Discover the Bliss of the Asheville Area with Its Variety of Lessons in Arts and Crafts at every Level
The mountains of Western North Carolina have long been a sanctuary and a source of inspiration and even raw materials for artists and craftspeople. This area has also provided extraordinary opportunities for learning -- with Penland School of Crafts and the John C. Campbell Folk School setting a very high standard for the quality of teaching that is available. These schools have also been both a training ground and a magnet for more and more exceptional craftspeople emigrating to western North Carolina, with many of them giving back to the community by becoming teachers themselves.
Art Internships and Art Schools
Asheville Bookworks
"... a community resource for print and book arts in Western NC and beyond. BookWorks offers a full spectrum of classes and workshops covering all aspects of book arts. Instructors are drawn mainly from the immensely talented and growing book arts community here in western North Carolina, many of whom are nationally and internationally recognized. BookWorks has become a gathering place for individuals with an interest in handmade books, printmaking, letterpress and related arts, through our exhibits, lectures and community outreach. We are pleased to provide space and equipment for artistic exploration, collaboration and sharing of knowledge...." Located on Haywood Road in West Asheville.
News About Events and Openings
Oddysey Center for Ceramic Arts
"... an educational program of Highwater Clays, Inc....The mission of our studio school is to promote understanding, appreciation and professional development in the ceramic arts. This is accomplished through a community-based educational program which includes lectures and gallery exhibitions, as well as hands-on classes and workshops for beginners, pre-professional, and professional artists and craftspeople...." Internships available. Located in the River Arts District.
The Fine Arts League of the Carolinas
"... a
non-profit art school of drawing and painting was established to preserve and develop the traditions and techniques of the Old Masters. We teach the tenets of representational art that span the classicism of the Greeks, the idealism of the Italian Renaissance to the fidelity of contemporary Realism...." Located on Depot Street in Asheville
Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League
" ... promotes visual and musical fine arts with workshops, ongoing classes, exhibits, music lessons and concerts.... Our studios and master
teachers offer you a chance to expand your art horizons, while enjoying one of the most scenic areas in America.... Our arts exhibits, lectures and concerts have set standards of excellence for the area, and our arts education programs have employed some of the area's finest artists, sculptors and musicians, as well as teachers of national reputation. Scholarships are issued for qualified recipients...."
Fiber and Wearables Workshops
Cloth Fiber Workshop
"... Whether you're looking to enhance your knitting skills or want to learn advanced techniques in the textile arts, you will find a supportive and inspiring learning environment at Cloth Fiber Workshop..." Here is an example of the types of workshops you might find: The Embroidered Image; Creating a Felted Body Textile; Creative Quilts and Applique; Cloth Books; Cloth Doll Workshop; Decorative Surface Design on Paper * Cloth; Creating Felted Jewelry; Creative Fabric Cards; Improvisational Piecing for Quilters; Contemporary Pop-Up Doll/Puppet; Introduction to Procion Dyes; Creating Pattern on Fabric: Block Printing; Gradation Dying with Procion Dyes; Color Theory and Practice.
"... despite all my threats to retire and raise possums in my garage, I will keep teaching this fabulous felt stuff. I love the medium and I love the color and surfaces created with the resist processes. I am developing several new classes - sort of a SLOW FELT MOVEMENT - in which we will concentrate on the embellishment of that beautiful felt surface with stitching and beading..."
",,, Chad Alice Hagen has been exploring hand-felted wool since 1980. She received her BA in Art and Master's in Textile Design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work has been featured on the covers of Fiberarts Magazine, Surface Design Journal and Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot. Articles and photos on her work have also appeared in American Craft Magazine, Echoes, and Fiberarts Design Books, among others.
Hagen's hand-felted wool has been exhibited throughout the United States as well as in Mexico City, Japan, India, England and Denmark. Her work is included in the collections of the Mint Museum of Art+Design (Charlotte NC), The Minneapolis Institute of Art, the University of Wisconsin - Madison, in the corporate collections of B.F. Goodrich and Westinghouse, and in private collections.
