HandMade in America doesn't teach the art of craftmaking. It also doesn't make or sell handmade crafts. HandMade in America goes above and beyond by creating a nonprofit coalition of western North Carolina artists and craftspeople in western North Carolina. The initiative focuses on maintaining and enhancing western North Carolina's quality of life and broadening its economic opportunity by utilizing the existing craft culture in the region and providing a major support system for craftspeople and the craft industry.
Created in 1993, HandMade in America was founded on the concept of sharing the heritage that is such vital part of western NC life and culture with the rest of the state and the entire country. Bringing together 23 counties in the western part of NC, HandMade has grown into a nationally recognized institution dedicated to initiating creative projects and collaborations that focus on education, small town revitalization, community development, economic development, environmentally sustainable strategies and enhanced opportunities for artists, craftspeople, and heritage tourism.
As stated on the organization's website, HandMade in America's mission is to celebrate the hand and the handmade, to nurture the creation of traditional and contemporary craft, to revere and protect our resources, and to preserve and enrich the spiritual, cultural and community life of our region.
Community development is a crucial aspect of HandMade's goals. Working toward creating effective community solutions, the organization opened the HandMade Institute for the Creative Economies in order to help other communities create a similar crafts-based economy. The small town process is based on assets of each community, their heritage, resources, and strengths and works to promote mentoring, technical assistance, self-help, and learning within and between communities Using this model, communities that have traditionally not had resources or seen themselves as advantaged, as well as those that have, can create an opportunity to learn, grow, and teach others about community revitalization. Art education, environmental sustainability and increased opportunities for artists and craftspeople to supply their work to the marketplace all play an equally important role in the success of HandMade in America.
As for the future of the organization, HandMade in America has developed a 20-year plan that seeks to establish western North Carolina as the geographic center for handmade objects in America. This plan focuses on community development strategies that create educational, economic and cultural projects based on the region's craft history, crafts people, and craft educational institutions, and seeks to increase heritage tourism by connecting people, both residents and visitors, with the land and culture.
The organization's most recent project, The HandMade House, opened in October and displays local art integrated into the construction of a new home. The craftsmanship and artwork featured in the house showcases the creativity and talent of over 100 western North Carolina artists and craftspeople. The HandMade House, created through a partnership between HandMade in America and Biltmore Farms, represents the concept that the value of a home is measured both commercially and aesthetically.
Interview with Desmond Suarez & Ronno Cooke
An interview with Becky Anderson