TRAC hosts annual Blacksmith Exhibition
The Toe River Arts Council Gallery in Spruce Pine is hosting its annual Blacksmith Exhibition March 23 to April 27.
It’s going to be a hot time in the ol’ town from March 23
through April 27 at the Toe River Arts Council Gallery in Spruce Pine.
It’s the annual
Blacksmith Exhibition, held in conjunction with the Fire on the Mountain Festival April
27.
The exhibition showcase will display a variety of metal work from festival participants.
This year’s featured artist is John Medwedeff, who has been working with metal since his first
experience at age 9. According to Medwedeff, it was a hobby that became a passion, which then became
a career.
At 19, he started blacksmithing, and even after 30 years, he hasn’t stopped.
Medwedeff’s work is public art in major cities throughout the United States. In addition to his
large-scale projects, he also creates personalized and unique elements for any environment – from
garden gates, doorway décor and stairwell railings to fireplaces, bed frames and dishes.
The
partnership between festival organizers and the Toe River Arts Council has quickly proven a boon
for blacksmiths, an event organizer said. Any participant in Fire on the Mountain can submit work
for exhibition — professional or amateur, young or old. And as in past years, the exhibition will
feature work from all over the region.
Matching the variety in place of origin is the
variety of styles. Some of the work rates high on a practicality scale, from hinges and sconces to
andirons and utensils. Other pieces are strictly for the senses, offering experiential challenges.
“Some work brings smiles to the faces of the viewers, while others invite a mood of
contemplation and introspection,” an exhibition spokesperson said. “Under the heading of ‘work in
metal,’ one finds the most exciting proliferation of creative expression. Whatever the style,
whatever the purpose or birthplace of the metal work, Spruce Pine continues to be the premier
setting for celebrating this ageless craft.”
Before the big finale of smoke, sparks, heat,
sweat and the cacaphony of hammers on metal, visitors are invited to see what happens after the
fires are put out and the metal cooled — a space filled with structures still bearing the scars of
tumultuous beginnings. Visitors are also invited to come meet the artists Friday, April 26, from 5
to 7 p.m. at the Spruce Pine Gallery reception.
The Fire on the Mountain Festival is
sponsored by Spruce Pine Main Street in collaboration with Penland School of Crafts. For more
information about the festival, visit http://www.downtownsprucepine.com, or call (828) 765-3008. For more
information about the Penland demonstrations, visit http://www.penland.org.
The Spruce Pine Gallery
is located at 269 Oak St. in downtown Spruce Pine. Gallery hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday
through Saturday. For more information about the Blacksmith Exhibition, call the Toe River Arts
Council at (828) 765-0520, or visit http://www.toeriverarts.org.
Gallery Times
Gallery Times is a weekly news feature of The Mountain Times, featuring short news items submitted by local galleries.
For more information or to make a submission, contact editor Frank Ruggiero at (frank@mountaintimes.com) or (828) 264-6397.