She is the author of The Weekend Crafter: Feltmaking 2002, and Fabulous Felt Hats, 2004 and Fabulous Felted Scarves (with co-author Jorie Johnson). she has written numerous articles on the textile arts for Fiberarts, Echoes, Surface Design Journal, and Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot, among others.
She has taught feltmaking extensively since 1984 to adults and children throughout the United States. Since 2000 she has taught spring classes in England, Holland, Ireland and Germany.
Hagen's feltmaking specialty and passion is resist dyeing of hand-felted wool.
"... Rag fabric is also the basis
of the classes I teach
at various Craft Schools,
which activity began in 1996..."
Liz Spear
Liz Spear
"... I love teaching beginners, and helping them realize that their brain is bigger than that loom. I generally teach weaving with rags in these beginning classes, because there are only 12 threads per inch, instead of 16 or 20, and the weaving goes faster with rags, and I get to do my rag fabric schtick about weaving anything with rags that you can weave with thread. I’m presenting the weaving process, rather than specific projects: I help the students accomplish whatever it is that they want to do. We’ve woven fabric for vests, jackets, hats, totebags, and pillow covers, rugs, scarves, and runners. And potholders. One student went on to establish a rag-weaving business, and now weaves uppers for clogs, as well as scarves, boas, bags, and anything else they can think of. Another student gleefully cut up all of her old corporate wardrobe and made pet rugs of silks and rayons and cotton. Educational demonstrations for my craft organizations are another teaching venue that I enjoy, and squeeze in, several times each year. Every time, I get to hear stories about working in the textile mills, seeing Grandmama weave rugs after the neighbor down the street cut up the household’s old worn-out clothes, and to explain to wide-eyed youngsters that, yes, it’s the same process as their potholder loom class. In the last several years, I’ve also presented slide lectures on my work to weaving guilds, to a couple of weaving classes at Penland, and to most summer weaving classes at Haywood Community College. These lectures include the development of my current work, and business, as well as how-to info on garment design and construction. Nobody wants to cut up their handwoven fabric, and it's good for them to see how it's managed, so easily...."
Paula Scaffidi's "Fiberella"
Creative Machine Needle Felting and Embellishment Retreats and Workshops
Paula has a very generously illustrated website which gives you an idea of the wonderful effects that can be achieved with machine needle felting, drawing with the sewing machine, and improvisational techniques for quilts and garments. If you would like to sponsor an event in the Asheville area, email her. for her available dates. Otherwise, you might find a workshop or retreat within a reasonable driving distance (we saw one in the Greensboro/ Winston-Salem area when we last looked). Paula offers a free video demo of some of her techniques on her website, and there is a 'how to' for a sweater in Designer Needle Felting (see below).
Designer Needle Felting "... Fiber artists, crafters, quilters, and sewers have all embraced the art of needle felting—the popular technique of using a barbed needle and wool roving to create sheets of felt or embellish fabric. This colorfully illustrated guide shows just how easy it can be to get eye-catching results on everything from wonderful wearables to whimsical home accessories...."
Jenny Swearingen of "Jenny Threads"
Has upcoming classes in clothing construction from handmade/ hand-dyed textiles, surface design and revamping existing clothing
Do-It-Yourself Pottery and Arts and Crafts Studios and 'Lounges' catering to Complete Beginners and Novices
We are a full service contemporary studio located in the Historic Biltmore Village in beautiful Asheville NC. Our studio is bright and spacious with lots of good energy, and most important- adult and kid friendly. We offer a HUGE selection of fun and unique pottery pieces, ranging in price from $1.00 to $70.00. We have over 50 different colors of underglaze, new specialty glazes, various colors of puffy paint, stamps, stencils, and books to get you in the mood. So come on in and release your inner artist by taking a lesson on our pottery wheels, painting pottery, hand building with clay, making mosaics, glass fusing and painting glass ware.
Just sit back, relax and paint, Claying Around will take care of the rest. Once you have painted your pottery, we clean up for you, glaze your pottery, fire it until it shines, and then wrap your finished pieces for you. Our glazes are non toxic, microwave and dishwasher safe. (although we recommend hand washing to extend the life of your pottery) We have various glass and ceramic tiles to create a one of a kind mosaic, each mosaic plaque is priced to include all your tiles, grout, grouting supplies and even instructions. Perfect for immediate satisfaction; because you take it home with you when your finished!Glass Fusing is a new and unique way to create your own fabulous glass plates, soap dishes, wind chimes, picture frames and even pendants. Each kit contains everything you would new to complete this utterly cool project.
