the campus,” Owen said. “And it’s like you push pause on your life — your busy life — and you have a chance to be still, be creative, learning something new, meet other people. For a lot of folks, it’s paradise.”

For Owen, whose expertise resides in “spinning, knitting, crochet, felt making, dyeing, and surface design,” her journey to JCCFS began in 1978. Back then, she was a young adult eager to find her passion in life.

Eventually, and more serendipitously, Owen was given a family heirloom: an antique spinning wheel. It sparked her curiosity, and her grandmother saw an advertisement one day in the local newspaper for a spinning and dyeing class at JCCFS. Owen took the two-week course and, suddenly, everything clicked.

“And it just kind of went on from there,” Owen chuckled. “I’ve never gotten bored. There’s no way to get bored, there are so many aspects of [spinning].”

Founding Vision

Peeling back the layers of JCCFS, the initial inspiration for the property came from Campbell’s widow, Olive Dame Campbell, and her colleague, Marguerite Butler. The duo headed to Europe to cultivate and bring back the teachings and traditions they found, which they then shared and complemented the mountain culture that had been wellestablished in Western North Carolina for centuries.

“[The school] started off as an agricultural setting,” Owen noted. “They were trying to help young people stay in place — there was a desire to keep people on the land here.”

In the 1920s, as the school was coming

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to fruition, young people were leaving Western North Carolina in droves in search of a better life, with many heading to the cotton mills outside the area. JCCFS established its programming as a way to mitigate the brain drain in rural communities by offering people alternative avenues of revenue.

“The impetus of this place was to find something [people could learn] that they could sell,” Owen said. “And then also find a way to help people feed and take care of themselves.”

Beyond the centennial celebration itself, there are hundreds of events throughout the year that bring not only the school, but the surrounding community together — this includes the weekly dance every Tuesday night, where contra dancing is featured alongside live acoustic music.

And every October, the popular Fall Festival takes over the campus, ultimately attracting upwards of 20,000 attendees throughout the two-day event, which showcases hundreds of craft vendors.

When asked what she sees when looking at the next possible 100 years of JCCFS, Owen lights up in a sincere, confident voice, especially when you take the query and place it against a modern, digital world where more and more people are seeking those traditional trades and skillsets — this campus where tranquility and using your hands come together.

“It’s been a long, long road, but I’m extremely optimistic right now for the future [of the school],” Owen said. “There were a lot of good parts to that old life [before the age of convenience].”

Images Courtesy of John C. Campbell Folk School

Craft Learning & Making in WNC

The Hand & the Factory

At the end of the 19th century, when the industrial revolution was in full swing, people all over the world began to notice that communities were losing the hand skills that had sustained them for centuries. While industrialization brought goods into more homes using mechanized manufacturing processes, factory-made products came with a cost. For generations, goods had been produced in cottage-style industries where skills were passed down through families. The material needs of a community were made locally, where each community supported its own potter, blacksmith, weaver, and woodworker.

As industrialization progressed, factories replaced these localized industries, often altering the products they produced. Increasingly, the factory

prioritized quantity over quality, a trend that has carried over into our own times. Likewise, factory methods broke work into small bits, resulting in long days that were monotonous and grueling. A division of labor, sweatshop conditions, and the exploitation of children characterized much of the 19th-century industrial environment. Promoters of an arts and crafts reform movement proposed hands-on educational programs for large numbers of people. In England, a national system of government-funded design schools was established in the mid-century.

Movers & Makers

In America, the movement was more diverse, with the creation of hundreds of industrial institutes, fireside industries, missions, settlements, and folk schools that formed the foundation of craft

education in the U.S. At each school, students learned to create high-quality, handmade objects that were marketed and sold through school promotions. Throughout southern Appalachia, as schools were established in mountain communities, handicraft was added to their curricula. Craft instruction served multiple purposes: as a focus for preserving local culture, as a means of enhancing economic opportunities, and as a training method aimed at building discipline and character development. While craft objects were certainly of significance, their social, economic, educational, and therapeutic values were components alongside their aesthetic value. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Western North Carolina craftsmen laid the cornerstone of a revived interest in handmade goods, sparking a movement known as the Appalachian craft revival. These were people who possessed the talent and ability to create the necessities for daily living. During the revival, North Carolina makers shaped clay, in turn shaping the attitudes and values that contribute to today’s appreciation of the handmade object. Makers wove cotton, linen, and wool, weaving a sense of community that contributes to a strong sense of place. Yet makers were but one half of the equation that shaped the movement. Of equal bearing on its success were its craft promoters, those who supported and sold mountain crafts. For the most part, the individuals who orchestrated the craft revival initially came to the region for reasons other than craft promotion. They came as missionaries, teachers, researchers, and mountain workers. Almost all stayed longer than they intended, making their homes in

Lottie Queen Stamper with students, photograph by Vivienne Roberts. MUSEUM OF THE CHEROKEE PEOPLE

Working hands, circa 1933. BEREA COLLEGE/ DORIS ULMANN PHOTO

Coverlet weavings, photograph by Doris Ulmann, circa 1933.

JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL ARCHIVES

the mountains. They encouraged the preservation of traditional skills and the production of new works for sale. They opened shops, taught in schools, established cottage industries, and documented craft activity. Some learned craft skills themselves. There was no plan or path in the design of these early educational institutions. Most grew organically with only vague notions of goals and objectives.

By the early 20th century, there were dozens of schools teaching craft in the southern Appalachians. Olive Dame Campbell published a list of 150 such sites in eight states. While many have come and gone, we are fortunate that

WNC has sustained four significant educational centers with long and storied histories. This year—2025—begins a 100-year anniversary celebration of craft education in Western North Carolina.

John C. Campbell Folk School

The John C. Campbell Folk School was established in 1925 in Brasstown, a rural community in the westernmost corner of North Carolina. With the help of Marguerite Butler, Olive Dame Campbell established the school in honor of her late husband, John, who earlier

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chronicled life in the region. Originally, the no-credit, no-grades school was established to serve local rural youth, to encourage them to embrace and enjoy rural life. In 1928, the folk school sponsored “Handwork Week” to highlight traditional hand skills and, a few years later, began teaching woodcarving. In 1931, the school initiated a community craft program, which encouraged local residents to earn money by creating and selling woodcarvings during the Great Depression. Generations later, the Brasstown Carvers continue to produce their work, which is sold in the school’s retail shop alongside many other finely crafted items. The school's studios are filled with students enjoying a semesterlong work-study program or a week-long experience of creativity. Its historic 270acre campus includes 17 contemporary studios serving a variety of media.

Penland School of Craft

In 1920, Lucy Morgan stepped off a train in a tiny community in Mitchell County to a home that would remain hers for the rest of her life. She arrived to assist her brother Rufus, an Episcopal minister, with his Appalachian School. In 1923, Morgan traveled to Berea, Kentucky, to accompany a student whose family would not allow her to begin college alone. There, Morgan learned to weave, returning home with a plan to revive handweaving as a means to provide her “neighbor mothers” with an income.

Her Penland Weavers and Potters initiative was a success. In 1929, after the community donated logs and labor to build a Craft House, Morgan formally established the Penland School of Handicrafts, which is now known as the Penland School of Craft. While universities have developed studio programs operating within the parameters of a classroom education, Penland offers an intensive studio experience. On its 400acre campus, the present-day school

Penland School of Craft, 2018.

ANNA FARIELLO PHOTO

Brasstown Carvers, 1930s. JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL

offers year-round classes. The school has also become the focal point for a lively community of artists, thanks in part to a residency program that has encouraged many artists to settle in the area.

Southern Highland Craft Guild

By 1928, numerous centers were producing handicrafts for both educational and commercial purposes. Tryon Toy-Makers (1915), Crossnore School (1922), Blue Ridge Weavers in Tryon (1922), Spinning Wheel in Asheville

Cornhusk dolls (left) made by Margaret C. Revis, 1920s. SOUTHERN HIGHLAND CRAFT GUILD

Craft exhibit, Conference of Southern Mountain Workers conference, 1930. SOUTHERN HIGHLAND CRAFT GUILD

(1925), Weave Shop in Saluda (1924), and the Markle Handicraft School in Higgins (1929) were a few in North Carolina. A handful of craft promoters posed the question of how best to serve and market the growing interest in craft.

Its early history is well documented by its spokesman, Allen Eaton, “Two days after Christmas in 1928, a small group of people…came together in the Weavers’ Cabin…at Penland…to talk over the handicraft situation in the mountains… amid snowflakes falling outside and a log fire blazing within.”

In 1930, at the region’s Conference of

promotion. Today’s Southern Highland Craft Guild represents 800 artisans working in nine Southern Appalachian states who, together, host educational events, exhibitions, retail shops, and annual fairs in its Folk Art Center, located on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual

Southern Mountain Workers, a guild was formally organized to raise the standards of craftsmanship through education and

In the early 1930s, several handson craft education programs were introduced into the school curriculum. Weaving, woodworking, pottery, and basketmaking were taught to sustain traditions that remain a valued part of Cherokee culture. Handwork originally produced for home use became an important source of income in a community flanked by two newly formed national parks, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. With tourism came economic opportunity, but there was no tribal infrastructure to facilitate its success. Artisans either carried their work to neighboring towns and resorts

or sold directly from their homes. Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. was founded in 1946 with the goal of preserving Cherokee arts and crafts and providing its members with a year-round means to sell their work. Over 50 charter members signed the original documents to form a cooperative that now has a membership of over 300. Today’s co-op features a retail space, members’ gallery, storage area, classroom, archival storage, and a significant permanent collection, all in the heart of the Qualla Boundary.

