Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Craft Guild Seeking Judges

The Arkansas Craft Guild is now accepting membership applications for its summer jury. Applicants must be Arkansas residents to qualify.

The Arkansas Craft Guild, a member-owned cooperative comprised of 300 craft artists, was organized in 1962 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, located in Mountain View, Eureka Springs, Hot Springs, Fayetteville and Little Rock, where the public can view and purchase contemporary as well as traditional craft items handmade by guild members.

The guild also promotes its members' work through an annual Christmas Showcase held in the Stathouse Convention Center in Little Rock, and through artist receptions, where members show and demonstrate their craftwork.

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

Membership benefits include guild stock, discounts at guilds shops, reduced rates for participating in guild shows, voting priviledges and a quarterly guild newsletter. Members also have the possibility of having their products carried in one or more of the guild shops and being featured in aallery receptions.

The deadline for submission for the summer jury is August 10. For more information and membership application materials, contact the guild's administrative offices at: The Arkansas Craft Guild, P.O. Box 800, Montain View, AR 72560, (870) 269-3897.