We offer various hot beverages from cappuccino to green tea, our cold beverages range from sodas to juices to bottled water and if you get hungry, we have great snacks- including irresistible Frozen treats and ice cream!
Fired Up! Creative Lounge
"Inspiring creativity in the Asheville community for over 7 years, Fired Up! Creative Lounge participates in many local events from the Taste of Asheville and the Culinary Showcase to some of the mosaic murals around town. We also cater to school groups, provide educational workshops and summer camps. As the owner, and former art teacher, I cherish the opportunity to encourage artistic growth in our community. Come see the changes that are happening as we begin to feature more local artists in our studio. ...As many of you know there is no gift like the one made with thought and love. Taking the time will show someone you really care. Don't feel you have any "creativity"? Don't let that stop you. We will help you personalize a special gift of which you will be proud. Helping you have a relaxing, fun, pleasurable experience while your making those special presents is what we're all about..."
Craft Lessons
Crucible Glassworks
"... Not only can you see the artists at Crucible Glassworks design and create this exquisite art but you can also purchase those products that have been made. Workshops are available..."
Irene Semanchuk Dean
Makes wonderful useful objects like switch plates and fan pulls out of polymer clay and teaches at John C. Campbell Folk School and Arrowmont.
If you can't take her classes, consider buying her books!
"Very Easy to Follow Directions for Making Faux Stones!!! Why Pay Big Bucks to use Turquoise, Tiger Eye, Marble, etc., in your Jewelry Making when you can make it?"
"I'm brand-new to the wonders of polymer clay and I found this book to be really easy to follow."
"This book is a must for any beginning to intermediate polymer clay crafter or artisan. The projects are beautiful and very "do-able"! Irene's own projects are displayed in very good photos, and are a marvelous source of inspiration for combining techniques and textures. Her tiled mirrors and wall pieces are breathtaking."
Earth Guild
offers classes in knitting and spinning, as well as a full compliment of equipment and yarns.
Yarn Paradise not only offers one of the largest selections of yarns in the Southeast, but "...offers a variety of classes by local and guest instructors every month..."
Furniture Craftman's Dream Vacation! Private Mentoring by
Furniture Craftsman Gary Rawlins includes 2 Nights' Lodging
at the B&B at Ponder Cove.
You will shadow this highly trained craftsman, Gary Rawlins, observing his techniques and latest works. Bring a piece of yours along for an expert critique. These sessions are designed around your skill level. Includes 2 nights at Ponder Cove, copy of James Krenov's book, A Cabinetmaker's Notebook. To quote Gary "a must read for those that share my passion for wood. It is not a how to but a why".
Browse AshevilleBliss.com's Bookstore
Explore the Bliss of Teaching Yourself (or Brushing Up On) Fine Crafts Techniques via These Excellent Books
Books are great teachers! There always there when you need them... even at 3 a.m.! We personally think they make a great compliment to taking workshops. However, if you're REALLY short on cash , these books are a great 'second choice'... even available in most cases, used. Many of these books (particularly the Lark ones) feature South Toe and Asheville area artists and photography.
Contemporary Warm Glass: A Guide to Fusing, Slumping & Kiln-Forming Techniques *Glass Types and Forms *Supplies and Equipment; *Preparing the Kiln for Firing; *Keeping a Firing Log; *The Basis Fusing and Slumping Process; *Molds for Slumping; *Troubleshooting; *Fusing and Slumping Techniques; *Glass Polishing; *Finishing for Display; *Compatibility Testing; *More about Annealing; *Kiln Casting; *Glass Painting; *Making Your Own (devit spray, kiln wash, iridescent glass, frit, stringers); and *Master Firing Schedules
This comprehensive introduction features projects both beautiful and practical that are sure to appeal to all beginning glassworkers. It covers all of the fundamentals, such as fusing, slumping and draping, as well as some intermediate and advanced techniques, including pot melting, inclusions, mold-making and more. There’s also advice on decorative surface treatment of the finished piece... Nineteen exquisite projects, arranged by skill level, range from home décor items, like a wall sconce and fountain, to sculpture, and even an amber glass pendant.
