The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area will present Connecting to Place: Blue Ridge Craft Trails Invitational 2026, a juried group exhibition featuring 20 craft artists from across Western North Carolina, on view in the Thompson Gallery from May 16 through July 25, 2026. Curated by M. Anna Fariello, the exhibition celebrates the Blue Ridge Craft Trails and the living traditions of handcraft that define the region’s creative identity.

Artists
Teresa Bouchonnet | Myron Carter | Susan Coe | Laurey Faye Dean | Brad Dodson | Gayle R. Haynie | Karen H. Hovis | Carol Lynn Johnson | Ilene Kay | Mike McKinney | Paul Hornbuckle | Janlyn Messina | Davy Arch | Caden Painter | Terance Painter | Paul Pieringer | William S. Rogers | Desmond Suarez | Gayle Barker Woody | Joe Frank McKee