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How a Small College in the Blue Ridge Mountains Became a Launchpad for Craft Professionals

Faculty from the Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program pull back the curtain on a little-known but beloved training ground for career crafters.

Morgan Laurens

• 3 min read
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How a Small College in the Blue Ridge Mountains Became a Launchpad for Craft Professionals
‘Reflections of Paul Lake’ by Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program graduate Millie Smith

​This episode is a special rerun, originally published on May 16, 2024, in celebration of the Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Graduate Show. The show is hosted online at ArtsvilleUSA in collaboration with the Southern Highland Craft Guild, with the in-person exhibition on view at the Folk Art Center through September 16.

Ask any working artist what they wish they’d learned in art school, and you’ll likely hear the same answer: how to make a living doing what they love. For almost half a century, the Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program—a beloved training ground for craft artists in the Blue Ridge Mountains—has been rewriting the rules around art school curriculum, blending hands-on mastery in wood, fiber, jewelry, and ceramics with essential business skills and a clear career roadmap that won’t leave them stranded post-graduation.

In this episode, ArtsvilleUSA founder Louise Glickman brings listeners inside the Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program through a candid conversation with two of its most respected faculty members: Amy Putansu, who leads the fiber/textiles department and whose work earned national attention in ArtsvilleUSA’s A Tale of Two Cities exhibition, and Brian Wurst, wood instructor. Together, they explore the evolution of craft education, the economic roots of creativity in Appalachia, and what makes HCC's approach to teaching so distinctive—not just in the studio but in preparing students for real-world careers and lifelong success in craft.

​Highlights From Our Conversation With Haywood Community College

  • Why the program draws students from across the country and from all life stages
  • The “three-legged stool” approach: fine craft skills, thoughtful design, and business savvy, all in one place
  • How Mary Cornwell, a visionary local craft leader, set the table for Haywood’s program to launch in 1977, and why that vision is still driving things today
  • The business of being an artist: why learning to market, price, and present your work is essential for success
  • The truth about making a living as a craftsperson in 2026
  • The surprising role of the region’s landscape and craft history, even as students create thoroughly modern work
  • From the Folk Art Center to Penland, Asheville to Grovewood: how Western North Carolina became a craft hotbed

Quotables

  • “The nature of the program in terms of learning craft, salable craft, marketing, business skills is exactly as it still is today.” — Amy Putansu [11:51]
  • “We get folks with zero background in the craft world… and we kind of meet them where they are.” — Brian Wurst [09:26]
  • “I gave it all up and ran away to the circus of craft.” — Brian Wurst [08:41]
  • “My home studio is like a respite… school and students require a lot of energy for me… to escape back to my home studio is actually [an] excellent balance.” — Amy Putansu [24:04]
  • “There’s always going to be… a core group of people in our society who really love craft, whether it’s collecting it, buying it, or making it.” — Brian Wurst [25:04]

Mentions & Connections

Get Involved / Where to Find More

  • HCC Professional Crafts Program: Learn more about immersive, hands-on courses in wood, fiber, ceramics, and jewelry.
  • HCC Professional Crafts Grad Show: See the exhibition online at ArtsvilleUSA or at the Folk Art Center through September 16, 2026.
  • Graduating student roundtable: Read our conversation with recent graduates of the program, Allison Teeples, Esi Hutchinson, and Christine Savage-Mindel.
  • A Tale of Two Cities: Explore Amy Putansu’s work featured in ArtsvilleUSA’s commemorative exhibition reflecting on the 20-year milestone of Hurricane Katrina and the first-year milestone of Hurricane Helene.

Contact & Social

Episode Credits

Explore artworks crafted by Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program gradutaes below, then views the full Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Grad Show here.

All photos published with permission of the artist(s) / Haywood Community College.

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