From its inception, the Center for Craft has been at the forefront of legitimizing craft as a field of research, curating thought leadership around its value and impact, and providing opportunities for makers and scholars who preserve craft history and push craft forward.
The Center for Craft resources the preservation and innovation of craft. We catalyze the makers and thinkers behind the objects that shape our lives.
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
Amount distributed to makers and thinkers annually to support craft innovation
Total number of grantees and fellows since our first grant program in 2005
Total amount distributed since 2005
Number of states and U.S. territories where grantees reside
Amount distributed in emergency relief and recovery 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
20
Number of Cycles
255
Projects Funded
$1.9 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
Highlighting the work of 40 regional craft artists impacted by Hurricane Helene, WNC Craft Futures: From Here celebrates the deep well of craft skill and creativity in Western North Carolina while also offering a glimpse of where our community can go in the aftermath of a devastating storm.
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.
Photo credits: WNC Craft Futures: Black Box Photography. 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, Courtesy of the Artist. James Vester Miller portrait; Courtesy of Andrea Clark. Potter Matt Jones digging clay; Courtesy of the Artist. Gabe Crow, Eye of the Sacred Bird, 2020; Courtesy Center for Craft. Graphic by History of Salad https://historyofsalad.com.
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 Watch
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