This is absolutely the best resource for learning low-fire clay decoration.... covers everything you need to know in an easy to understand manner. Surface decoration techniques include slips, terra sigillata, underglazes, glazes, maiolica, china paints, decals, & lusters. Formulas for some of these are included by volume & percentage. Seven step-by-step projects that demonstrate use of slips, sgraffito, cutouts, decals, underglazes & maiolica help you to apply what you have learned. A glossary, cone-firing range chart, & resource list are a great bonus
From press-molded pieces to carved works showcasing spectacular surface treatments, these magnificent tiles will inspire beginners and professionals, as well as collectors and enthusiasts. Some of the larger handcrafted displays here were made to decorate public and private spaces; others use single tiles to interpret nature, tell a story, or make a bold cultural observation. As always in this acclaimed series, all the contributors are accomplished artists, renowned in the field.
No other volume has ever presented such a diverse and captivating collection of contemporary animal-themed ceramics.... the beautifully crafted works range from the representational to the abstract, from artful realism to provocative surrealism (including animal-human hybrids). Ann Marais’ image of a waterfowl painted onto a porcelain dish has a restrained, Asian quality. Sharkus’ painted and smoke-fired stoneware turtle could easily be mistaken for the living creature. Bova provides astute and illuminating commentary overall, with selected artists’ notes.
....richly illustrated with hundreds of breathtaking photographs.... the artistry of a finely tooled leather cover, embellished with traditional gold-leaf lettering; the intricacy of an exotic Ethi..... Jeanne Germani’s Cloudspeak showcases her own handmade papers, made from such varied materials as recycled denim, thistle, and other plant matter. Chris Bivin’s codex-style volume features curious, tiny, found objects. One of Laura Wait’s untitled pieces utilizes a handsome raised-cord binding to connect a pair of stained-cedar covers with abstract aluminum letterforms attached.
.. a varied, captivating collection of contemporary ceramics based on the human form... from leaders in the field such as Judy Fox, Kurt Weiser, and Andy Nasisse. Kay Yourist has produced female forms that are smooth, minimalist vessels with only the slightest hint of breasts and belly. The simple, rounded features of Diane Lublinski’s black-and-white figures possess a fun, clown-like whimsy. Michael A. Prather’s mournful ceramic portraits have frowning faces and pointed dunce-like heads in a muted color palette. Many come with detail images and illuminating artist’s commentary.
If you are a contemporary art glass collector, you will love the hundreds of photographs in this book. You might even discover a new artist whose work you covet! As a learning tool, however, this book leaves something to be desired. Other than the names of the artists and their techniques, plus the object dimensions, there is not a lot of information. It would have been nice to have examples and descriptions of how the techniques are accomplished. But then, the author - the daughter of one of the world's foremost glass artists - would have needed more than 396 pages.
Art Making, Collections, and Obsessions: An Intimate Exploration of the Mixed-Media Work and Collections of 35 Artists "...
This is the most inspiring art book I've seen in a long, long time.... could, I think, be aptly described as an afternoon's outing through an
intimate art gallery. The photography is glorious; Perella's books
always are. The text is superb, both beautifully sensitive and
generously nuanced in its reportage of the artists' purposes and
devotion to collecting and art making. Truly, of all the excellent art
books and magazines I've bought in recent months and years, this is the
most personally stimulating and inspiring of all..."
Click on each of the dozens of categories to the left to uncover what makes the Asheville area so vital, so intriguing and so, well, UTTERLY BLISSFUL!
Two Historic Craft Schools:
John C. Campbell Folk School
and Penland School of Crafts
Send your choice of free historic Penland postcards like this one depicting the “Travellog” which was driven to Chicago in 1933 to display Penland creations at the World’s Fair. Penland founder Lucy Morgan sits on steps. (Bayard Wootten/ Penland)
Penland has been a major force in attracting an amazingly high calibre of artists and artisans who have moved to be within a 30 mile or so radius of this internationally-recognized school. Some first came as students. Some as artists in residence. Many, drawn by the growing number of other artists in the area and the area's phenomenal natural beauty have stayed on. Here's an overview of what has historically made Penland such a powerful cultural force.
