Photo by David Simchock
The 32nd National Arts and Crafts Conference will be held February 15-17 at Asheville’s Omni Grove Park Inn. Dubbed “the most important weekend of the year for Arts & Crafts collectors” by The New York Times, the midwinter event caters to lovers of 20th-century Craftsman architecture and design in a storied venue brimming with classic Mission furniture and décor. But workshops and exhibitions go beyond chairs and lamps to embrace the lesser-known iterations of the genre: repoussé metalsmithing, greenware pottery, Roycroft embroidery, and block printing, for example. A house tour sponsored by The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County shows conference goers splendid local homes that exemplify Craftsman taste (see psabc.org for dates and times). And, in another related event, Brandy Clements of local Silver River Center for Chair Caning will give a demonstration of caning and seat weaving that weekend at adjacent Grovewood Gallery, 11am-4pm all three days (grovewood.com). For a full schedule and more information, see arts-craftsconference.com. … First, though, consider the Build & Remodel Expo sponsored by the Asheville Homebuilders Association, happening February 2 (10am-6pm) and February 3 (11am-4pm) at the WNC Agricultural Center’s Davis Arena. It’s a $10 floor show encompassing some 100 regional artisans and vendors, enhanced by how-to demos, and plenty of other educational information. For updates on times, see buildandremodelasheville.com.