About Us

As the statewide champions for quality craft, the Artisans Center of Virginia (ACV) supports and promotes the culture of Virginia artisans through education, entrepreneurship, research, galleries and exhibitions. The ACV believes that quality, handmade craft strengthens the cultural, educational and economic vitality of local communities.

Heritage — maintaining the culture of quality handmade fine craft

Economy — providing exhibition and sales opportunities

Education — encouraging the development of the next generation artisan

Jobs — developing professional advancement opportunities for the practicing artisan

Research — gathering and documenting the impact of craft on Virginia’s culture and economy

Community — strengthening local communities by increasing visibility of artisan studios, venues and galleries

Networking — promoting peer to peer collaborations among Virginia artisans

ACV is officially registered with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:
P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23209.

The Culture of Craft

The culture of craft is as much a mindset held by artisans and appreciative audiences, as it is a way of living. It is the natural order, firmly woven into the everyday fabric of life, shunning faceless mass production and embracing the familiar relationship between the craftsperson, the user, and quality handmade craft. Once immersed in the culture, whether producing the craft or enjoying the use and aesthetic of a piece, an intimate lifelong relationship of value and appreciation emerges strong and true.  The culture of craft links the past, present and future, reconciles “meaning” with “making”, and bridges all parts of society…. Create Craft, Create Community!

What is An Artisan?

An artisan creates objects of three dimensional craft, often to be used functionally, but always with a high degree of artistry and quality craftsmanship. For the artisan, form follows function, and the work of the artisan speaks to the simple honesty of that paradigm. The artisan pours himself into his craft, making his quality objects with pride, honesty, and integrity. Whether using hand tools or machines, the artisan takes no shortcuts that might compromise the quality of the work. The artisan does not attempt to compete with the large scale manufacturer, and the amount of time taken to make a work of quality craft is secondary to the result. That the goal of the artisan is to achieve heirloom quality is an unspoken assumption.

Current Program Initiatives of the Artisans Center of Virginia

STATEWIDE CRAFT REGISTRY

ACV maintains the Statewide Craft Registry, identifying artisans and the venues that serve them, patrons, businesses and arts organizations that support the craft industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

JURY STANDARDS CERTIFICATION

ACV established the first statewide jurying program, utilizing stringent standards to distinguish levels of quality and professionalism among Virginia artisans. The ACV Jury Standards continues to assign the highest level of certification recognizing quality Virginia craft. This program further identifies Master Virginia Artisans who work to perpetuate the business of craft through education and advocacy.

STUDIO SCHOOL

The ACV Studio School in collaboration with Piedmont Virginia Community College’s (PVCC) Workforce Development Center, at its core, is a workforce development initiative which includes educational outreach to Virginia artisans. It facilitates programs in a wide variety of artist-entrepreneurial, contemporary and traditional craft courses. It will also establish the ACV Instructor’s Bureau to offer rural communities satellite education opportunities and to develop an official craft vocational syllabus in support of the Virginia Department of Education’s “Career Pathways” for the arts. Courses will begin in the spring of 2011.

ARTISAN TRAIL NETWORK

ACV’s Artisan Trail Network offers a unique opportunity to form strategic alliances with artisans, venues, galleries and retailers across the state, while connecting points of interest, restaurants, and accommodation locations in the related communities in order to enhance regional tourism activity.  The ACV Artisan Trail Network is an innovative program to leverage ACV’s broad-based grassroots membership into a coordinated marketing and outreach campaign to strengthen local communities while strengthening Virginia’s craft industry.

RETAIL ALLIANCES

ACV’s high quality standards combined with our commitment to identifying, cultivating, and creating economic opportunities for artisan members, is at the heart of this program which forms partnerships with commercial enterprises that either currently or plan to sell quality handmade Virginia craft. This program provides new venue opportunities for Virginia artisans while offering retailers an opportunity to leverage ACV’s powerful brand.

