Transition

In 1957, the vocational college became a four-year institute, and transitioned in the mid 1960s into the four-year degree-granting Warren Wilson College. While weaving classes ceased, the work crews continued until the craft shop closed in 1969. In 2009, Melanie Wilder was approached by a student to revive the work crew. The Woodworking Crew assisted with building equipment as most looms had been donated elsewhere in the 1970s.

Craft on Campus Today

In addition to the Fiber Arts Crew , WWC has a Blacksmithing Crew  supervised by Matt Haugh, Class of 2020, MA in Critical Craft Studies, and will reinstate the Woodworking Crew in Fall 2020 after a one-year hiatus. Undergraduate students can earn a minor in craft, for which work on craft crews and completion of a craft history course are part of the curriculum.

Craft and the Land

Since 2019, the craft crews work under the supervision of David Ellum, Professor of Ecological Forestry and Dean of Land Resources. The connection between the farm, land and the history of craft education comes together further in the cultivation of a dye garden on campus, and the use of wool from the sheep to make yarn. Our Forestry Crew partners with our Blacksmith Crew to provide charcoal that is sustainably created from our 650-acre forest. Forest Manager and Crew Supervisor Shawn Swartz teaches students to perform silvicultural maintenance, research and inventory, and to produce non-timber forest products. Timber from the forest is harvested, milled and available for the Woodworking Crew. Work from all craft crews is incorporated into the campus from buildings and fences to upholstery, with work available for purchase through the campus store, events, and workshops.

Think Tank with Center for Craft

During a Craft Think Tank jointly organized by Warren Wilson College and the Center for Craft in Asheville, NC, in June 2016, an international group of thought leaders met with WWC faculty to discuss and make recommendations concerning the content, format, approach, audience, and resources needed to create a relevant and successful graduate program.

Creating a field of craft studies

The first and only low-residency graduate program in craft history and theory, the MA in Critical Craft Studies launched in 2018 at Warren Wilson College. The Center for Craft is the founding partner in this program; classes are held at the Center during January residencies, exhibitions curated by graduate students take place in the John Cram Partner Gallery, and a forthcoming symposium is planned for 2021 (postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19).