BLUE RIDGE CRAFT TRAILS OFF AND RUNNING

nity here, and it’s crazy to see how much everything has changed.”

By 1997, the Mangums opened the pottery studio in Weaverville, a small town just north of Asheville, a place where they could create and nurture their own respective creative environment.

“We like being on Main Street because it makes us easy to find,” Beth said. “And now, there’s so many other studios and artists in our community, all of these festivals and craft markets where we gather and support each Beth and Rob Mangum. other.” Aside from pottery, Rob is also an acclaimed luthier who specializes in constructing banjos made of wire, wood and pottery. To that point, the Mangums are longtime musicians around the area, with Rob a member of oldtime/folk group The Barsters. “And every now and again, we’ll get an amazing banjo player coming into the studio, who’ll sit and play one of Rob’s clay banjos,” Beth said.

Now a pillar of the artist community in Weaverville and Western North Carolina, the Mangums are grateful for the life they’ve created for themselves, especially the interactions with the countless people who have stepped inside their studio over the years and for all those they’ve befriended.

“Pottery is our life’s work,” Beth said. “It means everything to us to be able to make a living from clay, to be doing something we love to do. We both continue to grow as artists and still find creative fulfillment each time we sit at the wheel with a fresh chunk of clay.” After several years of development, the highly-anticipated launch of the Blue Ridge Craft Trails is now a reality, with over 325 locations covering 25 counties and the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina. "While the American Craft Council defines craft by five media — clay, fiber, wood, metal, and glass — at the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, we take a broader view,” said Anna Fariello, curator of the BRCT. “We focus on the handmade experience and appreciate WNC craft makers for their innovative approaches to materials and technique, while sharing in their tactile experience." The BRCT will further complement the already large success of the Blue Ridge Music Trails, which are both part of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Federally designated as a National Heritage Area in 2003, the BRNHA is one of 55 heritage areas across the United States. "I see the Blue Ridge Craft Trails and the Blue Ridge Music Trails as two sides of the same coin. Music and craft have been central pieces of the fabric of life in the Blue Ridge Mountains for centuries,” said Brandon Johnson, project manager for the BRNHA. “Today, these two trails help people find and experience authentic traditional music and handmade craft and help direct audiences and customers to musicians and makers.” As long as human beings have inhabited the mountains of Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia, there has been the sacred art and practice of passing down these ancient techniques of craft mediums in the vast, vibrant culture of this region. "Western North Carolina in particular is rich in craft, having a long history of appreciation for the handmade,” Fariello said. “Today’s makers have the advantage of building on a legacy that produced a wealth of heritage objects and a number of longlasting educational institutions that have helped sustain these traditions.” With an array of storied institutions preserving and perpetuating craft skillsets and knowledge through the generations, these places include the John C. Campbell Folk School, Penland School of Craft, Southern Highland Craft Guild, and Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual. "There is such a wide variety of quality work and artists to be found on the Blue Ridge Craft Trail, from young artists just opening their first studio to celebrated veterans in the craft field,” said Robin Johnston, a weaver and the coordinator for the BRCT, who has also been an “Artist-in-Residence” at Penland School of Craft. “Every artist has a fascinating story. Experiencing where they work, hearing about their lives and what inspires them, seeing the raw materials and how things are made, will resonate with each visitor — and may even light a spark for future makers.” For more information about the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, visit BlueRidgeCraftTrails.com.

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