Since our start, the Center for Craft has been guided by the simple belief that craft matters. We are the engine that moves craft forward by investing in makers, researchers, and craft communities nationwide.
The Center for Craft resources the preservation and innovation of craft. We catalyze the people and ideas shaping the future of making.
For press inquiries and donor or partnership information, please contact us.
Daniel Nevers
Director of Development & Marketing
dnevers@centerforcraft.org
(828) 785-1357 ext.114
67 Broadway St., Asheville, NC 28801
By The Numbers
Years serving the craft community
Total amount awarded since our first grant program in 2005
Total number of grantees and fellows
Amount awarded annually to advance the preservation and innovation of craft
Number of states and U.S. territories where grantees reside
Amount of aid relief raised and distributed in Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene
Number of makers and craft organizations who received support after Helene
Annual number of visitors to our gallery in downtown Asheville
Annual website visitors
HOW WE DO IT
The Center for Craft uniquely supports artists and projects across the life cycle of the creative process—from research and ideas, to making, to exhibitions and archives. An overview of our current grant and fellowship programs:
2005
Year Started
21
Number of Cycles
260
Projects Funded
$1.95 million
Total Support
2006
Year Started
20
Number of Cycles
200
Projects Funded
$3 million
Total Support
2020
Year Started
Reactivated 2024
3
Number of Cycles
928
Recipients Funded
$1.475 million
Total Support
2023
Year Started
3
Number of Cycles
71
Artists Funded
$1.9 million
Total Support
2025
Year Started
1
Number of Cycles
1
Artists Funded
$100,000
Total Support
2023
Year Started
2
Number of Cycles
11
Artists Funded
$145,000
Total Support
2025
Year Started
1
Number of Cycles
1
Researchers Supported
$35,000
Total Support
2022
Year Started
2
Number of Cycles
11
Researchers Supported
$55,000
Total Support
2017
Year Started
4
Number of Cycles
13
Researchers Supported
$65,000
Total Support
Coined by 2026 Center for Craft Curatorial Fellow Alyssa Velazquez, the term craft-itarianism names projects that generate employment, raise awareness, or offer therapeutic support through craft.
View Exhibition
Craft has the capacity to connect people to one another, to ground us in a specific place, and to bridge generations across time. Connections in the Making includes works by 13 regional artists, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs that shed light on stories about the ways craft connects us.
One definition of a material is “a thing something else is made from” — though that meaning can become slippery when applied to craft. Explore material samples commonly associated with craft — such as wood, metal, clay, glass, and fibers — and discover ones shaping craft’s future, such as alternatives to plastics, biodegradable foams, and ink derived from algae.
Created in collaboration with members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, this public art installation and parklet evokes Cherokee basketry in its materials, structure, colors, patterns, and use.
Craft-itarianism: Community Action Through Craft: Maggie Thompson, process photo, Hospital Gown, 2025, photo courtesy of the artist. Connections in the Making: Rachel Meginnes, I Traverse Daily (detail), 2021, photo courtesy of the artist; Erika Diamond, 40% (detail), 2022, photo by Echard Wheeler; portrait of James Vester Miller, photo courtesy of Andrea Clark; potter Matt Jones digging clay, photo courtesy of the artist; Gabe Crow, Eye of the Sacred Bird, 2020, photo courtesy Center for Craft; graphic design by History of Salad.
Held regularly since 2002, Craft Think Tank convenes thought leaders from craft and associated disciplines to share knowledge and identify the emerging needs of artists and thinkers working in craft.
About the Craft Think Tank
This series of conversations and events allows the Center for Craft to share stories of impact with audiences nationwide both virtually and in person.
About Craft WatchAugust 20, 2025 – Press Newsletter: Crafting a Movement: Inside Center for Craft
September 18, 2025 – Press Release: Center for Craft Celebrates 20 Years of the Craft Research Fund
September 23, 2025 – Press Newsletter: About the Craft Research Fund
October 15, 2025 – Press Release: Center for Craft to Acquire the American Craft Council Library & Archives Collections
67 Broadway St, Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 785-1357 | info@centerforcraft.org
Gallery Hours: Tues–Sat, 10–6 get more info
Gallery Hours: Closed — Reopening Fall 2019