"Schools like Penland and Haystack Mountain (Maine) continue to be important because their small scale and flexible structure allow them to experiment and develop programs in a way that can't be done within the more formalized structure of universities and art schools. At Penland you learn by watching others and that's very important. That community of exchange and sharing is hard to document, but it's part of why Penland exists." Paul Smith, Curator Emeritus of the American Craft Museum (now the Museum of Arts & Design)
"...Workshops are the core of Penland’s educational program. Each summer, the school offers 98 one- or two-week classes in books and paper, clay, drawing and painting, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking, textiles, wood, and other media.In the spring and fall, Penland has seven classes that run for eight weeks. These long sessions, called Concentrations, are unlike anything else offered in craft: almost as long as a college semester with the focused intensity of the single-subject workshop. We also offer a few one-week classes in the spring and fall. Penland has no standing faculty—instructors and students come to the school for the duration of their session. Students at Penland take only one class at a time, making it possible to cover a tremendous amount of material and to form close relationships with other students in a few weeks." Located in Penland, NC, about an hour and 15 minutes north of Asheville.
Public Events at Penland include an Annual Open House in early March where with hands-on activities and/or demonstrations in clay, hot glass, flameworked glass, iron, metals, papermaking, printmaking, textiles, and wood. The event is free and open to the whole family; children are welcome.... Each year 400-500 visitors join 100 local volunteers for this afternoon of education and fun. Some activities, particularly glass, are very popular and have limited spaces. Sign-ups will not start until 1:00 PM, but guests are welcome to come early and get in line."
Half Price Standby Tuition Discount to Local Residents & Teachers Anywhere
LOCAL STANDBY: Residents of Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey, and Watauga counties (North Carolina) who take unfilled spaces in Penland summer classes two weeks or less before the first day of the class will receive half-price tuition; regular room and board fees apply. Standby discounts will be available for fall and spring classes thirty-days before the classes begin. IMAGE: detail of wall
TEACHER STANDBY: Penland School is extending the standby program to all K-12 teachers, regardless of where they live. You will be asked to furnish proof of current employment as a teacher.
Tour Penland On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can join a
tour of the campus (reservations required). You'll be able to tour the campus and visit the resident artist's studios. You can have lunch or a snack in the coffee shop... shop in the art supply store and the gallery. Pick up a map to artist's studios in the vicinity. Note" You won't be able to visit the teaching studiosTour the school and visit working artist's studios to avoid disrupting the teaching and creative experience.
Tours of Penland School leave the gallery on Tuesday at 10:30 AM and Thursday at 1:30 PM; reservations required. For more information call 828-765-6211.
"Remember mountain days
Remember friends and
mountain neighbors
and the joy of hands at work
Remember mountain days" from the wall on the walk from North Light to the Ceramic Studio
Visit the Penland Gallery
The gallery presents functional and sculptural work in books, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, painting, papermaking, photography, printmaking, textiles, and wood. In addition to the sales area, the gallery has an ongoing series of invitational shows..."
Jack Troy: Hayland and Penstack
"...Every now and then someone asks me, “Which do you like better, Penland or Haystack?” My answer is always the same: “Yes.” And when they give me the identical bewildered look, I don’t blame them a bit. If you’ve attended workshops at these remarkable institutions - unique to the world; deserving their own genre of patriotism - you may know what it is to ogle one of North Carolina’s most cherished Blue Ridge views from a picnic table in front of The Pines and imagine a Maine island just beyond the mixed hardwoods enclosing Cynthia Bringle’s studio, or maybe you’ve gazed off a deck overlooking Penobscot Bay and conjured up a spot on the southeast horizon where an imagined mountain-gash represents the geological C-section where our soda feldspar originates, near Spruce Pine. Something we breathe at both places induces the same sensation that made Emily Dickinson an “inebriate of air.” Penland’s llamas graze across from what might be the little harbor-bay whose curving shore mimics the last turn on Conley Ridge Road; bamboo and rhododendron thickets thrive where vaguely spooky moss and springy duff might clothe spruce-roots. Is that a predawn train or lobster-boat guttering out early? How can rain on the kiln-shed’s roof mimic a high tide shredding itself on granite, just below your cabin? What measly proportion of these irresistible breakfast calories will I really need to make a couple dozen cups and show a tray of teabowl slides before lunch? (Logo on a T-shirt fetching $65 at a recent auction: PENLAND, WHERE VEGETARIANS EAT BACON)..." click here for rest of post
A Unique Learning Experience
in the Mountains of North Carolina...
