COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (March 18, 2004) – Spring is a time for more than just April showers and May flowers. It’s also time for the 6th Annual Celebration of Craft.

Set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 3, at the Appalachian Center for Craft, a satellite campus of Tennessee Tech University, the Celebration supports the Craft Center’s educational outreach programs serving more than 3,500 regional elementary and high school students each year. The event is free and open to the public.

Enjoy narrated demonstrations in all studios (clay, fibers, glass, metals and wood), a silent auction, fine craft sale by the TTU Student Visual Arts Society, kids’ hands-on craft activities, live music by the Cluster Pluckers, Little Sarah’s Orchestra and Abusua, TTU’s West African drumming and dance ensemble.

A highlight of this year’s Celebration will be the presentation of a new $500 scholarship sponsored by Friends of the Appalachian Center for Craft of Tennessee, a non-profit advocacy organization that promotes the mission of the Craft Center.

The scholarship will be awarded to a bachelor of fine arts major with a craft concentration in clay, fibers, glass, metals or wood, has a GPA of 3.0 or higher in studio courses and has worked and/or volunteered for FACCT within the last year.

“FACCT members believe so strongly in the Craft Center and its students that they wanted to show their appreciation in this way, to help repay students for all their assistance throughout the years,” said Gail Gentry, workshop and events coordinator at the Craft Center.

Though a free event, the Celebration of Craft is a fundraiser by FACCT to continue to provide quality, unique arts experiences to the children of the Upper Cumberland. Proceeds from the sale of commemorative T-shirts and silent auction items directly benefit the outreach programs.

Additional components of the Celebration include a gallery discount of 10 percent off all items and a 20 percent discount for TTU student and employees with a valid Eagle Card identification and food by the Walkway Café, including burgers, hotdogs, vegetarian items, snacks, treats and drinks.

The Craft Center’s outreach programs are funded in part by the Tennessee General Assembly and administered in cooperation with the Tennessee Arts Commission and other designated agencies throughout Tennessee.

Want to see more? Craft Center artists will also be demonstrating their skills the following day — Sunday, April 4 — from 1 to 5 p.m. at the “Masters of Their Craft” exhibition at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville. The “Masters” show is curated by the Smithsonian Institution.

The Craft Center is located off Interstate 40 at Exit 273, approximately 25 miles west of Cookeville and 60 east of Nashville. Turn south toward Smithville on Highway 56 and take a left immediately after crossing Hurricane Bridge.

For more information about the Celebration, call Gail Gentry at 931/372-3051 or
e-mail her at ggentry@tntech.edu. A link to the Celebration of Craft web site is available on TTU’s homepage at www.tntech.edu.

--Tracey LeFevre
This information posted 29 March 2004