Mountain View, Arkansas
Deep in the Arkansas Ozarks, Mountain View is a tiny town with a giant tradition of music and crafts. The area’s heritage is so significant that the state parks department created the Ozark Folk Center to highlight the handiwork of folks in the region.
At the heart of the folk center is a craft village, where local experts from around the area demonstrate more than two dozen types of crafts.
“Most of the crafts are traditional — they’re things that people did in the Ozarks in order to survive,” said Jimmie Edwards, group sales manager at the Ozark Folk Center. “The cooper may have made a bucket and a hand-carved spoon out of black walnut and brought it into town to trade for some yarn. So these crafts are things that were made to trade.”
When groups arrive at the center, they get an orientation from Edwards or another member of the staff. Then they are turned loose to explore the different craft studios at their own pace.
“You can stand in the broom shop and watch the craftsman make a broom,” Edwards said. “If you really want that broom, he’ll sell it to you then and there. He can make it in custom colors and do things you ask for while he’s demonstrating.”
The diversity of craft demonstrations is enough to keep visitors busy for hours. Guests can watch traditional jewelry-making, basket weaving, blacksmithing, stained-glass-making and other art forms, learning about each one’s origins, customs and techniques along the way.
The center also offers a series of programs that allow group visitors to try crafting for themselves.
“We have special programs where the group can learn a craft, like the art of making a corn shuck doll or angel for a Christmas tree,” Edwards said. “Anything we can do in a demonstration we can also teach.”
Sedona, Arizona
Stunning red-rock scenery and millennia of Native American tradition combine to make Sedona, Arizona, a powerfully artistic destination.
“Sedona’s earliest arts really go back 10,000 years, and we’re surrounded by Native American art at amazing heritage sites,” said Jennifer Wesselhoff, president and CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau. “The beauty of Sedona really inspires people to be creative and take a deep breath when they get here. It also inspires people who wouldn’t necessarily think they’re artists.”
Today, about 200 artists and artisans live and work in Sedona, which means that you don’t have to look very far to find great galleries and craft studios. One of the best venues for visitors to visit is Tlaquepaque, an arts-and-crafts village modeled after a traditional Mexican village.
“It’s got a spectacular Old World charm,” Wesselhoff said. “They built the buildings around the old sycamore trees, and they have cobblestone streets and fountains. There are some amazing art galleries and restaurants, and they often have live music in the courtyards.”
Another popular stop is the Sedona Arts Center, founded in the early 1960s by area artists and entrepreneurs. The center offers numerous workshops and hands-on craft classes for groups.
Wherever they shop, groups are likely to find a number of Native American-inspired crafts in Sedona.
“We have a lot of really cool Navajo rugs made by Arizona artists,” Wesselhoff said. “We also have a number of wonderful jewelry spots that sell turquoise jewelry. Most of my friends who come and visit walk away with some sort of jewelry, whether it’s a turquoise necklace, earrings or some of the amazing gem bracelets from around the area.”
Hampshire County, Massachusetts
In western Massachusetts, a trio of Hampshire County towns have become New England’s most popular destinations for arts and crafts.
“One of the aspects of this area that is most celebrated is the fact that we have a lot of artisans here creating work that is sent all over the country, as well as some really strong marketplaces for that work to be sold within the county,” said Suzanne Beck, executive director of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce. “You can take studio tours that get you inside some of these artists’ environments. There are a lot of workshops for improving your own craft in many different media. Then there are some major events that showcase craft on a museum-quality level.”
There are three significant towns in the area — Northampton, Easthampton and Amherst — and each has its own role to play in the regional arts and crafts scene. Amherst has a number of colleges, which have attracted numerous artists to the area. Many of those people go on to set up studios in Easthampton, where former factory buildings have been remodeled and repurposed as centers for crafts studios. Much of the work produced there goes on to be sold in Northampton, where a number of galleries and stores in the walkable downtown highlight craft from around the area.
Visitors will find craft from a wide variety of media in Hampshire County, but Beck said that glass and related arts are especially strong in the area.
“You can find a lot of everyday household items in glass, such as wine glasses and glass platters,” she said. “There’s also a lot in ceramic and porcelain. Year-round you’ll find things like teapots, dinner plates, serving bowls, and milk and sugar pitchers. Anything you can imagine in porcelain in a department store, you can find handmade in this area.”
