May Issue 2000
Two Exhibits on View at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC
In Asheville, NC, each spring, the Southern Highland Craft Guild invites the graduating class of Haywood Community College's Production Craft department to exhibit their best work at the Folk Art Center's Main Gallery. This year's show, on view through May 21, is entitled An Exploration in Education: Haywood Community College Graduates and North Georgia College and State University. Also, showing through June 11, the Guild hosts a new exhibition celebrating the properties and uses of wool from endangered species of sheep used by fiber artists. In the Folk Art Center's Interpretive Area, the exhibit, Save the Sheep, the Art of Endangered Resources, raises awareness about the purpose and importance of various endangered breeds through garments and artwork made from handspun wool.
An Exploration in Education: Haywood Community College Graduates and North Georgia College and State University has an added feature: along with some of the finest pieces from Haywood students, a sample of student work from the North Georgia College's Department of Fine Arts is shown as well. Now the public has a chance to witness innovations from emerging artists from two of the Guild's educational institutions. It is also an opportunity to purchase work from graduating students who have just completed a two year intensive program at Haywood Community College in clay, wood, fiber or jewelry.
This year's exhibition marks the 23rd year that Haywood has held a show for graduating seniors, and 13 years in partnership with the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The exhibit at the Folk Art Center is the biggest show the students have during their HCC career, giving exposure to their labors and valuable experience in organizing, setting up, and publicizing a fine craft exhibition. Four of the five instructors in the Crafts Production program are active members of the Guild, reinforcing the Guild's standards of excellence in the carefully chosen pieces.
Haywood's Craft Production program is a two-year commitment, focusing on all aspects of becoming an independent craft professional. The students, in addition to sharpening their technical and artistic skills in their chosen medium, also practice creating a marketable line of production pieces, planning a studio, and exploring the craft market.
North Georgia College and State University is located in Dahlonega, GA, in the Appalachian foothills about 70 miles north of Atlanta. The 125-year-old college has had a Fine Arts Department since 1971, founded by Professor Emeritus Bob Owens. Professor Owens is a ceramicist and life member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Since 1977 the Fine Arts Department has also held the status of an Educational Center member of the Guild. Bachelors' degrees are offered in Fine Art, Art Education and Art Marketing, and graduate degrees are offered in Art Education. Studios in the department include drawing, painting, printmaking, photography and computer graphics, pottery, sculpture, weaving and surface design.
Artwork selected from 12 to 15 art students are represented in An Exploration in Education. The Focus of North Georgia's part of the exhibition is to give a representation of the variety of studio opportunities offered in the department. Work will include drawing and painting, photography and computer graphics in addition to examples of craft work in clay and fiber.
Save the Sheep, the Art of Endangered Resources includes 29 juried works of art created from yarn handspun from the fibers of rare sheep from several continents. These works, selected for their artistic merit, level of craftsmanship, and appropriate use of fiber from an endangered wool-bearing breed, are powerful examples of how even subtle differences in wool can produce significant differences in the finished product. From a gossamer shawl of Shetland lace as fine as a spider's web, to a Karakul wool rug that's tough enough to withstand years of hard use, this show illustrates why breeders and handspinners value the diversity found in specialized flocks.
This exhibition also enlightens us on our historic relationship with distinct lineages of sheep, and the environment in which they were created. We learn how globalization and the demands of today's agriculture have led to the loss of distinct breeds and unique traits. We come away understanding how conservation of these breeds is fundamental for survival, adaptation and long-term benefits for both sheep and humans.
Save the Sheep is sponsored by The Southern Highland Craft Guild and Interweave Press, publishers of Spin-Off Magazine, in cooperation with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the center at 828/298-7928.
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