EXHIBITIONS & CRAFT SHOWS

The Traveling Craft Fair Program provides an opportunity for ACV Juried Artisans to host a one day mini-craft fair in their locality as a way to increase visibility by collaboratively working with other groups and/or businesses in their area. ACV Exhibitions held in various gallery, museum and business locations across the state, allow the public to view a range of work that tells a story about the progression of the artisan and his or her craft and embrace the creative environment where thought is nurtured, ideas expressed, and form unleashed.  Innovative, culturally and technically astounding “Featured Member” and “Virginia Creates” exhibitions represent the best of ACV Juried Artisans, while National Exhibitions bring the finest artisan work from all across the country to the Commonwealth.

CRAFT CONFERENCE/BUSINESS INSTITUTE

ACV is a highly selective, unique organization reaching well-educated, focused artisans who take their businesses seriously, who utilize a diverse range of craft materials, business technologies and marketing materials and who look for opportunities to network.  This conference reaches out to the over 3,000 craft artisans who reside and practice in the state of Virginia offering them workshops on a wide range of topics…from sales & marketing and the latest trends in communication to productive new display techniques…to help them take their artisan endeavors to the next level. This conference is for the professional artisan as well as students in the arts.

The History of the Artisans Center of Virginia

In 1987, then Governor Gerald Baliles included the statement “enhancement of the craft industry” in a set of directives to state agencies. To meet this directive, various public and private entities worked to bring Virginia’s craftspeople together to draft a list of needs and desires for the craft industry. Always at the top of that list was the need for a unified presence for Virginia craft.

In 1997 the Artisans Center of Virginia was incorporated, and on June 11, 2000, it was designated to the public as the “official state artisans center.” Service to the entire state and its artisan community has been at the forefront of planning and programming. ACV realizes that in order to best serve Virginia’s artisans, it needs to attract the public and provide sustainable economic opportunities to developing craft businesses while working to train tomorrow’s craftspeople and keep the culture of handmade quality Virginia craft alive and thriving.

From 2000 – 2009, ACV operated a successful 5,000 square foot sales and exhibitions gallery.  During that time, ACV operated a large demonstration and sales gallery at the Virginia State Fair, attracting in excess of 250,000 people over an eleven day period, including approximately 30,000 school students who were able to see artisans at work and discuss craft one-on-one with professionals.  Additionally, ACV hosted an annual Studio Tour in the area surrounding Charlottesville, reaching out to over 15,000 visitors each year.

Between 2006-2008, ACV performed research resulting in the Allegheny Craft Network, as a way to encourage artisan networking and development in the nine counties of the Alleghany region of the state.

The Artisan Craft Industry

Virginia’s Innovative Pathway to Economic Development

The artisan industry in Virginia is one of the state’s greatest untapped economic assets. Skilled craftspeople with expertise in design, manufacturing techniques, and trade, form the backbone of the creative economy in many communities across the Commonwealth. While their handmade work is itself marketable as a unique Virginia product, their location in many small rural communities provides a tremendous and largely untapped opportunity for regional tourism marketing and economic growth.

Quality craftsmanship, local talent, and artisan entrepreneurship exist in abundance across the Commonwealth. Lacking, however, is a coordinated effort to leverage that talent into a recognized and established industry that is branded, promoted, and celebrated as a valuable Virginia commodity. Now more than ever, diversifying statewide economic development initiatives to include the enhancement of existing industries, in addition to the attraction of outside development projects is crucial to maintaining the vitality and character of Virginia communities.

The Artisans Center of Virginia (ACV), is the official state organization for craft and a designated nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the economic opportunities of small business artisans and thus the communities in which they reside.  Craft initiatives include quantifying the artisan industry’s economic impact, strengthening rural economies through regional network marketing, enhancing statewide tourism marketing initiatives, developing small businesses, creating jobs, and opening and expanding markets for Virginia craft exports.