The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, the University of North Carolina’s new regional craft heritage center, will officially open its doors on Saturday, April 21. The weekend events include a dedication ceremony on Saturday and an opening reception for the public from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, April 22. The center is located on the campus of UNCA’s Kellogg Center, five miles from downtown Hendersonville.

The Center was created by the UNC Board of Governors in 1996 and will serve UNC’s three mountain-area campuses -- UNC Asheville, Appalachian State University and Western Carolina University -- and the surrounding region.

"The Center’s goal is to support, advance and integrate craft, creativity and design into education, research and lifelong learning," said Dian Magie, executive director. "The Center will draw upon the region’s contemporary and traditional craft heritage through academic research, student internships and international residencies. High-tech facilities on site will also offer logistical and technical support for collaborative projects that address community issues."

The Center’s first exhibit, "Celebrating Creativity in Western North Carolina," will feature the work of more than 50 art faculty from UNCA, ASU and WCU. The show will be on view April 22-June 4. Regular gallery hours are 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.

In addition to gallery space, the Center’s facilities are designed to support conferences and regional meetings, offer multimedia assistance for artists and craft organizations, and provide the design and delivery of distance learning.

Speakers at the dedication ceremony Saturday include UNCA Chancellor James Mullen, WCU Chancellor John Bardo and ASU Chancellor Francis Borkowski. Others invited to take part include Gretchen Bataille, UNCA Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; Sam Neill, past member and chair of the UNC Board of Governors; art faculty from the three mountain campuses; and local metal sculptor Bill Brown and UNCA art student Andrew Kucera, who created the Center’s sconces.

For more information, call Dian Magie, the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design Executive Director, at 828/890-2050.