October 27th, 2020
We are currently working to launch the new version of arts-craftsconference.com to include our new schedule of virtual events and our new registration process, where you can purchase your participants pass online.
If all goes according to plan, we will launch our new website the first week of November!
Exciting times!
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October 5th, 2020
The 34th National Arts and Crafts Conference Is Going Virtual
Dear collectors and supporters of the National Arts and Crafts Conference,
The Covid-19 restrictions set in place by the governor of North Carolina, along with our own personal concerns for the safety and health of our exhibitors and attendees, will make it impractical for us to attempt to hold February’s 34th National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows in person inside the historic Grove Park Inn.
Rather than risk sacrificing the momentum of the current Arts and Crafts revival, however, instead of cancelling next February’s conference and shows, we are declaring the entire month of February to be National Arts and Crafts Month. Throughout the month we will be hosting a virtual conference and selling shows, featuring recorded seminars, live discussion groups, demonstrations, virtual walking tours, book clubs, house tours, resource guides, on-demand videos, and links to exhibitors’ websites and selling platforms.
We are also working on organizing an online virtual selling show for antiques dealers and contemporary craftsfirms, as well as providing information on non-profit organizations, historic sites, and Arts and Crafts service providers. More information will be announced as soon as details are finalized.
We are in the process of building a new arts-craftsconference.com, which we hope to be ready to launch later this month. When it is, the daily schedule will be posted along with an on-line registration form. Once registered, each participant will have a password to access links to all of the conference events throughout the month of February.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we deal with this major transformation and undertaking in the coming days and weeks. We will post updates as they become available here, artsandcraftscollector.com, and our social media pages.
Thank you for your continued support of the Arts and Crafts revival.
Bruce Johnson, Conference Director
Kate Nixon, Registration Manager
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| Coppersmithing attendees and instructor Frank Glapa during the 2019 "Coppersmiting: Arts and Crafts Style" workshop |
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| You can learn how to prepare a woodblock for the printmaking process during Laura Wilder's "Arts and Crafts Printmaking" workshop |
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| The Arts and Crafts Printmaking Class shows off their final product. |
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| The 2019 "Coppersmithing: Arts and Crafts Style" class shows off their final product with instructor Frank Glapa |
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Walking Tours of the Historic
Grove Park Inn
Hourly Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Join a Grove Park Inn historian for an informative 45-minute walking tour that will take you to places you might not have found on your own, and will provide you with fascintaing stories about the famous -- and infamous -- guests, from Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald to presidents from FDR to Obama. A tour not to be missed!
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Walking Tours of the Historic
Biltmore Industries
Friday 10:00 - 11:00am
(Repeats on Saturday and Sunday.)
No, not the 1895 Biltmore House, but the 1905 Biltmore Industries, which George and Edith Vanderbilt supported. Founded in 1905, Biltmore Industries was one of the longest lasting Arts and Crafts cottage industries, making and carving furniture, bowls, bookends, trays, picture frames, and much more. In 1917 the workshops were moved onto the grounds of the Grove Park Inn, where the Arts and Crafts buildings have been restored as a museum, gallery, cafe, and artisan studios. Step back in time on one of these daily one-hour tours.
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Small Group Discussions:
Session #1
Friday 11:00am - Noon
One of the most popular aspects of the conference are our daily Small Group Discussions. Here you will have a chance to select a topic to sit down and discuss with other attendees. No advance registration is necessary. These discussions are lead by volunteer attendees. The final list for each day is still being compiled, so if you have a suggestion, please send us an email.
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All Three Selling Shows Open
Friday 1:00 - 6:00pm
This will be your first opportunity to see and add to your collection some of the finest antiques and new works in the Arts and Crafts style. Our exhibitors save their best pieces for this weekend, so take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity. A complete list of exhibitors is included here.
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Silent Auction: First Session
Friday 1:00 - 6:00pm
Known as the largest and finest Arts and Crafts silent auction, this two-day event serves as a fund-raiser for the non-profit Arts and Crafts Research Fund. Have something to donate for a tax deduction? Call us at (828) 628-1915.
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Arts and Crafts Demonstrations
2:00 - 6:00pm
(Repeat on Saturday and Sunday.)
Peg Morar of Asheville's Peg Morar Studio will reveal the process of tilemaking in her demonstration “The Making of An Arts and Crafts Tile,” bringing her decades of expertise to the conference as she’ll show the basics of tile making, meant for observers of all experience ranges. As an experienced teacher, she creates an easy-to-understand process of tile carving and designing, showing a tile mold in different staging and showing examples of glazed and non-glazed pieces with her standard blue and green glazes.
