On August 1 & 2, 2015, New Morning Gallery and Bellagio Art-to-Wear sponsor the Village Art and Craft Fair on the grounds of the Cathedral of all Souls in Biltmore Village.

In its 43rd year, the VACF continues a long tradition of bringing high-quality crafts to Historic Biltmore Village. The fair hosts 114 artists from 17 states, representing the full spectrum of craft media – jewelry, ceramic, wood, fiber, metals, two-dimensional art and more.

The craft fair is a great opportunity to encounter new artists (25 are first-time exhibitors) and to talk with crafters one-on-one. 36 artists are from Western North Carolina. Thousands of shoppers from all over the southeast arrive to stroll through the fair, discovering unique gifts for friends, family and themselves!

A cat has been in almost every poster design. John Cram, the fair’s coordinator, says, “The public is always anticipating what the design will be just as they anticipate the fair itself.” This year’s poster is by NC artist C. Shana Greger and offers a unique variation to the usual cat theme.

Intrigued by Shana’s colorful landscape imagery and waterfall series paintings which are carried at New Morning Gallery, John approached Shana about creating the craft fair poster for 2015. “While we expected to see Shana’s strong style represented in the poster, the bobcat was a surprise.” Though it has been awhile, the posters have featured non-traditional cats in the past and with the show’s 50th anniversary approaching it seemed a fitting opportunity to flash back to earlier years. “This year’s poster and t-shirts are going to be highly collectible,” says Cram. “This design is a winner!”

Fair hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., rain or shine. There is no admission fee. Homemade refreshments are available at church sponsored concession booths with proceeds benefiting the Cathedral’s outreach program.

If You Go: Village Art and Craft Fair, August 1 & 2, 2015 in Biltmore Village. Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.