These historic educational centers join the region’s other contemporary sites— Center for Craft, Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center, Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program, Southwest Community College Heritage Arts, and Tryon Arts and Crafts School—to build on Western North Carolina’s history as a leading center for craft production and education in the U.S. These, along with other sites featured along the Blue Ridge Craft Trails continue to contribute to the region’s history as a leading center for craft production and education, where artists not only make beautiful and imaginative objects, but also continue to keep alive the authentic hand-making tradition of skill and fine craftsmanship. Written by Blue Ridge Craft Trails Curator/Consultant, Anna Fariello.

Cherokee students carving, Gilbert Crowe at right, circa 1950. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

Dolls. QUALLA ARTS AND CRAFTS MUTUAL/ANNA FARIELLO PHOTO

Painted Quilt Block at Paws Farm, 2011. GRAHAM COUNTY BARN QUILT TRAIL

Helping Hands Old Marshall Jail

In early May 2025, the Old Marshall Jail reopened. Located along the French Broad River in downtown Marshall (population 777), the structure was heavily flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. The reopening was both a celebration and a reflection.

“I think it’s important to celebrate your progress and acknowledge victories along the way,” said OMJ owner Josh Copus. “But, I’m also cognizant that this is going to take years and, for me, it’s more than just reopening the jail — I need the whole town to come back, and that’s my main focus.”

“Part art hotel, part museum exhibit, part historic preservation,” the Old Marshall Jail is a beacon of not only hope and optimism for the small mountain community, but, with Copus himself being a longtime professional potter, it’s also a continued source of creativity.

“Seeing people activate the space and bring joy and love and family moments back to the building is what really fills my cup,” Copus said.

Adaptive Storytelling

The historic building was a jail from 1905 until its closure in 2012. Up until then, it was the oldest operational jail in the entire state. In recent years, the property was purchased by Copus, an artist and creative entrepreneur hailing from Floyd, Virginia.

“The first time I walked into the building, I saw the vision,” Copus said. “It was so obvious to me how we could creatively readapt it to become something new, something that would contribute positively to the town and the county, while also honoring and being real about the past.”

Hand-stamped wood-fired bricks are set into the walls of the building and strewn throughout the patio. Each brick tells a story, be it in initials, words, or phrases. It’s just one of the many creative ways Copus combines the past and present.

The OMJ also houses Zadie’s Market, a rising culinary destination for Madison County and beyond. The back patio area is also a popular venue for live music, including the famed ballad swap gatherings, where local storytellers and singers step up to the microphone to share a beloved traditional melody handed down through the generations. To that, the building itself remains a work of art.

“I always thought of the jail as art and not as real estate. I always treated it as a sculpture and an extension of my making practice,” Copus said. “Ultimately, the Old Jail is a social practice art installation. For me, it was about making a space, like you would make a vessel, and then see what fills it up — that’s ultimately the most interesting part of the art for me.”

Today’s Treasures

Copus’s pottery is showcased throughout the community, whether in the OMJ boutique hotel rooms above the restaurant/music venue or simply for sale at local artisan markets.

“I like the way ceramics connect me to people. There’s a whole tribe of clay artists around the world that I’m a part of, and I love that,” Copus said. “I love the way that my work brings joy to people, even if it’s just a small thing in a crazy world full of negativity — I think it matters.”

Copus has been involved in pottery since he was 15 years old. Back then, Copus “had a lot of energy that I didn’t know what to do with.” His father’s friend, Tom Phelps, was a potter and “took me under his wing.”

From there, Copus launched this continued journey of creation and discovery — something that remains at the heart of his work.

Nowadays, Copus specializes in woodfire ceramics, a realm where he uses wild clay “that I dig from the ground.”

“Mostly, I just try to make things that feel like rocks and a little bit like buildings and sometimes kind of like people,” Copus reflected.

With familiar faces and the curious alike now wandering back into the OMJ, Copus and the rest of the Marshall team are slowly but steadily returning to some sense of normalcy —a space of camaraderie and community connected by the arts, culture, and a sense of place.

“In the early days of the flood, I said our town was destroyed,” Copus noted. “And I realized, after a couple of days, that our town was not destroyed. Our buildings were damaged, [but] it’s not the things, it’s the people — the people make the place.”

