The Visual Arts Center of Richmond has been hosting Craft + Design, a three-day contemporary craft show, for 53 years. But this year, the museum-quality show gets a dramatically new look. On November 17-19, Craft + Design opens in its new location—historic Main Street Station’s newly renovated train shed—and doubles the number of participating artists.
Craft + Design kicks off with its Patrons’ Preview Party on Friday night from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $55 and include drinks, hors-d’oeuvres and the chance to shop early. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Belle Isle Craft Spirits will be on site, serving up tried-and-trues like Gingerbread Stout and his and hers specialty cocktails. Enjoy bluegrass music by South Hill Banks. The band recently took home the FloydFest Music Festival’s 2017 “On the Rise” Award. When the party winds down, head over to Shockoe Atelier for the after party, hosted by Craft + Design’s local makers and VisArts’ young professionals board.
The Rise + Shine Breakfast runs from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturday and a ticket includes mimosas and bloody Marys, a light breakfast and another chance to get into Craft + Design ahead of the crowds. Interior designer Amanda Nisbet will give a talk on incorporating craft into your home and sign copies of her book, Dazzling Design. Tickets to Rise + Shine are $30.
General admission shopping hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and continue on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those tickets are $10.
Want to come and go all weekend? A weekend pass includes access to Patrons’ Preview and Rise + Shine, unlimited re-entry during general admission shopping hours and free parking. Weekend passes are $80. Richmondmom.com is giving away two weekend passes! To enter, fill out the form at the bottom of this article.
More than 130 artists will exhibit at Craft + Design, 66 of which have never before exhibited at the show. Be sure to check out jewelry artists Laura Wood and Meghan Riley, sculptor Evan Chambers and wood artists Alicia Dietz and David Bohnhoff. 2016 award winners Ashley Buchanan, Sean Donlon, Andrea Donnelly, Daniel Rickey, Caitie Sellers, and Wendy Stevens are returning. Ignatius Hats, a longtime Richmond favorite, is also back this year.
This year’s featured artist is North Carolina-based jewelry artist Tara Locklear. She uses recycled skateboards, cast cement and Durat, a post-consumer countertop plastic, in her work and has exhibited at contemporary craft shows sponsored by the American Craft Council, the Smithsonian Museums and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Locklear has been featured in several national publications, including American Craft magazine and Metalsmith magazine. Locklear was a 2014 finalist for the Society of Contemporary Craft Lydon Emerging Artist Award. A statement necklace, “Graduated Limited Edition VAC Teardrop Gem Cut Collet #1,” by Locklear is the piece the Visual Arts Center selected to include on all the event’s marketing materials. It, and four others in the series, will be for sale the weekend of the show.
Valet parking is available Friday night. On Saturday and Sunday, park in the parking deck at the corner of 14th Street and Main Street, less than a one-block walk from the train station.
Learn more about Craft + Design at visarts.org. All proceeds from Craft + Design benefit the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, a 54-year-old community arts center dedicated to engaging all members of the Richmond community in the creative process.
