BILTMORE INDUSTRIES HOMESPUN MUSEUM exhibits tools, looms, samples from the weaving factory that was founded in 1905.
"Doing a common thing uncommonly well often brings success."
One of the mottos of the Biltmore industries.
Fiber Arts facilities of WARREN WILSON COLLEGE and meeting with SCHOLARS
In my visit to the fiber arts studio at Warren Wilson, the program leader, Melanie Wilder met me to discuss her practice and the system at the college.
The program is designed to cover the material generation and crafting phases as significant aspects of learning a new skill. For this reason, the college has a farm for growing flax and dyeing plants and, a farm for growing sheep, some for meat, and five for fiber.
Students from all departments and programs can participate in fiber arts courses to develop their graduation projects, learn a new skill, or practice sustainable agriculture.
Craft is taught and practiced in interdisciplinary ways, where it becomes a way to find yourself and think through material interactions.
Already before going to Asheville, the craft presence was evident. This anticipation became a reality once I was in Asheville. Indeed, when you land at Asheville Airport, an arts and crafts gallery welcomes you.
Walking around downtown Asheville can bring before you a craft, art, or culture space almost on every street and avenue. The strong presence of crafts usually centers around pottery and basketry, but textiles are right next to them.
The diversity in these creative spaces inspires building further connections.
CRAFTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE
In Asheville, it is very easy to encounter craft examples, sensitivities, tools, materials, or discussions. Craft is not only visible in galleries and studios; examples can pop up anywhere in Asheville. These encounters indicate that crafts are embedded in and integral to everyday life.
Gerda Gruber (Mexican, b. Slovakia, 1940)
Nido IX, 2022
Jute, bamboo, and cotton thread
Fischer/Shull Collection of Contemporary Art
BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE MUSEUM AND ART CENTER has a small collection of works on exhibit as well as a temporary exhibition on works from Mexico.
Damián Ortega (Mexican, b. 1967)
Historia del arte 1 and 2, 2022
Cotton thread on linen, hand embroidery by Damián Ortega Courtesy of the artist and kurimanzutto, Mexico City/New York