Images Courtesy of Josh Copus

LEARN MORE

Happenings & Events

JANUARY

Fiber Expo, Heritage Weavers & Fiber Artists

Hendersonville

APRIL

Southern Highland Craft Guild, Glass, Metal & Clay Day Asheville southernhighlandguild.org

Weaverville Art Safari

Weaverville blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ weaverville-art-safari

Fire on the Mountain Blacksmith Festival

Spruce Pine blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/fireon-the-mountain

Local Cloth Fiber Fest

Asheville localcloth.org/events

MAY

Southern Highland Craft Guild: Fiber Day

Asheville blueridgeheritage.com/event/fiber-day

WNC Yarn Crawl various sites wncyarncrawl.com/about

Fading Voices Demonstration Day

Robbinsville grahamcountytravel.com/flame-azaleafestival

JUNE

Art on the Greene, 4 weekends every summer Banner Elk bannerelk.com/members/art-on-thegreene

Blue Ridge Fiber Fest

Sparta blueridgefiberfest.com

Before you head out

This is an annual publication. Please note that hours and locations are subject to change. We encourage you to contact the sites before visiting them.

Toe River Arts Studio Tour

Yancey & Mitchell Counties

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/toeriver-studio-tour

Stecoah Drive-about Tour

Robbinsville

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ stecoah-drive-about-tour

Flame Azalea Festival

Robbinsville

grahamcountytravel.com/flame-azaleafestival

JULY

Festival on the Square 2nd weekend in July

Hayesville

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ festival-on-the-square

The Big Crafty, Pack Square Park

Asheville hebigcrafty.com

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands Asheville

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/craftfair-of-the-southern-highlands southernhighlandguild.org/craftfair

AUGUST

Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair

Burnsville yanceychamber.com/chamber-signatureevents

Ashe County Studio Tour

West Jefferson, Jefferson, Crumpler, Laurel Springs, Todd, Creston, Warrensville, and Lansing

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ashecounty-studio-tour

Southern Highland Craft Guild: Wood Day Asheville southernhighlandguild.org

Come to Leicester Studio Tour Leicester cometoleicester.org

Franklin Folk Festival, Cowee School Franklin franklinfolkfestival.com

SEPTEMBER

Mountain Heritage Festival Sparta alleghanycountychamber.com/events/ blueridgemountainheritagefestival

Cherokee Heritage Festival Hayesville blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ cherokee-heritage-festival

Haywood County Studio Tour Haywood County haywoodarts.org/studio-tour

Heritage Weekend, Folk Art Center Asheville craftguild.org/events

Mountain Heritage Day Cullowhee blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ mountain-heritage-day-western-carolinauniversity

Art in Autumn Arts & Crafts Festival Weaverville visitweaverville.com/events/art-in-autumn

Art on Main Hendersonville blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/arton-main

OCTOBER

Folk School Fall Festival

Brasstown blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/folkschool-fall-festival

Cherokee Indian Fair

Cherokee blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ cherokee-indian-fair

Spruce Pine Potters Market

Spruce Pine sprucepinepottersmarket.com

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands Asheville southernhighlandguild.org

NC Mountain Arts Adventure Studio Tour Alleghany County ncmountainartsadventure.com

Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair

Fletcher saffsite.org

Open Studio Tour Presented by the Art League of Henderson County

Hendersonville blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ henderson-county-open-studio-tour

Beaverdam Studio Tour

Asheville beaverdamstudiotour.com

NOVEMBER

WNC Pottery Festival

Dillsboro

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/wncpottery-festival

Weaverville Art Safari

Weaverville

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ weaverville-art-safari

Toe River Arts Studio Tour

Yancey & Mitchell Counties

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/toeriver-studio-tour

River Arts District

Studio Stroll

Asheville

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ asheville-river-arts-district

Marshall Handmade Market

Marshall marshallhandmade.com

Stecoah Drive-about Tour

Robbinsville

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ stecoah-drive-about-tour

Grassy Creek Pottery, Kiln opening

Crumpler blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ grassy-creek-pottery

Bolick Pottery, Kiln opening, Saturday after Thanksgiving Lenoir blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/ bolick-pottery

Two Creeks Pottery, weekend after Thanksgiving

Elkin blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/twocreeks-pottery

DECEMBER

Appalachian Potters Market

Marion mcdowellarts.org/apm.html

Hamilton Williams Gallery Studio

Seconds Sale

Morganton hamiltonwilliams.com

Fairview Handmade Market

Fairview fairviewhandmademarket.com

Christmas in the Mountains, Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center

Robbinsville stecoahvalleycenter.com/calendar/ christmas-in-the-mountains-indoor-artscrafts-show

Mud Dabbers Pottery & Crafts, Open House

Waynesville

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/muddabbers-pottery-crafts

The Big Crafty

Asheville thebigcrafty.com

Christmas Makers Market at the HUB Station

Hudson thehubstation.com/community-events/ christmas-makers-market-3

Mud Dabbers of Brevard, Open House

Brevard

blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/muddabbers-pottery-of-brevard

Must-See on the Blue Ridge Craft Trails