Arts, Crafts And Entertainment

Most of us have had arts and crafts classes in school, when we were growing up. We remember building log cabins out of Popsicle sticks, making friendship bracelets, or funny insects and animals out of pipe cleaners. But few of us know the real history of this ancient practice.

Man is a naturally creative animal. He has been making things with his own two hands for tens of thousands of years. Some of the earliest examples of handicrafts were pieces of ornamental jewelry, vases and tapestries. People have always enjoyed decorating themselves and their home environments.

The popularity of crafts reached its zenith in Medieval Europe. Craftsmen studied and practiced for years to produce certain saleable goods. Whether jewelry, pots, shoes or pans, craftsmen made a good living producing items they had been making since childhood. All of that ended with the Industrial Revolution.

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Like Florence in 16th century in Italy under the Medici ruling, Glasgow in 19th century was the one of the most powerful and wealthiest city of English Empire.

In the beginning of 18th century when Scotland turned to the Atlantic, Glasgow, as west coast city, was ideally placed for shipment of merchandise between England and colonies of New World and America. Glasgow was supplying United Kingdom as the rest of Europe in some quantities of products such as tobacco, for example.

Next, in 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution city grew in power and became more richer with many of millionaires fortunes. Expansion of successive sectors of industry like textile production, glass-making, soap-making and  lastly, shipbuilding and locomotive construction caused increase of number of many factories as a consequence of population and thousands of new jobs. Its huge industrial impact had a reflection in artistic and cultural ambition of the city. Inspired by Arts and crafts movement of William Morris, many of rich citizens and representatives of middle and upper-middle classes were interested in art and craftsmanship objects and other once wealthiest citizens, families or institution were able to became patronages for artists or gifted persons.

The most remarkable public institution at that time in Europe was The Glasgow School of Art, founded in 1845 as Government School of Design had an ambition to participate and develop new artistic trends and support modern artistic ideas.  Philosophic, cultural, social and artistic activity of William Morris in 19th century changed approach to art, importance of artists and art as a whole in contemporary world. Lots of artists and craftsmen at the end of 19th century came from the whole Europe provoked by his Arts and Crafts movement ideas and began to research their own artistic inspiration in natural world, organic forms and clarity of design.

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Asheville, North Carolina is fast becoming known as one of the hottest cities in the United States for established professional artists and new, up-and-coming artists working in every medium imaginable. Situated in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Asheville boasts one of the vibrant creative communities in the South East United States and the world. The quaint downtown area is filled with galleries, museums and boutiques filled with the arts and crafts of the eclectic local creative community. A walking tour of the beautiful Art Deco style architecture and rich artistic history leaves one feeling refreshed and inspired by the many wonders of the human artistic mind.

The newly revitalized River Arts District on the French Broad River has an incredible concentration of studios and galleries. Artistically crafted homes dot the landscape and neighborhoods designed around progressive, green building theories thrive on all sides of the area. Cafés and pubs, including a craft brewery have popped up in the River Arts District of Asheville, making this a destination for travelers and tourists looking to find cutting edge artistic flavor. A mixture of artistic sensibilities prevail, combining the graffiti covered urban landscape of the old parts of the district with the new, eclectic art community.

Asheville's neighboring towns such as Black Mountain and Weaverville add to the strength of this area, supporting even more artists and crafters of every kind. Studio strolls and art walks are a regular fixture of the creative events and the artisans tend to be open, welcoming and friendly in these little mountain towns. The area of Appalachia where Asheville is situated has a long and famous history for folk art and craft, boasting some of the finest schools in the country for such pursuits.

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Fireplaces were an important feature of Arts and Crafts design. In the era from which the Movement drew its inspiration the fireplace was only beginning to be sited on the sidewalls of great halls in the houses of the very rich. So the style adopted by Arts and Crafts was a 19th century day pastiche of what was really constructed during the Wars of the Roses. Designs were often in brick although stone could be used where it was a local material. The fireplaces were large, often rounded and had an inglenook feel. Bricks would vary in size, with courses laid vertically as well as conventionally or possibly in a herringbone pattern. Later designs often included tiles and the type of sinuous designs that are associated with Charles Rennie Macintosh and Art Nouveau. Tiles might have a pastoral scene or a complex flower motif and the Rockwood Pottery that produced early designs was closely associated with Morris & Co, the company that William Morris ran from 1875. We still live with the Arts & Crafts legacy in mock Tudor houses, twentieth century wall panelling and old brick fireplaces. Like virtually all styles of the last two hundred years the popularity declines only to reappear up to one hundred years later.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh is regarded as one of the greatest influences on architecture this century. His all too short career spanned the turn of the century and produced a variety of innovative buildings and interiors around his birthplace of Glasgow. Some see Mackintosh as a modernist, others as the link between Art Nouveau and Art Deco. He was probably neither, drawing his inspiration as much from classical shapes as the new industrial art which was beginning to prevail all over Europe.

Mackintosh was not just an architect. His design brilliance extended to the interiors of the buildings that he designed. Together with his wife Margaret, Mackintosh believed that the interior layout was as important as the exterior form and designed individual items to compliment the total look of the building. Fireplaces were, in his opinion, the 'glowing focus with decorative and symbolic interest'. It was important for him that each design should meld into the room and be personalised for the needs of the owner. His most famous brief was Hill House in Dumbarton, which he designed for the publisher, Blackie. In this house each fireplace is different. The living room design has niches for ornaments, while the fireplace in the library links areas of the room to form a whole. Each has been thought through and tailored so that is part of the room, not just a fitting.

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Arts and crafts fairs are great venues to showcase your creativity and make money at the same time. There is a wide array of products, which can be showcased. Listed below are the 10 types of items that are very popular and generally sell very fast in an art and craft show.

1) For the Kids

Kids are priority always and parents are happy to buy things for them. It is good to encourage your kid's creative talent and taking them to various art and craft shows is good way of boosting their talent. You can find many items for children aged 0 to 12 in crafts shows to catch their attention. Items like painting tools, paper crafts which the children can do by themselves, or which children and their parents can do together.

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