Crafting Our Culture

Crafting Our Culture. . , Weaving a Movement , It was here , just north of Asheville , where artist and teacher Frances Goodrich first saw a stunning woven coverlet. Throughout the 20th century, the work of Goodrich and others, including Eleanor Vance, Charlotte Yale, and Edith Vanderbilt who created Biltmore Industries around the same time, provided the foundation for the Southern Highland Craft Guild, an outlet for local artisans to sell traditional mountain hand skills to visitors., The Guild's Fine Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a great place to purchase a unique handmade object and learn more about craft history., Here, along Lexington Avenue and across downtown, local makers sell clothing, home goods, jewelry, ceramics, glass, skin care products, and pantry staples handcrafted with care., Outside the Lines , A terra cotta woman gazes out from an art deco window. Musicians play mountain sounds in front of an 8-foot iron sculpture. A hand-painted waterfall cascades down a flight of stairs. Steel musicians jam on top of a giant djembe drum., Famous faces and intriguing figures catch the eyes of passersby across the Asheville area. From life-sized bronze sculptures that invite visitors into local history to colorful murals that light up walls and alleyways, public art plays tribute to the people, places, and culture that make Asheville the vibrant mountain city that it is., Add These Favorite Local Murals To Your Itinerary: , .Roberta Flack by Scott Nurkin in Black Mountain , .Dolly Parton and RuPaul by Gus Cutty on Haywood Road in West Asheville , .Lexington Avenue Gateway Mural by seven local artists where the I-240 bridge crosses Lexington Avenue , .Bower Power by Lara Nguyen South Slope , .Triangle Park Mural by Molly Must and other local artists on South Market Street, Visit ExploreAsheville.com/Urban-Trail for a map and free audio guide to a collection of sculpture and markers that tell the story of Asheville's past., (captions) , Right Keep your eyes open from more colorful public art in the South Slope, the River Arts District, and West Asheville. Chicken Alley mural by Molly Must., Left A larger-than-life sculpture of an iron sits at the end of Wall Street opposite Asheville's Flatiron building. It is one of 30 stations of downtown's Urban Trail that tells the story of Asheville's people and places., Right Visit the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a look at the exquisite handicrafts of this region. Watch a craftsperson demonstrating their skills and choose a handmade souvenir to take home.