Congratulations to the 2020 Craft Research Fund Exhibition Awardees!

View recipients

Center for Craft 25th anniversary logo in red

Craft Futures Fund

Craft Futures Fund

WNC Emergency Relief

The Center for Craft is supporting recovery efforts for regional craft organizations through the Craft Futures Fund - WNC Recovery grant and individual craft artists through the WNC Craft Futures Cohort.

Donate
Grant application is closed.

Photo Credit: David Huff Creative

Let's work together. The Center is in touch with local artists, arts organizations, and our wider craft community. We commit to stewarding these emergency grants as fast as we can.

Grant goals

Emergency Relief

Swiftly and efficiently provide emergency financial relief to regional craftspeople impacted by Hurricane Helene

Collaboration

Work collaboratively with local artists, arts organizations, and our wider craft community to ensure funds are stewarded efficiently where they are needed the most

Community Leadership

Lead with care and revitalize the place we call home

Overview

Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief

Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief offered one-time, unrestricted $500 grants to a broad range of individual craft artists, makers,  creative manufacturers, or culture bearers working primarily in ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metals, or wood.

Details

  • Award Amount:
  • $500
  • Accepting Applications:
  • Rolling deadline, October 15th - November 17, 2024.

Timeline

This application is now closed.

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Eligible to receive taxable income in the U.S.
  • Be a resident of Western North Carolina (counties include: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Qualla Boundary, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey). This includes individuals who lived in Western North Carolina but, due to Hurricane Helene have evacuated or have been forced to relocate temporarily.
  • An individual craft artist, maker, creative manufacturer, or culture bearer working primarily in ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metals, or wood who has experienced at least one of the following due to Hurricane Helene:
    • Total or significant loss of studio space
    • Destruction of tools, materials, or completed artwork
    • Displacement from their homes
    • Or other unexpected expenses directly resulting from this catastrophic, career-threatening event.

Applicants cannot be:

  • A current employee, consultant, board member, or major funder of the Center for Craft, or an immediate family member of such a person
  • A previously awarded 2024 Craft Futures Fund- WNC Emergency Relief grant recipient.

For this grant, the Center for Craft understands craft to include work primarily in ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metals, and wood.

Requirements

This is a one-time, unrestricted grant. There are no reporting requirements. Grantees should put the funds toward their area of greatest need.

Privacy and Use of Information

To protect the privacy of those selected for emergency relief during these sensitive times, the Center for Craft will not publish a list of grant recipients. We plan to share statistics representing how these funds were distributed and may share unattributed quotes pulled from applications.

Review Process

Center for Craft staff will review applications for eligibility. Two separate staff members will review each application. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis and are subject to approval and available funds. Eligibility requirements are listed below.

If we receive more applications than available funding, applications will be selected randomly. All applications that are not drawn will automatically be entered into the next round of review or drawing.

How to Apply

‍‍There are three ways to apply for these emergency relief funds:

ONLINE IN FORMSTACK: 

Applicants may apply using Formstack. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to access your form again. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application form has been successfully submitted.

PHONE:

If you are unable to access a computer or reliable internet connection at this time, you are welcome to call the Center for Craft at 828-785-1357, and our staff will assist you over the phone in completing an application. If we do not answer at the time of your call, please leave a message, and your call will be returned as soon as possible.

IN-PERSON:

If you prefer to complete a paper form or talk to a Center for Craft staff member in person, we will have in-person application hours on Wednesdays from 10 am - 2 pm. Please note that the Center for Craft currently does not have running water and will be open only for grant application support during this time. The Center for Craft is located at 67 Broadway Street, Asheville, NC 28801. All downtown Asheville street parking and City of Asheville parking garages are free through November 1, 2024.

DEADLINE: 

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis from October 15 - November 12, 2024. We will re-evaluate based on need and funding availability.

NOTIFICATION: 

Recipients will be notified of funding at the e-mail address listed on the application form. Please be sure that it is a valid account that you check regularly. If you are unable to check your email at this time and prefer a phone call or text, please indicate this on your application.

