AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCIL SHOW
What: A three-day celebration of all things handmade. See work by more than 225 top contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture, and home decor artists from across the country.
When: March 13-15. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Cobb Galleria Centre, 2 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta.
For tickets and more: craftcouncil.org
Best of the South
Do you have favorite finds from around the South that you give as gifts, buy for your home or rave about to friends? If so, please share them with us. Send your suggestions to: lljerkins@gmail.com. Also find more Southern-made products, featured in the AJC, at Southernfinds on facebook or on twitter@southernfinds1.
Wearable sculpture
Mary Filapek and Lou Ann Townsend met in a jewelry studio on the first day of class — and hit it off. They had so much fun working together on various college art projects they decided to start a jewelry business.
The company: Mary + Lou Ann was founded in 2000 in Albuquerque, N.M. In 2002, the company, known for its contemporary jewelry designs, moved to Concord, N.C.
The founders: Filapek and Townsend met at the University of New Mexico. They gave up their respective careers in project management and returned to school for degrees in studio arts.
The main goods: Earrings ($80 to $270); necklaces and pendants ($90 to $2,300); bracelets ($290 to $510); and rings ($190 to $450)
Current favorite: The new Flower Box rings ($290-$600).
Materials: Sterling silver, polymer clay, powder coat, resin and semiprecious stones.
Fun or unusual request: A customer sent us a sample of her wedding fabrics and asked us to match the colors in jewelry we designed for her wedding. It was great fun to create art jewelry in polymer clay and silver for her big day.
Where to buy: www.maryandlouann.com. In the Atlanta area, find their jewelry at the American Craft Council show (Booth 111), and at the ninth annual Atlanta Contemporary Jewelry Show Nov. 6-7 at the Atlanta History Center (www.AtlantaContemporaryJewelryShow.com).
Dish up
Foodies are fans of Laura Cooke’s functional pottery. But she has many others.
The company: Laura Cooke Ceramics was founded in 2009 in Portland. In 2013, Cooke moved back home to North Carolina, opening a studio in Asheville's River Arts District.
The founder: Cooke grew up in Greensboro, N.C., and graduated from Furman University in 2006 with a degree in studio art. She learned to throw pottery in the hilltop town of Cortona, Italy. In 2008, she moved to Portland to study ceramics at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. She apprenticed with renowned potter Victoria Christen before establishing her own pottery business.
The goods: Cups with animal illustrations ($28); bowls ($30) and dinner plates ($36) adorned with simple black lines; and mugs decorated with intricate, hand-drawn patterns ($35).
Other favorites: Trays with handmade tiles ($160); small spice bowls ($20); and a sugar and creamer set ($60).
Materials: Wheel-thrown porcelain with custom, hand-mixed glazes fired in an electric kiln to cone 6.
Best seller: Whale mug ($32). Also popular: steins ($45) and vases ($30 to $50).
Fun or unusual request: Sugar Wheel Works, a hand-built bicycle wheel company in Oregon, orders custom flasks decorated with its logo.
Her signature: The single black line delineating space on her pots is her signature design.
Where to buy: www.cookeceramics.com. In Atlanta, at the ACC show (Booth 1101) and at Mudfire Gallery, 175 Laredo Drive, Decatur.
Little luxuries
From an early age, Barbara Zaretsky seemed to have an affinity for beautiful fabrics and design. She made clothes for her dolls, and later, for herself. Now the textile designer creates handmade accessories in fresh, contemporary patterns and colors.
The company: Zaretsky began BZDesign in Chicago in 1980. The company is now based in Asheville, N.C.
The founder: Zaretsky is a textile artist and the director of Cloth Fiber Workshop, a textile learning center in Asheville. She studied textile design at Northern Illinois University and the Art Institute of Chicago and art history at the University of Illinois. She also studied at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina.
The main goods: Home goods, including: pillows ($95 to $218); table runners ($125 to $280); and wall textiles ($450 to $2,000).
Other favorites: Scarves ($135 to $172); shawls ($295 to $350); tea towels ($38.50); and napkin sets ($120).
Materials: Sustainable fabrics, including hand-woven Peace silk (humanely harvested without harm to the silkworms), unbleached linen and locally milled or organic cottons. For the warm earthy palette of her hand-dyed fabrics, she uses plant dyes.
Where to buy: BZDesign.biz. In Atlanta, at the ACC show (booth 405). In Asheville, at BZDesign Studio, 122 Riverside Drive, Studio #D, in the popular River Arts District.
