2027 Educational Seminars
For as long as there have been pegged joints and matte green glazes, there have been educational seminars designed for Arts and Crafts collectors.
Early Arts and Crafts societies in cities such as Boston, Chicago, and New York gathered to hear speakers reveal the evils of the Industrial Revolution and applaud the virtues of the simple life, one lived among handcrafted furnishings which William Morris described as those “you know to be useful and believe to be beautiful.”
Following in that tradition, the National Arts and Crafts Conference was founded in 1988 as a three-day educational event for Arts and Crafts collectors. It was built on a foundation of seminars presented by researchers, authors, craftsmen, and scholars.
Yearly, collectors and enthusiasts come to the Grove Park Inn in February to the Grove Park Inn’s heritage ballroom to hear wonderful presentations by the country’s most knowledgeable scholars, artisans, and collectors.
In honor of the 40th milestone conference, a special Saturday evening program has been added for attendees focusing on the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Here are the speakers scheduled to present at the 2027 National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows at the Grove Park Inn in January in no particular order.
“Integrity and Honesty in the Arts and Crafts: The Relevance of the Style With a Philosophy”
by David Rago
Partner at Rago/Wright and Founder of Rago Auctions, ceramics expert and author, and appears on The Antiques Roadshow
“Helen Albee and Marion Volk: Arts and Crafts Hooked Rugs of New Hampshire and Maine”
by David Cathers
Author, Speaker and Collector of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
“American Arts & Crafts and The New Woman”
by Nonie Gadsden
Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, The Boston Museum of Fine Art
Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
“Arts & Crafts Then And Now: A New Way of Understanding”
by Andre Chaves
Co-Founder of The Clinker Press, Antiques exhibitor, bookprinter and speaker on the Arts & Crafts movement
“Knowing How Good Things Are Made: My Life in Collecting and Researching Arts and Crafts Furniture”
by Michael McCracken
Collector of and Author on many books on the furniture of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
Title for presentation to be announced
Ryan Berley
Antique Dealer, Collector, and curator of the Rose Valley Museum at Thunderbird Lodge
“Cottage Industry: The Val-Kill Furniture Shop”
by Alyce Englund
Curator of American Decorative Arts, The American Wing
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
“New Contexts for American Ceramics at the Met”
by Adrienne Spinozzi
Associate Curator, The American Wing
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
You can purchase access to all seminars through a conference events pass. Conference registration is included in the Grove Park Inn weekend package.
If you would like to register to view all seminars and do not plan to stay at the Grove Park Inn, please click here to find out how to register or call the office of the National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows at (828) 628-1915. Arts and Crafts Weekend Packages are still available through the Grove Park Inn.
Archived 2026 seminars
The following seminars took place in February of 2026 for the 39th National Arts and Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn.
Craft In Context: Life and Art in The Handcrafted Utopia
by Thomas Guiler
The Evolving Office: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park Studio
by Lisa Schrenk
Professor of Architectural History and Author of The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright
The Surprising Extent of English Influences on American Arts and Crafts Metalwork
by David Marshall
Researcher, Retired Engineer, Collector, and Dealer in the Arts and Crafts Movement
Simple Beauty: The Furniture of the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony
by Tom Wolf
Professor Emeritus of Art History and Visual Culture at Bard College
Exploring The Moss Mystique: The Women and Works of Newcomb College Pottery
by Elyse Gerstenecker, Ph.D.
Curator of Decorative Arts for the Telfair Museums of Savannah, GA.
Asheville Strong: The Three Mountaineers Company and Asheville’s Arts and Crafts Movement
by Heath Towson
Asheville Historian and Tour Guide, Mountain Motor Tours