Program  

The Craft Revival Project

by

Anna Fariello

Project Director and WCU Associate Research Professor

With twenty years experience as a professor and professional curator, Fariello is building Hunter Library’s Craft Revival Digital Collection and directing From the Hands of our Elders, a project to document 20th century Cherokee arts. She is author of a recent book on Cherokee Basketry, co-author of the textbook Objects and Meaning, and Art Editor of the Encyclopedia of Appalachia.

The Craft Revival took place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mountain craftsmen formed the cornerstone of a revived interest in handmade products that came to attention of the nation. Although craftsmen left few written records of their own, their story survives in samples of their work, accounts of their sales, and in newspaper clippings celebrating their talent in collections throughout the Appalachian region. Project Director, Anna Fariello noted, “One of the things that excites me about the Craft Revival is the fact that ordinary people made extraordinary things, proof positive that all of us have creative potential.”

The Craft Revival is an initiative of Hunter Library at Western Carolina University. A collaboration involving seven western North Carolina cultural sites, the project utilizes digital technology as a preservation tool to document regional history and bring it before the public. The Craft Revival project has produced a website and database of over 4,000 items, including historic documents, vintage photographs, and images of crafts and craftsmen. The Craft Revival website can be seen at http://craftrevival.wcu.edu

The meeting is open to the public and all are welcome.