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Tech’s Appalachian Center for Craft to hold Celebration
Craft Center


SMITHVILLE, TN – Tennessee Tech University’s Appalachian Center for Craft will host its annual Celebration of Craft on April 1 at the Smithville campus. The event will be from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The celebration will feature various events including live music, demonstrations, kids' crafts, food trucks, a gallery sale, and a silent auction.

“Silent auction items include pieces by Craft Center faculty, students, artists in residence and other affiliated artists,” Ashley Lusietto, ACC program manager, said. “The auction will include a variety of works including, wood, glass, metal, ceramic and more.”

The proceeds from the auction will go towards the Craft Center’s outreach programs such as The Focus on Fine Craft Workshop program for high school students.

“Students visit the Craft Center and choose from a variety of hands-on workshops, including woodcarving, slab clay construction, Shibori fabric dyeing with indigo and glass bead making,” Lusietto said.

Live crafting demonstrations will occur throughout the day. They will be narrated by artisans and held in the various studios throughout the center. Demonstrations will include exhibitions of blacksmithing, glass blowing, ceramics, fibers, and wood.

Kids’ tables will offer free crafts in wet felting, shrinky dinks, paper flowers and cardboard weaving. The kids crafting tables will be run by the School of Art, Craft and Design’s art education students.

Music entertainment will be provided by Spoonful, a group that performs blues and classic rock music, and a performance by the Global Educational Center, which will include a multicultural dance.

The Craft Center’s Gallery will have a 25% discount on all handmade gallery items during the Celebration of Craft which applies to both the in-person gallery as well as the online shop.

Food trucks will be available on site for the craft fair and many local businesses are included. The attending vendors are Helen’s Restaurant, Whitt’s Barbecue, Country Boy Gourmet Kettle Corn, Lazy Cow and Scott’s Totts.

The ACC is located at 1560 Craft Center Dr., Smithville. For event information and updates visit https://www.tntech.edu/fine-arts/craftcenter/celebration.php.