Relief funds will be distributed weekly.

SAMPLE APPLICATION

Cover Sheet

  1. Applicant name
  2. Applicant email address
  3. Applicant phone number
  4. What Western North Carolina county do you live in?
  5. Are you able to receive taxable federal income in the U.S. (or U.S. territories)? For example, having a social security number (ITIN for DREAMers) and a US bank account.

Application Questions

1. Please provide three sentences about your craft-based art practice.

2. Please provide your website address, social media handle, or professional resume.

If you are unable to provide one of the above, please call the Center for Craft for guidance (828)785-1357.

3. Which of the following have you experienced as a result of Hurricane Helene?      (Select all that apply)some text

  • Total or significant loss of studio space
  • Destruction of tools, materials, or completed artwork
  • Loss of income due to canceled exhibitions, fairs, or teaching opportunities
  • Displacement from their homes
  • Or other unexpected expenses directly resulting from this catastrophic, career-threatening event, please explain.

4. Is there anything else you would like to share about your needs during the relief and recovery process that may guide us in directing resources and attention over the coming months? (Optional)

Demographic Survey

Please note that the demographic survey data will only be used anonymously. Your participation in this survey helps us and our local and national funders understand who the Center for Craft is reaching so that we can continue to develop equitable and accessible programming. Completion of this survey will in no way affect your application. We require all applicants to complete this form; however, you may answer each question with the “ I prefer not to answer” option. 

FAQ

Are these relief funds only for craft artists?

We realize that the funding needed to rebuild the arts community in Western North Carolina is significant and that the efforts of the Craft Futures Fund will only begin to cover the loss that has occurred to our region. While this fund is only for craft-based visual artists (for example, people working in ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metals, textiles, wood), other opportunities can be found at ArtsAVL.

Can collectives or craft organizations apply?

Phase 1 of the Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief will focus on individuals. Each impacted individual from collectives or organizations is encouraged to apply separately. Phase 2 of the Craft Futures Fund - WNC Recovery will include both individuals and organizations. Individuals who are part of a collective or organization may apply for both a $500 Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief grant and a $5,000 Craft Futures Fund - WNC Recovery grant.

If I am awarded, will I have to pay taxes on my award?

Internal Revenue Code section 139 provides that qualified disaster relief payments from any source are not taxable as income and are not subject to employment taxes or withholding.

The Center for Craft legally cannot provide tax advice. Please consult a tax expert for questions and clarifications.

What are the reporting requirements? Do I need to report on how I spend the money?

This is a one-time unrestricted grant. There are no reporting requirements. Grantees should put the funds toward their area of greatest immediate need.

How can I use the funds?

This is an unrestricted grant. Grantees should put the funds toward their area of greatest immediate need.

What if I used to live in WNC but am now displaced - am I still eligible?

Yes, you are still eligible. We recognize that many residents of Western North Carolina are currently displaced.

I just submitted my application, but I want to return to it and make an edit. Is this possible?

No, once your application is submitted you cannot return to the form or change any submitted information.

I have a question that wasn’t answered. How can I reach the Center for Craft?

If you have any further questions, please contact grants@centerforcraft.org, or call 828-785-1357.

Nominating Partners

One of our guiding principles in designing the Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief grants was to reduce barriers to funding. To that end, the Center for Craft partnered with regional organizations, studios, and collectives who nominated individuals within their networks for emergency relief. Thank you to our Nominating Partners!

Mezzanine Sponsor

Desire Paths

Lauren Kalman and Matt Lambert

Desire Paths looks at makers both within the discourse of craft and ones that exist on the periphery of the craftscape who focus on the movement of the body towards something desirable. These desires of the body are in relationship to: nature, tech, self, and society. Using architectural theory and queer curatorial strategies,Desire Paths will examine the possibilities and futures of bodies, revealing connections between the corporeal and craft.

