Connecting to Place II: Blue Ridge Craft Trails Invitational 2026 will be on display at Mars Landing Arts Center in Mars Hill, NC. Running from Friday, August 7th, through Sunday, September 27th, 2026, the exhibition features works by artists from the Blue Ridge Craft Trails. Curator M. Anna Fariello created the exhibition with the vision of tying today’s living traditions back to the region’s history and nature. The 20 participants are from the Far West region of Western North Carolina, representing seven towns and the Qualla Boundary: Franklin, Waynesville, Dillsboro, Bryson City, Cullowhee, Canton, Cherokee, Maggie Valley, and Brasstown. The artwork consists of different mediums including clay, fiber, metal, paper, and wood.

“I am excited to share this exhibition of the artists in our westernmost counties, whose work many of us might not often get to experience, living in and visiting around Asheville,” states Miryam Rojas, owner of Mars Landing Arts Center. “Bringing this wonderful show from The Bascom to Mars Landing offers these artists an additional breadth of exposure and admiration.” Mars Landing Arts Center is one of 355 Blue Ridge Craft Trails sites, making the connection even more important. BRNHA and Rojas first partnered in July 2025 to host another BRCT invitational, Returning to the Ridge. “Whenever we hold events for our artists, we like to involve a gallery or arts organization that is also a site on the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, so that we can bring attention to them and their important work as well,” said Robin Johnson, BRCT Coordinator. “Mars Landing’s spacious gallery can accommodate a large amount of work, and showing craft pieces in its contemporary environment gives the audience a new perspective.

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