 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| 34 Melrose Avenue, Tryon, NC, 28782 Phone: 828-859-8322 Fax: 828-859-0271 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Tryon Arts and Crafts
The Town of Tryon has been home to many
residents with artistic abilities and talents. In the
1950's various individuals worked unofficially to
offer space in their homes to work on handicrafts or fine arts.
In the winter of 1959 Tryon was hit by a blizzard the likes of which local residents had never
experienced in our area before. One local resident, Grace Hall, who had been trapped in her
home for three weeks because of the snow, wrote to the local paper, the Tryon Daily Bulletin,
to express the need for a local crafts center to instruct and encourage “leisure time” talents
for area residents so that, heaven forbid another blizzard, they would have something to do
with their time.
This simple letter seemed to engage the community with the idea of a crafts center and
letters were written and published for weeks in the local paper promoting this same idea.
Finally, in April of 1960, area residents were informed of a meeting in the old Oak Hall Hotel
to discuss this very idea and to gauge the community's interest. In addition to compiling an
inventory of local talents, some 200 area residents pledged a $1.00 membership fee in
support of this fledgling organization which would later be known as Tryon Crafts, Inc.
The various groups of folks who had met in local homes were pulled together to form the
beginnings of an arts and crafts coop selling work and teaching classes and featuring guest
artist and artisans. A series of articles about this new arts and crafts group appeared in the
Asheville Citizen-Times. There was tremendous interest by local residents and businessmen
in recapturing Tryon's history as an artist's colony.
Tryon Crafts founding members were made up of influential citizens in the area like architect
Carter Brown and Tryon philanthropist Mrs. Violet L. E. Parish-Watson. After operating in the
location of The Book Shelf in the old Preston Building, Tryon Crafts took residence in the new
Tryon Fine Arts Center in 1969. In 1986, the Tryon Fine Arts Center acquired the building
known as Cate-Hall Weaving cottage. The annex known as the Arts Pallet was donated to the
center around the same time and pottery and lapidary were added to the curriculum.
In 2004 the organization changed its name to Tryon Arts & Crafts. This was done to
accurately reflect the group's broad mission. In the summer of 2006 the organization
purchased and began renovation of part of the Tryon Middle School. The relocation to this
facility, 373 Harmon Field Road, was completed September 2006. The larger space means a
broader range of classes in the future as well as a larger area to showcase and sell quality
handcrafted products.
For more information, visit their website at
www.tryonartsandcrafts.org
The Town of Tryon has been home to many
residents with artistic abilities and talents. In the
1950's various individuals worked unofficially to
offer space in their homes to work on handicrafts or fine arts.
In the winter of 1959 Tryon was hit by a blizzard the likes of which local residents had never
experienced in our area before. One local resident, Grace Hall, who had been trapped in her
home for three weeks because of the snow, wrote to the local paper, the Tryon Daily Bulletin,
to express the need for a local crafts center to instruct and encourage “leisure time” talents
for area residents so that, heaven forbid another blizzard, they would have something to do
with their time.
This simple letter seemed to engage the community with the idea of a crafts center and
letters were written and published for weeks in the local paper promoting this same idea.
Finally, in April of 1960, area residents were informed of a meeting in the old Oak Hall Hotel
to discuss this very idea and to gauge the community's interest. In addition to compiling an
inventory of local talents, some 200 area residents pledged a $1.00 membership fee in
support of this fledgling organization which would later be known as Tryon Crafts, Inc.
The various groups of folks who had met in local homes were pulled together to form the
beginnings of an arts and crafts coop selling work and teaching classes and featuring guest
artist and artisans. A series of articles about this new arts and crafts group appeared in the
Asheville Citizen-Times. There was tremendous interest by local residents and businessmen
in recapturing Tryon's history as an artist's colony.
Tryon Crafts founding members were made up of influential citizens in the area like architect
Carter Brown and Tryon philanthropist Mrs. Violet L. E. Parish-Watson. After operating in the
location of The Book Shelf in the old Preston Building, Tryon Crafts took residence in the new
Tryon Fine Arts Center in 1969. In 1986, the Tryon Fine Arts Center acquired the building
known as Cate-Hall Weaving cottage. The annex known as the Arts Pallet was donated to the
center around the same time and pottery and lapidary were added to the curriculum.
In 2004 the organization changed its name to Tryon Arts & Crafts. This was done to
accurately reflect the group's broad mission. In the summer of 2006 the organization
purchased and began renovation of part of the Tryon Middle School. The relocation to this
facility, 373 Harmon Field Road, was completed September 2006. The larger space means a
broader range of classes in the future as well as a larger area to showcase and sell quality
handcrafted products.
For more information, visit their website at
www.tryonartsandcrafts.org
