Join us on the evening of Friday, November 17 from 5-7pm ET to celebrate the opening of three new exhibitions and have the opportunity to hear from our featured artists. This opening reception celebrates the culmination of each exhibition: Hammer and Hope, Preservers, Innovators, and Rescuers of Culture in Chiapas, and Connections in the Making.
‍

This event is free, accessible, and open to all.
‍

About the Exhibitions: ‍

Hammer and Hope
On view: November 17, 2023 - July 13, 2024
Hammer and Hope features two contemporary furniture makers – Robell Awake and Charlie Ryland – whose work engages with the contributions of a family of skilled Black craftspeople of the antebellum South who have been largely erased from the historical archive. Through contemporary chair-making, they imagine a counter-narrative that centers and celebrates the contributions of Black makers in the past and present.  
‍

Preservers, Innovators, and Rescuers of Culture in Chiapas
On view: November 17, 2023 - July 13, 2024
Preservers, Innovators, and Rescuers of Culture in Chiapas features eleven textiles by acclaimed Indigenous artisanas (artists) from Chiapas, Mexico commissioned by US-based textile artists and activist Aram Han Sifuentes. As part of their 2022 Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship made possible by the Center for Craft, Han Sifuentes traveled to Chiapas to understand the position of garments and textiles and learn the traditional practice of backstrap weaving. Through the works on view, combined with interviews, visitors can learn about the artisanas and their role as cultural preservers through their textile practice.
‍

Connections in the Making
On view: November 17, 2023 - October 31, 2026
Craft has the capacity to connect us to each other, to ground us in a specific place, and to bridge generations across time. Connections in the Making features works by regional artists, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs that tell different stories about the ways craft connects us.
‍

Parking Information:
In addition to on-street parking, nearby public parking is available at the Rankin Avenue garage, the Civic Center garage, and the public lot adjacent to the Masonic Temple.
‍

A special thanks to North Bennet Street School and  the Foundry Hotel for sponsoring Hammer and Hope.

Preservers, Innovators, and Rescuers of Culture in Chiapas is curated by and organized by the Center for Craft and supported, in part by, The Foundry Hotel.

Connections in the Making was supported, in part, by the John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation and ArtsAVL, and Buncombe County Government.

The Center for Craft is supported, in part,  by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.