Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Crafts Guild Seeks Members

The Arkansas Craft Guild is now accepting membership applications for its winter jury. Applicants must be Arkansas residents who hand-make craft items for original or traditional designs.

The Arkansas Craft Guild, a member-owned cooperative comprised of 300 craft artists, was organized in 1960 to revive traditional crafts in the state and to provide marketing channels for its members' crafts.

The guild owns and operates five retail outlets, known as the Arkansas Craft Galleries, where the public can view and purchase traditional and contemporary craft items hand-made by members. The shops are located in Mountain View, Eureka Springs, Hot Springs, Fayetteville and Little Rock.

The guild's standards committee is a seven-member panel comprised of artisans who are masters in various media. At each jury, prospective member's crafts are judged on standards of design, originality and craftsmanship.

Membership benefits include marketing opportunities, discounts on purchases at guild shops, reduced rates for participating in guild shows, a quarterly newsletter, voting and having a voice in the operations of the cooperative, as well as selling to the shops.

The guild also promotes its members' work through an annual Christmas Showcase held in the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock the first weekend in December, and through artist receptions, were members show and demonstrate their craft work.

The deadline for submission for the winter jury is February 10.

For membership applications contact the guild administrative office at: The Arkansas Craft Guild, P.O. Box 800, Mountain View, AR 72560, 870-269-3897.