Elizabeth Essner is a Brooklyn-based independent Design Specialist with a focus on modern and contemporary craft. In addition to conducting research and appraising, Essner is a regular contributor to Modern magazine. A graduate of the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture, Essner has previously been an auction house specialist at Rago Auctions in Lambertville, New Jersey, and worked for New York design galleries: R & Company and Historical Design


Lily Kane is currently the Director of Exhibitions and Publications at R & Company gallery in New York, NY. In 2006, while serving as the director of education at the American Craft Council, Kane was part of a team to revive the organization's annual conference. Kane has also contributed pieces to magazines, including Modern and American Craft. A Nashville native, Kane attended Vassar College and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Meaghan Roddy is a Senior Specialist and Vice President in the Design Department at Phillips auction house in New York, specializing in 20th- and 21st-century design and decorative arts. She was previously a design specialist at Rago Auctions in Lambertville, New Jersey, and has been consulted for print and television features on design, including Architectural Digest, Bloomberg, Art +Auction, The Art Newspaper,Die Zeitungen, and Modern magazine.  A Maryland native, Roddy studied at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Learn more

The Computer Pays Its Debt: Women, Textiles, and Technology, 1965-1985

Kayleigh Perkov

The Computer Pays Its Debt: Women, Textiles, and Technology, 1965-1985 examines craftswomen who used digital technology in their practice. Craft scholarship has reacted to computer-aided design with a mixture of celebration and anxiety. Much of this discourse fails to examine the historical precedence of digital tools in craft practice extending to the 1960s. A focus on feedback between person and machine will nuance scholarship, while an emphasis on women elucidates their underappreciated role.

Elizabeth Essner is a Brooklyn-based independent Design Specialist with a focus on modern and contemporary craft. In addition to conducting research and appraising, Essner is a regular contributor to Modern magazine. A graduate of the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture, Essner has previously been an auction house specialist at Rago Auctions in Lambertville, New Jersey, and worked for New York design galleries: R & Company and Historical Design


Lily Kane is currently the Director of Exhibitions and Publications at R & Company gallery in New York, NY. In 2006, while serving as the director of education at the American Craft Council, Kane was part of a team to revive the organization's annual conference. Kane has also contributed pieces to magazines, including Modern and American Craft. A Nashville native, Kane attended Vassar College and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Meaghan Roddy is a Senior Specialist and Vice President in the Design Department at Phillips auction house in New York, specializing in 20th- and 21st-century design and decorative arts. She was previously a design specialist at Rago Auctions in Lambertville, New Jersey, and has been consulted for print and television features on design, including Architectural Digest, Bloomberg, Art +Auction, The Art Newspaper,Die Zeitungen, and Modern magazine.  A Maryland native, Roddy studied at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Learn more

Funk You: Contemporary Sculpture and Funk Ceramics

Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy

Funk You: Contemporary Sculpture and Funk Ceramics brings together sculptures in clay bycontemporary artists that echo themes and aesthetics of 1960s–70s Funk ceramics. Put in conversation with historical pieces, the line between past and present is blurred, bridging the gap between the current generation and the pioneering artists who paved the way for ceramics to be imaginative, expressive, critical, and unapologetic.

Elizabeth Essner is a Brooklyn-based independent Design Specialist with a focus on modern and contemporary craft. In addition to conducting research and appraising, Essner is a regular contributor to Modern magazine. A graduate of the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture, Essner has previously been an auction house specialist at Rago Auctions in Lambertville, New Jersey, and worked for New York design galleries: R & Company and Historical Design


Lily Kane is currently the Director of Exhibitions and Publications at R & Company gallery in New York, NY. In 2006, while serving as the director of education at the American Craft Council, Kane was part of a team to revive the organization's annual conference. Kane has also contributed pieces to magazines, including Modern and American Craft. A Nashville native, Kane attended Vassar College and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Meaghan Roddy is a Senior Specialist and Vice President in the Design Department at Phillips auction house in New York, specializing in 20th- and 21st-century design and decorative arts. She was previously a design specialist at Rago Auctions in Lambertville, New Jersey, and has been consulted for print and television features on design, including Architectural Digest, Bloomberg, Art +Auction, The Art Newspaper,Die Zeitungen, and Modern magazine.  A Maryland native, Roddy studied at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Learn more

Selection Panelists

Field Building

recipients

Meet the 2022
Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship Grant Recipients

The Center for Craft is pleased to announce the recipients of 2022 Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship. This year 2 mid-career artists will receive $20,000 each to support research projects that advance, expand, and support the creation of new research and knowledge through craft practice.

