Questions? Call the Folk Art Center 828-298-7928 or email us [email protected].
Contact Harrah's Cherokee Center (828) 259-5736
Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands
July 17–20, 2025 (Summer)
October 16-19 (Fall)
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville
Downtown Asheville, NC
🗓️ Event Dates & Hours
- Thursday, July 17: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Friday, July 18: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday, July 19: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Sunday, July 20: 10 AM – 5 PM
-
Thursday, October 16: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Friday, October 17: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday, October 18: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Sunday, October 19: 10 AM – 5 PM
🎟️ Admission
- $12 per person
- Free for children under 12
- Tickets available at the door (no advance purchase required)
📍 Location
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville
87 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801
Located in the heart of downtown Asheville, surrounded by local restaurants, shops, and galleries.
🚗 Parking
Several public parking garages are located within walking distance of the venue:
- Civic Center Garage: 68 Rankin Ave (closest to venue)
- Rankin Avenue Garage: 82 Rankin Ave
- Wall Street Garage: 45 Wall St
- College Street Garage: 164 College St
- Biltmore Avenue Garage: 60 Biltmore Ave
All garages are city-operated and accept cards or mobile payments.
✨ What to Expect
- Over 100 juried artists representing the Southern Highland region
- A wide range of fine craft across 12 media: clay, fiber, wood, metal, glass, paper, leather, jewelry, natural materials, and more
- Live demonstrations and hands-on craft education
- The opportunity to shop handmade and meet the makers behind the work
- A celebration of Appalachian tradition, creativity, and community
Presented by the Southern Highland Craft Guild
With a mission to cultivate and honor the rich legacy of Appalachian craft, the Guild proudly hosts this long-running event—now in its 78th year.
2025 JULY CRAFT FAIR OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS
Exhibitors – Concourse
- Ed & Kate Coleman
- Audrey Laine Sawyer
- Marti Mocahbee
- Susan Spies
- Judy Brater
- LeAnn Lewis
- Frank Scott
- Jason Janow
- Erin Janow
- 10.Chad Alice Hagen
- Summer Merritt
- 12. A Touch of Glass
- 13.Jennifer Jenkins
- 14.Heidi Bleacher
- 15.Ilene Kay
- 16.Harry Hearne
- 17.Melanie Miller
- 18.Pam Granger Gale
- 19.Lynne Fiorenza/Mark Traub
- 20.Lee Entrekin
- 21.Thomas Irven
- 22.Erich Orris
- 23.Jason Probstein
- 24.Elizabeth Walton
- 25.Julie Merrill
- 26.Priscilla Frake
- 27.Magruder Glass
- 28.Rachelle Davis
- 29.Julie Calhoun-Roepnack
- 30.Cecelia Halverson
- 31.Deneece Harrill
- 32.Amy Brandenburg
- 33.Wendy & Joe Edwards
- 34.John Ransmeier
- 35.Erica Stankwytch Bailey
- 36.Doug Canivet
- 37.Tamela Wells
- 38.Lisa Mergen
- 39.Jim Gentry
- 40.Thom Reardon/Kathleen Doyle
- 41.Wendy Seaward
- 42.Nhia Lo
- 43.Shannon Lucas
- 44.Lynn Fisher
- 45.Geoffrey Giles
- 46.Meghan Bernard
- 47.Kelsey Schissel
- 48.Florin Voicu
- 49.Crossnore Weavers
- 50.Doug Dacey
2025 JULY CRAFT FAIR OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS
Exhibitors – Arena (lower-level)
100. Wendy Allen
101. Vickie Vipperman
102. Lucas Hundley
103. Christine Smith
104. Nina Kawar
105. Wren Hendrickson
106. Heritage Booth
107. John Furches
108. Jude Stuecker
109. Ray Jones
110. Michele Tway
111. Linda Hynson
112. Wheeler’s Chairs
113. Camille Morin
115. Ann Hord-Heatherley
200. Brenda Cameron
201. Teresa Hays
202. Alex Gray
203. Julie Larson
204. Amy Pike
205. Larry Allen
206. Lyn Lyndall
207. Marie Helene-Grabman
208. Jeff McKinley
209. Beer Chunhaswasdikul
210. Jaana Mattson
211. Alan Daigre
212. L. Jill Howell
213. Larry & Deborah Drake
300. Jason Rojas
301. Demond Suarez
302. Ilana Fiorenza
303. Nora McMullen
304. Susan Thornton
305. Bistra Hristova
306. Vicki Love
307. Vickie Napoli
308. Leslie Fawcett
309. Dahlia Bushwick
310. Rebecca Regal
311. Rebecca Ziemer
312. Sharon Bass
313. Erin Kaleel
314. Michelle Meadow
315. Jeffrey Ware
317. Aaron Iaquinto
319. Susan Mulvey
500. Brad Smith
501. Walt Cottingham
502. Neal Howard
503. Liz Spear
600. Lucy’s Toys
601. Jeff Goodson
602. Jen Otey
603. Bayley Wharton
Audrey Lane Sawyer's booth, 2022
Sawing Competition at the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands - July 17-20 & October 16-19, 2025
Peter Werner's booth, 2022
Musicians, 2022
Valerie Berlage demonstration, 2023
Magruder Glass booth, 2023
JAM Ambassador's performance, 2023
Jason Janow Booth
Visitor trying on Liz Spear's coat, 2023
Erica Bailey's booth, 2023
Musician, 2023
Local Cloth spinning demonstration, 2023
JAM Ambassadors performing at the Craft Fair, 2023
Rodney Leftwich demonstration, 2023
Jewelry demonstration, 2023
Julie Calhoun-Roepnack's booth, 2023
Jude Stuecker's booth, 2023
Visitor in Sarah Tremaine's booth, 2022
Odyssey Clayworks demonstration, 2023
Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands - booth display Heidi Bleacher, fiber artist
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions? Call us at the Folk Art Center 828-298-7928 or email [email protected].
History
The Guild’s Craft Fair tradition started in 1948 in Gatlinburg, TN on the grounds of Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. At this inaugural fair, the Guild connected visitors with the most talented craftsmen and showed the importance of handicrafts in the life of southern Appalachia.
Today
Today, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands is held twice every year (July & October) in downtown Asheville, North Carolina at Harrah’s Cherokee Center. It brings together hundreds of makers in what has become a key event for craft. These events are unique in that they offer attendees the opportunity to connect with the artists by purchasing directly from them. In an age of mass production and global imports, the connection to fine American craft and the individual maker is often lost but more significant than ever.
More than two hundred craftspeople fill two floors of the Civic Center twice each year. Local musicians play live on the arena stage; craft educators share their knowledge with adults and children alike through demonstrations and hands-on projects. Eleven thousand visitors from all over the country participate in festivities during the four days of the show. Over the course of the event, nearly a million dollars are invested in the purchase of crafts.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
ABOUT THE GUILD
For 93 years, the Southern Highland Craft Guild has curated a group of juried artisans for the purpose of marketing, education, shared resources, and conservation of Appalachian Craft. Our four retail locations in Western North Carolina sell the work of over 800 of our juried members.
History
Read a brief history about the Southern Highland Craft Guild and how it has elevated craft in the Apalachians since 1930. Written by the Guild's Director of Education, Janet Wiseman.