Southern Highland Craft Guild's Wood Day Celebrates the Living Tradition of Appalachian Woodcraft
New Guild member Aaron Iaquinto joins more than 25 master woodworkers for a day of live demonstrations, carving, turning, and hands-on discovery.
ASHEVILLE, NC — Every handcrafted wooden spoon begins with a simple branch—but in the hands of a skilled craftsperson, it becomes something that can last for generations.
This year, visitors to the Southern Highland Craft Guild's annual Wood Day will have the opportunity to watch that transformation firsthand as new Guild member Aaron Iaquinto demonstrates traditional spoon carving for the first time at the event. Iaquinto joins more than 25 accomplished woodworkers on Saturday, August 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a free day celebrating one of the Southern Highlands' oldest and most enduring craft traditions.
Wood Day invites visitors behind the finished artwork and into the creative process. Throughout the day, artists will carve, turn, shape, and sculpt wood using techniques that range from centuries-old hand tools to contemporary woodworking methods. Guests are encouraged to ask questions, meet the makers, and experience firsthand how raw timber becomes functional objects, sculpture, furniture, and fine art.
While Iaquinto represents a new generation of Guild makers, Wood Day also brings together many of the region's most accomplished wood artists, highlighting the remarkable range of contemporary Appalachian woodworking. Demonstrations will include spoon carving, woodturning, carving, marquetry, furniture making, flute making, sculpture, rustic woodworking, and more.
Featured demonstrators include:
Tony Dills • Valerie Berlage • Christine Smith • Ronnie McMahan • John Dickens • Derek Hennigar • Joe Waldroup • Peter Werner • Carolyn Anderson • Rae Baccus • Helen Gibson • Tom Godleski • John Hollifield • Lee Entrekin • Warren Carpenter • Tom Irven • Lyle Wheeler • Brian Wurst • Larry Green • Davy Arch • Aaron Iaquinto • Fatie Atkinson • David Crandall • Carolina Mountain Woodturners • Sandra Rowland • Tyler Rogers • WNC Woodcarvers • Tom Gow
Event Highlights
Live Demonstrations
Watch skilled artists demonstrate woodturning, carving, spoon carving, furniture making, marquetry, sculpture, and other woodworking techniques throughout the day.
Annual Carve-Off (1–3 p.m.)
One of Wood Day's most anticipated traditions returns as participating carvers race against the clock to transform blocks of wood into hand-carved birds. Equal parts friendly competition and impressive craftsmanship, the carve-off offers visitors a front-row seat to creativity under pressure.
Explore the Folk Art Center
While visiting, guests can browse the Allanstand Craft Shop, view exhibitions in three galleries featuring work by Guild members and the graduating class of Haywood Community College, and stop by the National Park Service book store and information desk.
For thousands of years, wood has provided both utility and artistic inspiration throughout the Southern Highlands. From hand-carved kitchen tools and baskets to contemporary sculpture and furniture, today's Guild artists continue to build upon those traditions while bringing fresh ideas and individual perspectives to the craft. Wood Day celebrates both the heritage of Appalachian woodworking and the artists ensuring its future.
Visitor Information
Southern Highland Craft Guild Wood Day
Saturday, August 8, 2026
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Folk Art Center
Milepost 382, Blue Ridge Parkway
Asheville, NC
Admission is free. The Folk Art Center is ADA accessible and offers ample free parking.
For more information about Wood Day and other Guild programs, visit www.craftguild.org or call 828-298-7928.
About the Southern Highland Craft Guild
Founded in 1930, the Southern Highland Craft Guild is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to cultivating the craft traditions and makers of the Southern Highlands through shared resources, education, marketing, and conservation. The Guild is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, operating the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
