Mountains of Art

The Mountaintop Art and Craft Show

By LIESEL SCHMIDT

Oils, pastels, acrylics, watercolors…These are just a few mediums in which art finds its form, taking shape on everything from canvas to paper or built from the sludge of clay under the hands and fingers of someone whose mind’s eye is guiding each touch. Wood comes alive; metal is given shape and movement, and glass becomes mesmerizingly complex. Regardless of its form or medium, art is a powerful form of expression, a way to communicate without words, to tell a story. And whether its origins can be traced to a sun-filled studio in Paris or a woodshed in the backwoods of a rural mountain town, art knows no class. It knows only the passion of the person behind it.

For the artists and artisan crafters of the annual Mountaintop Art and Craft Shows, the chance to showcase their work to their community's people and visitors from across the region is invaluable. It celebrates their creativity, an affirmation that their passion is worth appreciating. It also allows these incredibly talented artists to see the impact their work makes on the people viewing it.

First created by local artist Cynthia Strain in 2005 as a biannual festival, the Mountaintop Art and Craft Show proved incredibly popular. Strain eventually grew the event into two shows each summer. With that popularity came a growth in the number of artists featured. The handful of artists and craftspeople who participated in its first year have now become more than 100 artists at each show, packing the event space at Kelsey Hutchinson Founders Park.

In 2021, when Strain retired, the festival was taken over by Mountaintop Rotary of Highlands. Shows are now run entirely by Mountaintop Rotary volunteers. “We don’t have any paid employees running the shows yearly,” says Catherine Connolly Hudson, Mountaintop Rotary President and Club Fundraising Chair. “We are one hundred percent run on volunteer Rotarians, and we are incredibly proud of all our volunteers' work each year to make this a successful event.”

With shows each year during the last weekend in June and August, the Mountaintop Art and Crafts Show is a great draw to Highlands, benefitting the local community through tourism and commerce—but there is so much more to the story than that. “This year, we are supporting a brand-new K-12 program in Highlands: The Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau Highlands,” says Connolly Hudson. “We are raising funds to help build a technology program supporting STEM and digital literacy, targeting a Teen Career readiness program.

“Originally, this was a grassroots event, organically growing over the years as a showcase for traditional mountain art—and we are proud to say that this has become Mountaintop’s largest annual fundraiser,” she continues. “Each year, funds from the show go back to our community Grant Program. We award grants for local programs in addition to supporting other international relief efforts. For example, we recently helped fund the purchase of an X-ray machine for a rural hospital in Bolivia. Closer to home, we have awarded over $50,000 in grants this year.”

The event's growth over the last 19 years has brought with it an increase in the number of artists who wish to participate in the Mountaintop Art and Crafts Show—though there is a process for choosing which artists will be featured. “Artists are selected through a jury,” explains Connolly Hudson. We look for the finest in craftsmanship and creativity. The art must not be mass-produced and must be handcrafted.”

Those parameters are in place not only to keep the quality of the work at a certain level but also to maintain authenticity and originality. These are the creations of the region’s artists, made by their hands, imbued with their passion and created with a story that gives each piece depth. As they attend the Mountaintop Art and Craft Show, art patrons will find various mediums and styles of art to admire and purchase, as well as incredible works of craftsmanship that display the talent at work in this beautiful community. “We work to keep a balance of vendors,” says Connolly Hudson. “Pottery, fabrics, painting, wood, metal and glass crafts will be seen.

We try to bring in new artists each show, but many have been showing for years. We also have other nonprofits like the Scaly Mountain Women’s Club, Highlands Bolivian Mission and Pens with a Purpose.”

Artists include Craig Ragsdale, an oil painter whose work captures the vivid spirit of the wildlife he paints, and Bistra Hristova, whose breathtaking paperless photographs can be found on everything from wood and reclaimed cabinet doors to marble tiles. Todd Wolfe’s “extreme birdhouses” are perfect for bird lovers who appreciate true craftsmanship and engineering. Andy Costine’s woodwork is a unique example of how the natural elements of wood can inspire art, as he combines figured burls with geometric shapes to create his pieces. Various artisans of the Bascom will also be featured, showing handmade items, including ceramics, fiber arts such as scarves, jewelry, paintings and other Bascom merchandise.

In addition to the artists, Mountaintop has added live music, including community groups such as Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, various food vendors, and a Kids’ Zone to make the event more family-friendly for all ages. “We get hundreds of visitors each weekend,” says

Connolly Hudson. “We have always had a good mix of locals and visitors. Now, with the addition of family activities, live bluegrass music performed by a local band called Nitrograss, a silent auction and a raffle, we get more and more visitors each year.

“The Plateau has always been a mecca for the arts, and people flock here to appreciate the beauty and coolness of the mountains and to find inspiration,” she goes on. “Our area is rich in the visual and performing arts. We have many local and regional artists participating in the show, and people come year after year to experience it and find new artists whose work they want to support and take home. Our region is known for traditional crafts, and people visiting the mountains appreciate being able to find traditional crafts like wood-turned bowls or local stoneware pottery. But looking at the larger picture of who we are and where we come from, hosting an art show to raise money also pays homage to the roots of this community and the kind of people who call it home.”

August’s event takes place at Kelsey Hutchinson Founders Park on August 24 and 25, 2024, from 10 am until 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am until 4 pm on Sunday.

For more information, visit highlandsartshow.com