The Southern Highland Craft Guild Announces Jury Deadlines for Prospective New Members

Each year, the Southern Highland Craft Guild anticipates a fresh group of artists to join their nearly century-old organization, a network of over 700 Appalachian artists, craftspersons, and makers. Artists of the region are encouraged to join the Guild for the benefit of shared resources, educational programming, community, social networking, an established marketplace, and kinship with fellow members spanning 293 counties in 9 Southeastern states.

The Guild welcomes dedicated artists who have passed a two-step jury process every quarter. Part I is the Image Jury and the application can be completed by hand or online at craftguild.org/join.. There are 3 deadlines for the Image Jury this year. The first deadline was March 17th and the next one is May 19th. Applicants should have their professional images submitted with their application by the deadlines. Images can be uploaded through the online application, or a disk drive be sent to the Folk Art Center.

2025 Part I: Image Jury Deadlines:

  • March 17, 2025
  • May 19, 2025
  • November 7, 2025

Part II of the application requires objects at the Folk Art Center by August 20, 2025.

Benefits of Membership:

Members of the Guild have the privilege of selling their work at the Folk Art Center, Moses Cone Manor, Tunnel Road, and online with a nationwide clientele. At the Folk Art Center, the Guild organizes exhibitions and educational event programming for members to showcase their talents and sell their work. These events are open to the public and free admission. Guild members also have the exclusive opportunity to exhibit at the bi-annual Craft Fairs of the Southern Highlands that take place in downtown Asheville, NC. The fairs are sponsored by The Laurel of Asheville, Explore Asheville, and WLOS.

Application Workshop Schedule:

For those intimidated by the jury process, we invite you to the Folk Art Center for an optional Application Workshop where Guild members will assist applicants with their application.

February 22, March 29, September 6, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Zoom Workshop: May 3, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: Folk Art Center Auditorium (In-Person) & Zoom
Admission: Free
Website & Registration: Guild Application Workshop Registration