The American Craft Council Show

Yesterday a friend and I drove to Cobb County, just north of Atlanta, to check out The American Craft Council Show. I love to view art and craft creations, and I like to buy handmade items, too, when I have the money. I especially enjoy seeing contemporary work, while the artist is still working, trying to get the attention of the world while expressing some inner vision. Museums are fine, but they represent a small portion of the history of artistic creation, venerating the artists who--by luck, by reputation, by personal connections, and/or by talent--have been selected by some authority to communicate "true" art and craft to the rest of us.

The crafts on display at the Cobb Galleria on Saturday were really fine, in execution as well as in price. Of course, Cobb County is one of the top 100 richest counties in the United States, so the audience for the merchandise were those who could afford a $500 jacket or a $3,575 handcrafted, wooden bed. Not that I abhor spending that kind of money for a well-crafted item; I would just have to save for the rare purchase! Really, the stuff was gorgeous. In the end, I purchased a handmade, leather back-pack purse for my daughter--too expensive for someone like me who now works part-time in education--and a pair of handmade wooden tongs for my husband, who likes well-made kitchen items. Here are the websites of some of the crafters whose business cards I took home:

• Spoonwood, Inc., Jonathan's Wild Cherry Spoons: This booth was crowded with shoppers. The merchandise was plentiful, practical, and reasonably priced. You weren't getting "one of kind" if you purchased an item (for the crafter made several copies of each piece), but you had the satisfaction of getting something handmade and useful, something that would make spending time in the kitchen just a little more fun.
• GreatBags, Maple Leather Company: The source of my daughter's nice, new, leather backpack purse (very soft and supple)
• James R. Wilbat Glass: Cool glass-blown art--the booth at Cobb Galleria mainly contained examples of the artist's sculptures.
• Tiffany Ownbey, Papier Mache Sculpture: funky papier mache sculpture--I have to admit, while I loved the fiber wear and furniture, priced for the person who can indulge more regularly than I in extravagances, my eyes were drawn to the less functional and more funky artwork.
• The Metal Quilt: Metal collage by Kim Eubank and Will Armstrong, in Richmond,Virginia. Hey, I just love collage art, all media, all forms! And I wondered if Will Armstrong could be a distance relative of Tom's; Tom's great-grandfather Baker White Armstrong was from Richmond, and William is a common name in the family.
• Suwanee Clayworks Studio: This studio is located in Suwanee, Georgia, so I think I may visit the gallery sometime. The artists have scheduled a gallery sale in December. I have taken several pottery classes, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I love handmade ceramics. I especially liked the "watering cans" on display in Mark Knott's booth at Cobb Galleria.
• Suzanne and Matthew Crane, Fine Furniture and Stoneware: Look at the installations on this website. Yeah, I want a work like that in my bathroom, too!
• G. Kenner & Co., Fine Furniture: And I want to sleep on one of these beds!
• Ira and Sue Lances, Handmade Chenille: I wanted to purchase one of Sue Lance's handsewn scarfs ($100), and might have, had I returned to the booth before leaving the Galleria. I had a chance to talk with Sue, who explained some of her process in creating the chenille jackets and in creating the scarves. What really impressed me was that she uses the scraps left over from the jackets to create these lovely open-network scarves.
• Mary Darwall, Mais Oui Designs: The intricacy of these beaded jewelry pieces was incredible.

After perusing every booth at the exhibit, we headed back to Decatur and lunch at Carpe Diem. Spending an afternoon with someone besides family and old friends reminded me of how much time I've spent alone these past few years since I left full-time work. My socializing tends to be planned weeks in advance: the occasional dinner party or meeting with new friends for events in downtown Decatur or the long-distance trips to visit old and valued friends in other states. Rarely do I do anything with someone on the spur of the moment. It's really interesting how much socializing is connected with one's work.