American Craft Council & The Guild Announce Unique Partnership for 2005 Baltimore Craft Show

Furniture World Magazine

The American Craft Council, a national nonprofit educational organization that promotes understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft, announced today a partnership with THE GUILD‚, the leading online retailer of original art and fine craft. The Council and THE GUILD hope to inspire attendees at the Council’s Baltimore Craft Show about the joy of living with craft. From February 22, to February 27, 2005, the Council will feature the distinctive work of craft artists from around the country at the Council’s annual craft show at the Baltimore Convention Center. As the largest and most respected juried show of its kind, more than 850 of America’s top craft artists can be seen at the wholesale portion of the show and over 650 on public days. Craft exhibited at these shows includes jewelry; clothing and accessories; furniture; quilts; and sculptural and functional objects in clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood. THE GUILD will select four leading design professionals to create room vignettes on the show floor using the work of exhibiting artists to appoint living room, dining room, bedroom and outdoor settings, highlighting a "living with craft" theme. The Council and THE GUILD will also join forces to present lectures, walking tours and panel discussions to delight and educate the public about the value of craft. "The Council is pleased to be partnering with THE GUILD for the upcoming show in Baltimore," said Carmine Branagan, executive director of the Council. "Both organizations have a common mission to promote craft and to provide as many opportunities as possible to point out the value of the hand made. We are passionate about artists and their work and we believe that this partnership with THE GUILD is an effective way of promoting craft to a large audience." "THE GUILD is proud to be working with the Council," says Toni Sikes, CEO and founder of THE GUILD. "The room vignettes at the Baltimore Show will provide ideas and inspiration for people attending the show. It is an exciting way to promote the theme of living with craft." Each year, the Council hosts two juried wholesale shows in Baltimore and San Francisco and six juried retail shows in Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, San Francisco, Sarasota and St. Paul. About the American Craft Council (www.craftcouncil.org) Founded in 1943, the American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit public educational organization. The mission of the Council is to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American crafts. As the nation’s leading authority on contemporary craft, the Council’s programs include the award-winning bimonthly magazine, AMERICAN CRAFT, eight annual juried craft shows presenting artists and their work, a specialized library and archive on contemporary craft, and the Aileen Osborn Webb Awards honoring excellence in craft. Membership is open to all. For more information, please contact the American Craft Council at 1-800-836-3470 or visit www.craftcouncil.org. About the American Craft Council’s 2005 Baltimore Craft Show Craft artists from around the country will once again return to Baltimore from February 22nd – 27th for the Council’s 29th annual Baltimore Craft Show. As the largest and most respected craft show of its kind, the Baltimore Show will feature more than 850 of America’s top contemporary craft artists during the wholesale show and 650 artists during the retail show. Work exhibited at the show includes jewelry; clothing and accessories; furniture; quilts; and sculptural and functional objects in clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood. Baltimore is one of six cities where the Council presents craft shows. Each year, the Council hosts two juried wholesale shows in Baltimore and San Francisco and six juried retail shows in Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, San Francisco, Sarasota and St. Paul. Wholesale Show: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Wednesday, February 23, 2005 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Thursday, February 24, 2005 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) Retail Show: Friday, February 25, 2005 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) Saturday, February 26, 2005 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Sunday, February 27, 2005 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) About THE GUILD (www.guild.com) THE GUILD‚ is the leading distributor of original art and fine craft items shipped direct from the studios of top artists across North America. The Artful Home‚ catalogs and website present a home décor collection carefully selected from the 10,000 items available through THE GUILD. Since 1985, THE GUILD has also published annual sourcebooks helping design professionals locate artists for commissions and special projects.