Opportunities

If you feel a spark in the air, it's because we're in the midst of American Craft Week, which runs through next Sunday, Oct. 16. This is the second year for the nationwide celebration of American craft traditions and innovations. Dozens of galleries, artist studios, festivals, and art institutions are taking part - more than 40 in western North Carolina alone. It's an opportunity to revel in wonderful handmade goods and celebrate the enterprising people who make them.

I know there's been a lot of jewelry on the blog lately. Don't worry; we still love all corners of the craft world. But this post is time-sensitive--and for a worthy cause--so we wanted to share the news about Jewelers for the Gulf.

Next weekend (May 8, 9, 10), the St. Croix Valley Potters sponsor their 17th pottery tour. This Minnesota event now reaches from coast to coast, with the hosts inviting exhibitor friends from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia on the east and Oregon on the west. Being in flyover country themselves, they have not ignored the middle: there are also guest potters from Tennessee, Montana and Nebraska, and bunches from next-door Wisconsin.