David Van Epps will return to the Grove Park Inn to teach attendees about mortise and tenon joinery and will bring plenty of examples to show. Known as the strongest joint in woodworking, a mortise and tenon joint connects adjoining two pieces of wood or other material through a mortise hole and a tenon tongue. David’s informal demonstration will be designed for Arts and Crafts woodworkers as well as collectors with furniture that have mortise and tenon joinery.
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Arts and Crafts Book Club Discussion:
Friday 4:30pm - 5:30pm
The Ladies of the Canyons
by Lesley Poling-Kempes
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| Perfect attendees are recognized in the opening remarks of the 2019 National Arts and Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn |
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Friday 8:00 - 8:15pm
Opening Remarks
by Bruce Johnson
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An Evening with Jane Addams
portrayed by Annette Baldwin
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Saturday,
February 20
Check back in the Fall of 2020 to see who our 2021 speakers will be!
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Noon - 6:00pm
All Three Selling Shows Open
Noon - 6:00pm
Arts and Crafts Demonstrations
(Repeat on Sunday.)
Check back to see who our 2021 demonstrators will be!
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Saturday 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Preservation Society House Tour * *
(Repeats on Sunday.)
The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County is pleased to offer unique historic homes for the February 2020 National Arts & Crafts Conference Home Tour. All homes are located in National Register listed Norwood Park which offers an eclectic mix of houses mostly built between 1912
and the 1930s.
Please see the form included in your Pre-Conference Information Packet to sign up for the tour. You will need to mail the form using the address provided. You can also order tickets online by visiting the website listed below. Visit the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County's website for more information:
1:00 - 6:00pm
Silent Auction: Final Session
Those of you getting off the tour bus of leaving a Small Group Discussions will have time to stop by the Silent Auction to check on your bids -- and your bargains!
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Saturday 3:00 - 4:00pm
Walking Tour of Historic Biltmore Industries.
(Repeats on Sunday.)
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Saturday 3:00 - 4:00pm
Arts and Crafts Book Club Discussion:
Check back later to see what our book club selections will be!
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Saturday 4:30 - 5:30pm
Small Group Discussions: Session Two
This will be a fresh set of topics, so check back later.
Saturday 5:00 - 7:00pm
Check back in the fall of 2020 to see information about our special event with the Asheville Art Museum.
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Sunday, February 21
Check back with us in the Fall of 2020 to find out who our speakers will be!
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11:00am - 4:00pm
All Three Shows Open
For the Final Session
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This IS a selling show and by Sunday you'll see plenty of these SOLD signs. You know the old adage, "He who snoozes, loses." At this show, anyone who hesitates often loses. Sunday of the conference is a hectic day, regardless whether you are in the Antiques Show or the Contemporary Craftsfirms Show, as people realize this is their last opportunity to take advantage of the largest and finest Arts and Crafts show in the country. Our biggest regrets are always those things we didn't buy....
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Sunday 11:00 - 4:00pm
Arts and Crafts Demonstrations
David Van Epps will return to the Grove Park Inn to teach attendees about mortise and tenon joinery and will bring plenty of examples to show. Known as the strongest joint in woodworking, a mortise and tenon joint connects adjoining two pieces of wood or other material through a mortise hole and a tenon tongue. David’s informal demonstration will be designed for Arts and Crafts woodworkers as well as collectors with furniture that have mortise and tenon joinery.
Sunday 12:30 - 1:30pm
Small Group Discussions
This will be a fresh set of topics, so check back later to see what they will be.
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Sunday 12:30 - 5:00pm
Preservation Society House Tour * *
The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County is pleased to offer unique historic homes for the February 2020 National Arts & Crafts Conference Home Tour. All homes are located in National Register listed Norwood Park which offers an eclectic mix of houses mostly built between 1912
and the 1930s.
Please see the form included in your Pre-Conference Information Packet to sign up for the tour. You will need to mail the form using the address provided. You can also order tickets online by visiting the website listed below. Visit the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County's website for more information:
https://psabc.org/arts-crafts-home-tour/
Walking Tour of the Historic
Biltmore Industries
Sunday 1:00 - 2:00pm
4:00pm
34th National Arts and Crafts Conference closes.
Sign up for the February 2022 35th National Arts and Crafts Conference starts in early January of 2021. Check back here for the specific day when you can reserve your favorite room!
* * **The Conference Events Pass/Grove Park Inn Weekend package DO NOT include admission for the following events: the Craftsman Farms Kickoff Party, the Art Museum event, & the Historic House tours. These events are all fundraisers for non-profit organizations. Additionally, the Conference Events Pass does not include registration for any Pre-Conference workshops. For additional information regarding the workshops, please see the Pre-Conference Workshop page.
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