Craftspeople play with proportion in offbeat exhibit
According to Valerie Berlage, exhibitions curator with the Southern Highland Craft Guild, most craftspeople strive for “perfect proportion.” From the handle of a teacup to the seat of a handmade oak chair, everything must be just right. But in big/LITTLE, a group show opening this August in the Main Gallery at the Folk Art Center, artists are turning the rules upside down and aiming for what Berlage calls “perfect disproportion.” Case in point: “One of our woodcarvers is working on a duck that’s perfect in every way, except for feet much too large for his body,” explains Berlage. “Or, we might see a giant carpet bag from one of our fiber artists, wholly oversized and much too big for practical use.” A frolicsome furlough from the seriousness that has followed Hurricane Helene, the exhibition is expected to be brimming with off-kilter charm. This summer, the Guild is also presenting An Organic Edge, a more tightly curated group show focused on artists who create art inspired by the natural world.
big/LITTLE: August 30-January 21, 2026
An Organic Edge: July 19-October 5
Folk Art Center / Milepost 382, Blue Ridge Parkway / southernhighlandguild.org