The Center For Craft Creativity & Design Inc

TO ADVANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF CRAFT BY ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH, CRITICAL DIALOGUE, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE CENTER FOR CRAFT'S NATIONAL GRANT PROGRAMS ARE KEYSTONES IN THE CRAFT FIELD'S DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING SUPPORT TO EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED CRAFT ARTISTS, SCHOLARS, EDUCATORS, AND ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN FY22 THE CENTER RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 310 GRANT APPLICATIONS AND AWARDED 44 GRANTS, PROVIDING A TOTAL OF 502,135 IN GRANTS. NOW IN ITS SIXTEENTH YEAR AND PERMANENTLY ENDOWED, THE CENTER FOR CRAFT'S WINDGATE-LAMAR FELLOWSHIP MARKS 2.4 MILLION AWARDED TO 170 GRADUATING COLLEGE SENIORS WITH EXEMPLARY SKILL IN CRAFT. GRANTS TO ARTISTS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE CAREER ADVANCEMENT GRANTS, THE PILOT YEAR OF WHICH SUPPORTED A DIVERSE COHORT OF MID-CAREER CRAFT ARTISTS IN CREATING SUSTAINABLE CAREERS AND REGENERATIVE PRACTICES. A VISIONARY PROGRAM DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING SCHOLARLY CRAFT RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES, THE CRAFT RESEARCH FUND IS THE CENTER'S LONGEST-RUNNING GRANT PROGRAM. THE CENTER RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 154 GRANT APPLICATIONS AND AWARDED 13 RECIPIENTS A TOTAL OF 137,135.00. GRANTS TO SCHOLARS RECENTLY EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE CRAFT ARCHIVE FELLOWSHIPS, WHICH BROADENS ARCHIVAL RESEARCH AND ADVANCES UNDERREPRESENTED CRAFT HISTORIES IN THE UNITED STATES. IN OCTOBER 2021, THE CENTER PRODUCED A SEMINAL CRAFT THINK TANK, "CRAFT CAN," WHICH FORMALIZED SEVEN CRITICAL INTERSECTIONS THROUGH A FINAL SERIES OF REFLECTIONS ABOUT WHAT CRAFT CAN DO. THROUGHOUT THIS DISCUSSION, THE GOAL WAS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MULTI-POTENTIALITY OF CRAFT AND RECOGNIZE THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF DISCUSSION THAT HAD GROUNDED A DIVERSE GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS. THESE FINDINGS INFORMED THE 2023-2027 CENTER FOR CRAFT'S STRATEGIC PLAN "CRAFT MATTERS" WHICH WAS LAUNCHED IN DECEMBER 2022. THE CENTER FOR CRAFT HAS BECOME A VITAL COMMUNITY RESOURCE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, SERVING THOUSANDS OF VISITORS ANNUALLY THROUGH TOP-NOTCH PROGRAMMING IN THE FORM OF EXHIBITIONS, LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. FREE TO THE PUBLIC, OUR GALLERIES BRING THE LATEST CUTTING-EDGE EXHIBITIONS TO THE REGION AND SERVE AS A CATALYST FOR DISCOVERY AND LEARNING ABOUT CRAFT FOR ALL AGES, BACKGROUNDS, AND INTEREST LEVELS. IN FY22, THE CENTER WELCOMED 7,989 GALLERY VISITORS, EXHIBITED 213 ARTISTS, AND RECEIVED 1,718 VIRTUAL PROGRAM ATTENDEES THROUGH EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMMING AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES. THE CENTER FOR CRAFT'S HISTORIC 1912 HISTORIC FACILITY OFFERS OVER 10,000 SQUARE FEET OF ADDITIONAL SPACE TO HOST PROGRAMS, MEETINGS, AND EVENTS WITH TWO GALLERIES, EVENT AND MEETING SPACES, ADDITIONAL CLASSROOM AND CONFERENCE SPACES, AN ENGAGEMENT AREA TO EXPLORE THE CRAFT RESEARCH FUND'S PUBLICATIONS, AND A CO-WORKING SPACE ("COWORK"). THE CENTER FOR CRAFT IS A CREATIVE DESTINATION AND RESOURCE FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BY FULFILLING THE CULTURAL SECTOR'S NEED FOR OPTIMUM SPACE FOR PROGRAMS AND NETWORKING, AND SHARED OFFICE SPACE FOR LIKE-MINDED ORGANIZATIONS, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS. WITH THE HELP OF GENEROUS FUNDERS AND DONORS, THE CENTER CONTINUES TO BUILD ITS ENDOWED FUNDS TO REMAIN A BEACON OF SUPPORT FOR THE MAKERS, SCHOLARS, AND CRAFT COMMUNITY. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS AND HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE CENTER, PLEASE VISIT WWW.CENTERFORCRAFT.ORG.