With more than 47,789 votes tallied,
American craft lovers have named Berea as their number one choice. Noted
as top in the nation for its vibrant craft scene, Berea, Kentucky
features a wide range of galleries and studios offering exceptionally
high quality handcrafts, including the renowned woodcrafts, weaving,
broom crafts, and ceramics made by Berea College students and a wide
range of other arts and crafts produced by Berea alumni and other
artisans in the broader community.
For
the past six weeks, craft fans and community advocates have been
logging on to the American Craft Week website to choose their favorite
craft communities. Berea’s top spot in the contest, which closed Sunday,
July 17, 2016, bested other American cities including Asheville, NC,
Brattleboro, VT, and St. Petersburg, FL.
Designated
as the “Folk Arts and Craft Capital of Kentucky” by the state
legislature, Berea’s reputation for fine crafts began at Berea College,
which started in 1883 with its “Fireside Industries” program of
student-made products. Beginning with handwoven coverlets, Berea College
saw the potential for preserving a craft tradition and – at the same
time – developing a new market for traditional Appalachian crafts. More
crafts were added, including broom making, ceramics, and woodworking of
small craft items and exceptional handcrafted furniture putting Berea on
the map and fueling the Appalachian craft revival. Berea College’s
student crafts program is one of 130 different labor departments in
which student work as part of their educational requirement. Student
crafts can be purchased at the College Visitors Center and Shoppe, on
College Square in Berea, at the Log House Craft Gallery in Berea, or
online.
Over the decades, other
artisans and craftspeople were attracted to Berea and set up their
studios and galleries, making Berea as popular destination for travelers
and shoppers who appreciate finely made handcrafted items.
For more information click http://www.acwshowcase.com/2016top10-1 and: http://www.acwshowcase.com/2016top10
To learn more about Berea College Student Crafts, visit: https://www.berea.edu/student-crafts/history/ and: https://www.berea.edu/student-crafts/log-house-craft-gallery/
Berea
College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South,
focuses on learning, labor and service. The College admits only
academically promising students with limited financial resources,
primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia, although students come from 40
states and 60 countries. Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise
Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition. Berea is
one of seven federally recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10
hours or more weekly, earning money for books, housing, and meals. The
College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,”
speaks to its inclusive Christian character. www.berea.edu.
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