2 out of 97 Artist Fellowship proposals were awarded.

A special thanks

We are profoundly grateful for the overwhelming support from 229 contributors, who have graciously donated in excess of $359,000 to the fund, with a remarkable 84% being first-time donors to the Center for Craft.

And a heartfelt thank you to our six foundation partners for their substantial contributions totaling $825,000 to the fund, including the Windgate Foundation, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, Craft Emergency Relief Fund, The Bresler Foundation, and Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

If you would like to help direct critical resources to the affected artists, please consider making a gift to the Craft Futures Fund.

Donate Now → 

Process photo of assembly of Y-axis conveyor belt.

Rose Buttress

 — 

$10,000

Rose Buttress is a self-trained machinist and programmer. Buttress’s research titled “FULL,” uses a novel design of fabric cutters to prefigure small batch garment fabrication efficiency with the goal of generating a new philosophy of inclusive design. Her research attempts to renegotiate the constraints on the industry through a methodology of developing new equipment that places the leading industrial mass production techniques and processes within small workspaces.

Learn more

Photo credit: Sean Carroll

Alexis Rosa Caldero

 — 

$10,000

Alexis Rosa Caldero is a first generation Ecuadorian-American and Puerto Rican disentangling from the inherited experience of forced assimilation. Informed by experience with wood, education, and art direction, Caldero’s craft strives to evoke beauty, unearth story, and build connection. Their research, titled “Beyond Ergonomics: Furnishing Healing,” asks what studio furniture can learn from anti-racist, fat positive, body-centered activism. It proposes a hands-on analysis of how everyday furniture can play a role in one’s healing journey through somatic study and community building.

Learn more

Photo credit: Mary Kang

Dana Davenport

 — 

$10,000

Dana Davenport is an interdisciplinary artist, who shifts between installation, sculpture, video, and performance. Within her practice, Davenport addresses the complexities that surround interminority racism as a foundation for envisioning her own and the collective futurity of Black and Asian peoples. Davenport's research titled “Dana's Beauty Supply: Research,” examines Black hair and hair care as a material that binds Black Americans and Korean Americans through the beauty supply industry, an industry that is overwhelmingly Korean-owned with a primarily Black customer base.

Learn more

Photo credit: Benjamin Weinberg

Emily Robison

 — 

$10,000

Emily Robison is a textile artist whose work incorporates place and cultural experience. Building upon their work with byssus fiber, a textile fiber produced by clams and traditionally used throughout the Mediterranean, Robison will research 18th and 19th century published descriptions of byssus production and the feasibility of adapting these techniques to North American pen clams.

Learn more

Photographed by David Hunter Hale

Nastassja Swift

 — 

$10,000

Nastassja Swift is a sculptural fiber artist, whose work exists figuratively in full or often fragmented forms that speak to geographical histories, womanhood, language and community. Swift’s needle felted portraits incorporate quilting, beading and other traditional and non-traditional materials morph into a form of storytelling that references the above themes. Swift’s research title “Hooded Figures: A History of Fashion and Power,”examines hoods across centuries, closely identifying the social and racial associations of the garment and how its symbolism has shifted over time. Using felting, quilting and beading, this research project will produce re-imagined images of Black subjects adorned in a hood.

Learn more

To date, we have raised over $1,000,000 to support the Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief and Recovery. Thank you to all the individual donors, foundations, and organizations that have made this effort possible.

ACTIVATING RESOURCES