Western North
Carolina, long noted as a superb marketplace for professional
American craft, is succeeding in a series of initiatives to grow its
crafts economy and create a supportive community for its
craftspeople. The region's craft economy generates more than $144
million a year, drawing both new craftspeople and patrons to the
area. These efforts have helped propel Asheville to the top tier of
many national rankings, including America's Top 25 Arts Destinations
(AmericanStyle 2006), 24 among 200 Large Metros Best Places for
Business and Careers (Forbes 2006), and number one of the 100 Best
Places to Live (Relocate America 2007).
One of the
boldest enterprises in craft to be announced in the last several
years is a collaborative partnership between the University of North
Carolina Asheville and surrounding Buncombe County to use methane
from the county's former landfill to power the University's Craft
Campus. The facility, now in the design stage, will be located next
to the closed landfill along the French Broad River. Both its
construction and studio operations will model sustainable
environmental practices.
"This endeavor
clearly demonstrates the intersection of economic development and
education," said Nathan Ramsey, Buncombe County Commissioners chair
and a UNC Asheville alumnus. "We are especially delighted to have
this opportunity to work with UNC Asheville and together reclaim the
closed landfill, a symbol of our society's throw-away culture, for
productive use."
When UNC
Asheville recently held a highly competitive search for the Craft
Campus' two leadership positions, search committee members were
astounded by the number and quality of candidates from across the
United States, said William Spellman, UNC Asheville Dean of
Humanities.
Two
internationally known craft artists have been selected. Brent
Skidmore, an accomplished wood sculptor and assistant professor at
the Kendall College of Art and Design in Michigan, will be the first
director of the Craft Campus. Jon Keenan, an acclaimed ceramicist
and art professor at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire, will be
associate director. Skidmore and Keenan will begin their new
positions in July.
"Brent
Skidmore and Jon Keenan each offer special strengths and talents,"
said Spellman. "Brent brings to our students the opportunity to
study wood sculpture at UNC Asheville and to learn the professional
practices of successful working artists. Jon, who is equally at home
in the U.S. and Asia, brings the skills of a world-class ceramicist
and accomplished liberal arts professor whose expertise includes
Japanese art history and language."
Skidmore and
Keenan are well-acquainted with Western North Carolina’s strong
craft history and have taught at Penland School of Crafts.
"UNC Asheville
and Western North Carolina are truly fortunate to have two valuable
craft artists joining the staff as the leadership team for the new
Craft Campus," said Jean McLaughlin, Penland School of Crafts
director. "Brent Skidmore is a dynamic, creative force. As an
artist, teacher and administrator he is visionary, imaginative,
forward-thinking, and totally engaging. Jon Keenan is a thoughtful,
deeply knowledgeable, cross-culturally connected artist, teacher and
administrator."
"I am
passionate about studio crafts and the people who make them," said
Skidmore. "I believe in the power of handmade objects and living
with them. I will bring with me that passion, my experience in the
making of objects, and a deep understanding of what it means to be a
working crafts artist," said Skidmore.
"I think we
are at a crucial time our country in the crafts – the arts and
crafts are being elevated in status, and the Craft Campus will
further that evolution," said Keenan. "I see how the arts and crafts
touch different fields and how that interconnectedness provides an
opportunity for students, artists and scholars to come together to
learn and create. I see the Craft Campus as a dynamic place where
craft studies, science and the arts and humanities come together."
Skidmore and
Keenan bring an absolute belief in the importance of the Craft
Campus, matching that of UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder.
"We have the
strongest possible commitment to the success of the Craft Campus,"
said UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder. "Not only is it an
educational venture that aspires to establish UNC Asheville as the
leading undergraduate degree-granting craft program in America, but
as part of the HUB project, Buncombe County's economic development
plan for the future, it will further the arts in our region and help
create the next generation of fine craftspeople. We know their work
will be influenced by our region’s rich craft history and by world
traditions that will stretch our imagination and appreciation of
craft."
"What may be
most remarkable about the Craft Campus collaboration is that it ties
together many of our region's imperatives -- education, economic
development, land use planning, and the celebration of our cultural
heritage. The Craft Campus will clearly add to our region's
reputation as one of the leading centers for the creative economy,"
said John F.A.V. Cecil, president of Biltmore Farms Inc. and former
UNC Asheville Board of Trustees chair.
Brent Skidmore
Brent Skidmore, whose work has been exhibited in dozens of solo and
group shows throughout the U.S. and abroad, was a full-time studio
artist in Charlotte for six years prior to accepting a teaching
position at the Kendall College of Arts and Design, Ferris State
University in Grand Rapids, Mich. In addition, he has taught
workshops throughout the country, including Arrowmont School of Arts
& Crafts and the Appalachian Center for Craft. He has served as a
member of the Energy Xchange planning board, the Penland School of
Crafts woodshop planning committee and the Mint Museum of Craft &
Design advisory board. He is a founding member of the Furniture
Society in Free Union, Va., and is a member of the Urban Institute
of Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids. He holds a bachelor of fine
arts degree from Murray State University and a master of fine arts
degree from Indiana University.
Jon Keenan
Jon Keenan, whose ceramics have been exhibited in over 60 solo and
group shows in the U.S. and Japan, has been a professor at
Colby-Sawyer College since 1990 and chaired the Fine and Performing
Arts Department for eight years. Keenan has served as a visiting
artist at the University of Leeds in England, the Federal University
of Brazil, Dartmouth College, and, most recently, as visiting
professor at UCLA’s Department of Chemistry working on the
development of new nanofiber surfaces to protect outdoor bronze
sculptures from environmental damage. He was awarded a Fulbright
Senior Research Fellowship in 2005 and has worked and studied under
seven master artist-potters in Japan and the United States. Keenan
has given lectures and workshops at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the School of Visual Arts in New York,
the Stanford East Asian Studies Center in Japan, the International
School Bangkok in Thailand, and the American International School in
New Delhi. He holds bachelors’ degrees in East Asian studies and
studio arts from the University of New Hampshire, and masters
degrees in fine arts in both art history and ceramics from the Kyoto
City University of Fine Art Graduate School in Japan.
UNC Asheville's Craft Campus
Through a generous lease arrangement with Buncombe County, UNC
Asheville’s Craft Campus will be located on a 153-acre site along
the French Broad River, four miles north of UNC Asheville’s main
campus. The facility will feature a set of interconnected studios
for wood and metal sculpture, ceramics and hot glass, as well as
center where visitors will learn about the cultural heritage and
economic impact of craft in Western North Carolina. The Craft Campus
will be a fully “green” facility, including energy sources, building
materials and studio operations. Methane from
Buncombe County’s nearby former landfill will be used to power much
of the campus.
Collaborators, in addition to Buncombe County, include the Penland
School of Crafts, HandMade in America, the Western North Carolina
Green Building Council, the Energy Xchange in Yancey County, and The
Center for Craft, Creativity and Design in Hendersonville. The Craft Campus will be built through private funding and is
expected to open in three to four years.
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