Bringing the Heat!

Michael Hatch working on a parison on the punty.  Photo: Sarah Carballo
Michael Hatch working on a parison on the punty. Photo: Sarah Carballo

Glass & Metal Day at the Folk Art Center

Gearing up for the season’s educational series of events, the Southern Highland Craft Guild is excited to showcase two new media on their calendar.

Representing 11 media within the nearly 900-member organization, the Guild will introduce the public to elements of Metal and Glass on April 2. A range of techniques will be demonstrated in both of the media, as the artists each have their distinct touch and style.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., these master craftspeople will be blacksmithing, glass blowing, piercing and soldering metals, knife making, bezeling, repoussé, copper etching, assembling stained glass, forging and many other manipulation processes.

Member Rachelle Davis will be working with fine sterling silver, showcasing her well-known talent in piercing. “All the designs on the back of my pendants are [sawed] by hand,” Davis says. Her pieces contain intricate designs and messages that often tell a story. “I have always loved hidden symbols and meaning.”

Visitors will have the opportunity to watch and learn more about two of the five original craft media. Glassblower Michael Hatch of Crucible Glassworks is currently assembling a small kiln to exhibit the quick thought process of blown glass, alongside member Hayden Wilson.

For a complete list of artists participating in Glass & Metal Day, and to learn more about Southern Highland Craft Guild programs at the Folk Art Center call (828) 298-7928 or visit www.craftguild.org. Admission to Glass & Metal Day and the Folk Art Center is free.

The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. Headquarters to the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Center also houses three galleries, a library, Allanstand Craft Shop and a Blue Ridge Parkway information desk and bookstore.

The Southern Highland Craft Guild is a non-profit, educational organization established in 1930 to bring together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation.

The Southern Highland Craft Guild is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

If You Go: Glass & Metal Day, Saturday, April 2, From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just north of the Highway 70 entrance in east Asheville, NC.