Empowering Artisanal Entrepreneurs
Jul 10, 2024 02:07PM ● By Randee BrownOriginating from the university system more than 25 years ago, the Center for Craft became an independent nonprofit organization in 2013 with a goal of supporting the success of entrepreneurial artists and independent creatives, upholding a mission to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters.
The primary function of the Center for Craft has always been to exist as a grant-making organization. The nonprofit’s grants serve a multitude of sectors within the craft ecosystem including artists, researchers, teachers, curators, and others supporting the realm of craft. Grants application windows are publicly launched, information and workshops are offered, and applications are submitted. The organization then convenes a selection committee to distribute the funds accordingly.
Funding and collaboration opportunities include the Craft Research Fund, Curatorial Fellowship, the Wingate Lamar Fellowship, and the Teaching Artist Cohort. The Center’s programs will expand with an Artist in Residence program during the summer of 2024. Funding comes from a combination of public donations, memberships, grants, earned revenue, and an endowment.
In 2016, the Center for Craft & UNC Asheville conducted the WNC Makers Survey, demonstrating that makers and creative manufacturers' three most significant business challenges were marketing, capital access, and production scaling. Makers also strongly desired peer-to-peer learning and increased collaboration opportunities between businesses.
In 2018, the Center for Craft, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Artspace prepared an additional report on the needs of artists, which found there is a significant need for affordable housing, workspaces, and shared creative spaces and equipment for artists. With a renovated space in 2019, the organization grew to offer programming and coworking space to support this creative sector need.
Following the pandemic, the makers’ need for community vitality and connections became increasingly evident, and a new strategic plan — Craft Matters — emphasizes this type of support.
“The conversations of what makers are needing are constantly evolving,” Director of Operations Erika Kofler said. “With the current economy, it’s about helping these businesses stay strong and sustain themselves through tough times. It will be great if they are able to scale, but realistically, a lot of people who are artists and independent entrepreneurs are not necessarily thinking about that right now. They are thinking about surviving.”
Currently, the Center for Craft is working in collaboration with Land of Sky Regional Council, Mountain BizWorks, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Western Arts Agencies of North Carolina including ArtsAVL, and several other regional organizations to help sustain and strengthen the creative manufacturing sector in WNC through funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission and Dogwood Health Trust. Priorities include strategic training, expanding the entrepreneurial ecosystem, cultivating robust business networks, conducting supply chain research, facilitating access to shared equipment, and securing capital resources. The Center’s contribution to this effort includes further development of their facility to incorporate a photo studio with computers for editing, workspace, and pack-and-ship stations.
The Center for Craft maintains a story log of its programs’ alumni and the impacts felt by various types of support. Alumni outreach continues to be a focus, and Kofler said these positive impacts are felt by artists all over the region, not just in Asheville.
“Participation includes a wide representation of Western North Carolina, beyond the City of Asheville,” Kofler said. “We work to get into rural areas and make sure artists there are also getting the support they need to sustain and scale their business.”
Learn more about Center for Craft and grant opportunities at CenterForCraft.org. Western North Carolina entrepreneurial artists, craftspeople, makers, or designers making goods in multiples interested in training and support services geared toward business growth can reach out to Erika Kofler at [email protected].