Appalachian authenticity: Craft fair stays fresh as it returns to downtown Asheville

Molly Horak | The Citizen-Times

For silversmith Julie Merrill, the preparation starts early. Countless hours spent in the studio. New designs. Perfecting every piece.

Then there's the set-up: Arrive a day early and spend several hours assembling a booth, making sure the aesthetic markets the art to a crowd.

Early in the morning, she unloads her crafts, carefully sets out the best pieces, then waits for the crowds to enter and peruse the aisles. She chats with customers, tells them about her process, makes sales.

All the while, she's connecting with old friends, getting advice from fellow artisans and enjoying the supportive and welcoming environment.

The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands returns to Asheville July 20-22 in the ExploreAsheville.com Arena at the U.S. Cellular Center. More than 150 artisans from across the region will gather for the semi-annual exhibition, presenting handmade works in clay, glass, metals, fiber, wood and other media.

Merrill, who runs JL Merrill Metalworks, has been a member of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild since 2013 and has sold her jewelry at the craft fair for years. Behind the rows of tables and displays lies a deep sense of community that extends far beyond the three-day event, she said, giving the fair a unique aura of camaraderie and support.

New additions and outdoor demos

Now in its 71st year, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands expects to draw up to 8,000 visitors, said Hannah Barry, director of marketing for the Southern Highlands Craft Guild. For those who have never attended, the craft fair provides an opportunity to see the cultivation of traditional art forms from across the Appalachian Mountains.

"You may see techniques or skills from around the world, but the roots of the art are found in our region and are passed down from generation to generation," Barry said.

New this year will be live weaving demonstrations outside the main doors to the U.S. Cellular Center that will be open to the public, Barry said. Asheville-based artists Carla and Greg Filipelli will model their "random weave technique" for several large vessels and wall art.

Additional demonstrations will feature pottery by Bill Lee, embroidering and applique by Cindi Lemkau, and several exhibits where members will show visitors various steps of their individual art forms. Live entertainment and musicians will perform daily. (Find the full entertainment schedule online at southernhighlandguild.org. Scroll to the bottom of this story for details on hours and tickets.)

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To become a member of the craft guild and therefore be eligible to participate in the fair, each craftsperson must complete a two-step process of submitting a written application and photos of their work before bringing several of their physical items before a jury to judge. Just nine new members were accepted into the guild in 2018, Barry said.

“We really try to celebrate the introduction of new arts and craftsmen and women in the region — we like to give them a shout out, make sure people know who they are,” Barry said. “And for the people who come to the fair year after year, they get to see new art, new things.”

Joanna White, a fiber artist based in Leicester, is one of the new members. Despite participating in many other shows across the state, she is "over the moon" for the new opportunity.

In preparation for the show, White said she’s received more help and support from fellow guild members than she’s had at any other show in the past. The guild assigns all new members a mentor, she said, who helps answer any questions they might have and gives advice about setting up, selling, and the rigors that the show presents.

“You’re always nervous the first time you go somewhere and set up,” she said. “But I have a good sense of how to move in and what to do and I’m anticipating a great show.”

A home to passion , expression, culture

Year after year, members of the guild help to educate visitors on the process of craftsmanship, from the steps taken to create a piece to the materials needed, Barry said.

“The biggest thing for craft is that it’s a piece of authentic consumption for consumers that they don’t get today,” Barry said. “When you come to the fair you get this one-on-one connection with the artist, someone who has worked for years to practice their craft, and you get a special product to take back to your home to share.”

Jay Pfeil, an etching and engraving artist, has been a member of the guild for over 20 years. Her style of printmaking, she said, is a dying art — fewer and fewer schools are teaching the techniques. At each show, she brings old metal printmaking plates and allows visitors to test out her tools on the used plate.

"I've found that most people don't really understand what it is I do, what printmaking is," she said. "When I'm talking to them, I find that their eyes start to glaze over and they loose attention, so I have them see and feel what I'm doing."

Over the years, Pfeil has watched the number of craft fair participants drop: presumably because it's getting harder and harder to make a living as an artist, she said. It's more important now than ever before to learn how a craft is made from start to finish, she said.

Merrill too encourages attendees to embrace the opportunity to learn from each artisan.

“I think often we as artists want to educate people about what we do, the amount of work we put in and there’s a reason why we feel compelled to this lifestyle,” Merrill said. “There’s a lot of passion involved, a lot of expression of what as I see as beautiful in the world. I see that everybody in the guild puts their heart and soul into their work and all the work there is really well-made, really well-designed.”

She continued, “I think that art sometimes gets put aside in our culture because people are so focused on money and power and those kinds of things. But art and craft is really valuable, very important because it shares part of people and part of culture with the world that I think is in some ways unexplainable."

IF YOU GO

The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands is July 20-22 in the ExploreAsheville.com Arena at the U.S. Cellular Center. It's open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 for a weekend pass or $8 a day, ages 12 and younger free. Pay at the door or call 828-298-7928 in advance.