John C. Campbell Folk School
"... provides experiences in non-competitive learning and community life that are joyful and enlivening. Located in scenic Brasstown, North Carolina, the Folk School offers year-round weeklong and weekend classes for adults in craft, art, music, dance, cooking, gardening, nature studies, photography and writing...."
Folk School Founders, Olive Dame Campbell and Marguerite Butler
John C. Campbell Folk School's "Unique History" After John died in 1919, Olive and her friend Marguerite Butler traveled to Europe and studied folk schools in Denmark, Sweden and other countries. They returned to the U.S. full of purposeful energy and a determination to start such a school in Appalachia. They realized, more than many reformers of the day, that they could not impose their ideas on the mountain people.
They would need to develop a genuine collaboration.
Several locations were under consideration for the experimental school. On an exploratory trip, Miss Butler discussed the idea with Fred O. Scroggs, Brasstown's local storekeeper, saying that she would be back in a few weeks to determine if area residents had any interest in the idea. When she returned, it was to a meeting of over 200 people at the local church. The people of far west North Carolina enthusiastically pledged labor, building materials and other support.
In 1925, the Folk School began its work. Instruction at the Folk School has always been noncompetitive; there are no credits and no grades. Today, the Folk School offers a unique combination of rich history, beautiful mountain surroundings, and an atmosphere of living and learning together. CLICK HERE for the rest of the story and more historic photos
At the turn of the twentieth century, the plight of Appalachians drew many eager ministers to the region. Young New Yorker John C. Campbell recognized that efforts to uplift inhabitants of the Southern Highlands overlooked their craftsmanship, folklore, and pride.
In 1908, the Russell Sage Foundation commissioned Campbell to conduct a comprehensive study of Appalachia. Campbell and his wife Olive Dame journeyed to central Alabama by covered wagon, and in four years they visited over seventy schools and churches and hundreds of homes collecting facts, interviewing residents, and hearing the stories and ballads unique to the Southern Highlands.
Campbell immersed himself in the culture as friend and brother to the mountain people, developing relationships that would continue well beyond his original commission. Motivated by his own experience, Campbell sought to change the misconception that Appalachia was the "opposite" of America and fought to preserve its culture. Throughout his life, he continued to advocate for schools that would train mountain people in traditional skills, public health and sanitation, and a sustainable economy.
Originally published in 1921, The Southern Highlander and His Homeland provides a seminal understanding of a now diminished way of mountain life. Rare photographs, maps, and tables supplement Campbell’s observations on kinship, religion, education, and living conditions in Appalachia and offer an invaluable portrait of Appalachian history and culture.
"... despite all my threats to retire and raise possums in my garage, I will keep teaching this fabulous felt stuff. I love the medium and I love the color and surfaces created with the resist processes. I am developing several new classes - sort of a SLOW FELT MOVEMENT - in which we will concentrate on the embellishment of that beautiful felt surface with stitching and beading..."
"...
almost as long as a college semester with the focused intensity of the single-subject workshop. We also offer a few one-week classes in the spring and fall. Penland has no standing faculty—instructors and students come to the school for the duration of their session. Students at Penland take only one class at a time, making it possible to cover a tremendous amount of material and to form close relationships with other students in a few weeks." Located in Penland, NC, about an hour and 15 minutes north of Asheville. 
LOCAL STANDBY: Residents of Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey, and Watauga counties (North Carolina) who take unfilled spaces in Penland summer classes two weeks or less before the first day of the class will receive half-price tuition; regular room and board fees apply. Standby discounts will be available for fall and spring classes thirty-days before the classes begin. IMAGE: detail of wall 
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can join a 
