The Big Crafty offers artists warmth and support in a challenging holiday season

For Justin Rabuck, like many in Western North Carolina, the weeks after Tropical Storm Helene were filled with uncertainty. Rabuck, co-founder of The Big Crafty, Asheville’s biannual craft show, didn’t know if the December event would even be possible. 

Logistics were an issue — without electricity, internet or running water The Crafty couldn’t happen. When nonpotable water, power and Wi-Fi were finally restored nearly three weeks after the storm, the question of whether or not to hold the event shifted to a moral dilemma. 

“Talking with other business owners and other artists and musicians, there was the crippling fear of — is this the right time to do this? Is this even considerate of the pain and suffering that so many are feeling?” Rabuck recalls.

He sent out a short survey to the artists who had already signed up — registration was due the last weekend in September — to gauge the feasibility of the event. Were their homes, studios or artworks damaged? Should the show even go on? 

Rabuck says he received an outpouring of messages urging him to host The Big Crafty in December as planned. While many depend on the show for sales to get them through the slow winter months, he says the artists weren’t focused on monetary gains. 

“It was like, ‘I need this to happen for my well-being, to connect and to be in a space with so many beautiful people,’” he explains. 

With the go-ahead given, he decided the show must go on. The Big Crafty is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Dec 7-8, at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena at Harrah’s Cherokee Center downtown.

Finding a way forward

Once it was announced the show would happen as usual, a wave of support poured in from artists — some offering to pay booth fees for those who were most affected by the storm, including an anonymous donor who stepped forward to foot the bill for 30 artists. Rabuck quickly sent out an email encouraging vendors experiencing financial hardship to reach out if they needed their booth fee refunded.

Established in 2008, The Big Crafty has featured hundreds of artists selling everything from ceramics to woodwork. The show got its start at The Grey Eagle before relocating to the Asheville Art Museum and finally to the ExploreAsheville.com Arena.

From the beginning, the focus has been on spotlighting local makers, building a sense of community and respecting, honoring and celebrating the tradition of craft, says Rabuck. “Whatever I can do to lift artists and the creative community, that’s at the core of all of it.” 

While WNC is still recovering from the storm with many creatives especially hard hit, Rabuck expects a full roster of artists in December — each of the biannual events usually hosts around 185 vendors — even if some have to be more inventive about their offerings.  

Rabuck has encouraged artists whose work was diminished or destroyed by the storm to show up anyway and find innovative ways to engage with the community — whether by selling something that can be delivered at a later date or leading a workshop and sharing skills with attendees. “[To] some of the artists who don’t have as much as they normally would, I’m like, show up and just be there and allow people to support you, however it may be,” he says.  

Artists supporting artists

Laura Ray, owner of Fair Isle Co. and a Big Crafty vendor for the past 10  years, was one of the artists who was eager for the show to go on. Ray creates small collectible animals and baby items like hoods and booties out of repurposed cashmere sweaters — gift items that typically sell well at the preholiday Big Crafty. 

Ray, who lives and works in Clark County, S.C. —“in the middle of nowhere between Columbia and Charleston,” she explains — did not experience the storm firsthand. But she was dialed into the impact it had on the region.

Ray’s daughter, Danna Ray, lives in the Celo community in Yancey County, where a mudslide buried her garden and shed and tore up her driveway. Ray says she understands how everyone in the area was affected by the storm, regardless of whether their homes were damaged or loved ones lost.

“I think [The Big Crafty is] going to be just a whole lot of love for the artists who need it right now, who got wiped out,” she says. “I think we’ll see some of them there and just celebrate that they’re rising up again.”

For Ray, it’s The Crafty’s supportive and friendly vibe that keeps her coming back. She finds it gratifying to interact directly with customers, many of whom stop by her booth year after year to share stories of how they’ve gifted or used her products. 

As an artist who also sells at shows in Atlanta and Greenville, S.C., she says The Big Crafty stands out from other, similar events because of its sense of community and Asheville’s support for all things handmade. “To be a great show you’ve got to have this triangle of quality work, quality organizers and a great customer base,” says Ray, adding that she sees all of this at The Big Crafty. 

Of co-founders Rabuck and Brandy Bourne, she adds, “They definitely have a heart for it.”  

Heart and soul

Asheville artist Cynthia Thornton of Green Girl Studios works alongside her daughter Azalea Ogden and husband Greg Ogden making beads, pendants, figurines and cloth dolls. Thornton agrees with Ray that it’s the organizers’ warmth and care that help make The Big Crafty one of the most successful and best-loved shows in the Southeast.

“Justin has such a kind and generous heart, I think that his approach kind of rubs off on people,” says Thornton. Like Ray, she has been showing in The Big Crafty for 10 years and has also participated in a number of other craft shows across the region. She says it’s common in other shows to be a vendor without ever meeting the promoter, but this isn’t true of The Big Crafty.

“[Rabuck] is one of those types of people who gets in there and is like, ‘How is everything going?’ And he genuinely, genuinely cares,” says Thornton. She believes it’s this warmheartedness that encourages artists not only to bring their best work but to be more friendly and patient with each other. She’s found camaraderie at The Big Crafty that she hasn’t experienced elsewhere.

“There’s a lot of excitement and potential and a sense of community,” she explains. “I find myself collaborating with other artists and saying, ‘Hey, let’s get together and let’s craft together. Let’s share ideas and techniques.’”

That sense of community has come into play even more strongly in the aftermath of the storm. Rabuck says many artists he’s talked to have been reluctant to accept support, such as grant money and funding from initiatives designed to help creatives in the area because they don’t want to take away from others who have lost more.

Thornton had similar feelings of guilt and initially wondered if she should give her booth at The Big Crafty to someone in greater need, but she ultimately decided to go forward with the show. Even though the storm didn’t damage her home or studio, she says, she’s still been affected. 

Without running water to cast her beads and pendants or internet access to fulfill online orders, her work was on hold for weeks. In mid-November, she was still trying to catch up and fulfill orders.

She stresses the importance of art, even in times of crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she says, “Everybody was talking about what’s essential. What did everybody end up doing? They started learning to paint and draw; people started to focus on music. Those are all art. I mean, you might not be able to eat it or drink it, but it nourishes the soul.”

The Big Crafty will be held noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7-8, at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena, 87 Haywood St. Admission is $10 on Saturday and free on Sunday.