American Craft Baltimore Wholesale Show in February

Furniture World Magazine

The American Craft Council, a national nonprofit educational organization established to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft, announced today a new feature of the 2005 Baltimore Wholesale Show. For the first time in 29 years, the Council, in partnership with THE GUILD‚, the leading online retailer of original art and fine craft, will incorporate room vignettes on the show floor, highlighting how contemporary craft can be incorporated into everyday life. The Council will continue to offer lectures and educational presentations to wholesale buyers. From February 22 to February 24, 2005, the Council will feature the distinctive work of craft artists from around the country at the Council’s annual craft show at the Baltimore Convention Center. As the largest and most respected juried show of its kind, the Baltimore Craft Show will feature more than 850 of America’s top artists. Craft exhibited at the show includes jewelry; clothing and accessories; furniture; quilts; and sculptural and functional objects in clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood. As partners with the Council, THE GUILD will select three leading design professionals to create room vignettes on the show floor using the work of exhibiting artists to appoint living room, dining room, bedroom and outdoor settings, highlighting a "living with craft" theme. The Council will offer registered buyers the opportunity to participate in lectures and walking tours, which highlight new marketing ideas and ways forbuyers to work with a "living with craft" theme. Another first for the Baltimore Show is an interactive website (www.craftcouncil.org/ wholesale) promoting exhibiting artists that includes an image of their work, links to e-mail and website addresses as well as contact information. "The Council is pleased to offer these new opportunities at the Baltimore Show," said Reed McMillan, director, marketing & communications at the American Craft Council. "We are adding innovative elements to the show that will help buyers market this beautiful work. We believe this is a moment for craft, as consumers seek the authentic – valuing the hand-made in new ways." Each year the Council strives to bring to buyers as many qualified new artists as possible. This year, the Baltimore Show will feature 80 new wholesale artists, some of whom have been selected by a jury to be part of the Council’s Mentor Program designed to encourage and financially support new wholesale artists. Each year the Council hosts two juried wholesale shows in Baltimore and San Francisco and six juried retail shows in Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, San Francisco, Sarasota and St. Paul. About the American Craft Council (www.craftcouncil.org) Founded in 1943, the American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit public educational organization. The mission of the Council is to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. As the nation’s leading authority on contemporary craft, the Council’s programs include the award-winning bimonthly magazine, AMERICAN CRAFT, eight annual juried craft shows presenting artists and their work, a specialized library and archive on contemporary craft, and the Aileen Osborn Webb Awards honoring excellence in craft. Membership is open to all. For more information, please contact the American Craft Council at 1-800-836-3470 or visit www.craftcouncil.org. About the American Craft Council’s 2005 Baltimore Wholesale Craft Show Craft artists from around the country will once again return to Baltimore from February 22nd – 24th for the Council’s 29th annual Baltimore Wholesale Show. As the largest and most respected craft show of its kind, the Baltimore Show will feature more than 850 of America’s top contemporary craft artists. Work exhibited at the show includes jewelry; clothing and accessories; baskets; quilts; and sculptural and functional objects in clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood. Baltimore is one of two cities where the American Craft Council presents annual juried wholesale craft shows. Wholesale Show: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Wednesday, February 23, 2005 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Thursday, February 24, 2005 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)