ackground:
"The Folk School Craft Shop has been a production center since the '30s, producing woodcarvings and other works made locally for sale through the Southern Highland Craft Guild and other craft businesses," says Jennifer Churchill, publicity coordinator for John C. Campbell Folk School Craft Shop. "The Craft Shop as we know it today has been in existence since the late '70s."
Mary Doornbos, craft shop manager, is a basketmaker with an undergraduate degree in art education and a graduate degree in jewelry and metalsmithing.
Kinds of crafts sold:
"Crafts mirroring life!" says Doornbos. "A lot of the work we carry has foundations in nature, in animals and in our surroundings." The gallery sells a wide range of handcrafted work in mediums such as fiber, clay, metal, wood, glass, etc. Functional clay artists include Phil and Terri Mayhew, Lee Davis, Jim Cornell, David Voorhees, Ellen Crandall and Susan DeMay.
Artists in handblown glass include Curtiss Brock, Rick Beck, Gary Beechum, David Goldhagen and Blenko Production. Among fiber artists represented are John Gunther, Coker Creek Handweavers, Churchill Weavers and Nanette Davidson. Woodturners include Lissi Oland, Nick Cook, Robert St. Pierre and Jim Rittmann. And in metal and jewelry, work by Sandy Webster is featured.
Currently looking for:
high-quality regional work. The shop accepts work in traditional or contemporary interpretations.
Prime customers:
age 20 and up. About one-third of the craft shop's customers come from the workshops held year-round at the Folk School. The remaining two-thirds are tourists on vacation, or local customers. Many customers have second homes in the Appalachian mountains.
Signature crafts:
woodcarvings by the world-renowned Brasstown Carvers and a variety of local craftspeople. The shop is also known for its inventory of woodturned vessels, blacksmith work, pottery, basketry and weavings.
Exhibitions:
N/A
Artists are found through:
the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, the Piedmont Craft Fair, the Tennessee Craft Fair and other shows. Teachers at the Folk School and regional artists submit their slides or work for jurying.
Pricing:
$5-$500 and up. The gallery assigns prices.
Purchase/consignment:
Ninety-nine percent of the items are purchased.
GALLERY
OWNERS: |
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Would you like your gallery to be considered for inclusion in Gallery Profiles?
If you have professional photos and/or slides of your gallery, and you're looking to attract new artists and new work, please send your photos and background information to:
The Crafts Report
attention: Kirsten Coughlin
300 Water St.
Wilmington, DE 19801.
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Best-selling price points:
$25-$100
Gallery size:
3,000 square feet
Number of artists currently represented:
150-200
Non-craft items sold:
craft books, limited craft supplies, traditional music cassettes and compact disks
Services offered to customers:
gift-wrapping, gift certificates, knowledge-able and informed salespeople
Gallery location:
lower level of the Olive Dame Campbell Building on the campus of the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown
To submit work to the gallery:
send slides or photographs
Why selling crafts:
"I enjoy selling things like this because they are an extension of the human spirit," says Doornbos. "It's a direct connection to someone's essence, to look at these items made by hand, something that is valued less and less in our computerized, mechanized, bar-coded world."
Kirsten Coughlin is editorial assistant of The Crafts Report.
