A Community of Artists

Home to over four hundred artists, this area is one of the most highly concentrated areas of skilled craftspeople in the country. We are so lucky to have such a range of incredibly talented makers who specialize in glassblowing, pottery, metalworking, painting, textiles, printmaking, woodworking, and so much more.

  • The Toe River Arts Gallery at 269 Oak Avenue in Spruce Pine features exhibitions and a gift shop where visitors can buy work by local artists year-round.

  • Located fifteen minutes’ drive from Spruce Pine, the Penland School of Craft is an internationally recognized center for the teaching and practice of craft, offering workshops in books, paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking, letterpress, textiles, and wood.

  • This is Treats Studios, a three story building located in the downtown Spruce Pine, NC. It is home to 18 different artists working in mediums ranging from woodworking to weaving to photography and so much more!

Toe River Arts

The Toe River Arts Gallery at 269 Oak Avenue in Spruce Pine features exhibitions and a gift shop where visitors can buy work by local artists year-round. Its semiannual tours of members’ studios offer a chance to explore breathtaking mountain landscapes, learn about an incredible variety of crafts, and make purchases you’ll treasure for a lifetime. 

The Toe River Studio Tour takes place every June and November and is one of the largest and longest-running studio tours in the country. It’s a free and self-guided event: pick up your printed guide and get a taste of selected participants’ work at the Oak Avenue gallery, then plan your visits to as many or as few studios as you like.

Penland School of Craft

Located fifteen minutes’ drive from Spruce Pine, the Penland School of Craft is an internationally recognized center for the teaching and practice of craft, offering workshops in books, paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking, letterpress, textiles, and wood. Explore the campus; join a guided tour; visit the gallery, supply store, and coffee shop; or enjoy a range of events that are open to the public.

The Penland Gallery & Visitors Center is among the foremost venues for contemporary craft in the Southeast. The gallery shows and sells work by artists associated with the school, stages temporary exhibitions, and offers in-depth information about the history and activities of the school and the wider Penland community.

The Penland Supply Store is a well-stocked and welcoming source of artists’ supplies, books, and souvenirs.

Visitors are welcome and free to explore Penland’s campus, which includes woods and walking trails, but are asked not to enter the studios while classes are in session. Guided tours are also offered, and must be booked in advance. 

Penland holds its Community Open House every March, welcoming hundreds of visitors from Mitchell County and beyond for hands-on experiences in the studios.

Treats Studios

Treats Studios began in 2019 as a group of artists seeking to share space and create community. Treats Studios is now home to 18 artists.

“In 2021, we had the incredible fortune to buy the historic building where we had already established our studio in the heart of Spruce Pine. Since then, we’ve renovated the third floor to accommodate 8-10 additional artists. We are committed to offering affordable studio spaces, and we are excited to offer a subsidized space for emerging artists as well as a visiting artist program.” - Treats Founders

Propose your idea for a temporary mural in Downtown Spruce Pine! 

We are so excited to work with Toe River Arts and our local artists to create roughly 11 murals on the plywood that is currently protecting our recovering under-construction downtown Spruce Pine businesses. 

Murals should be family friendly and not feature anything inappropriate for children or anything religious or political. Mural theme guidelines can be broken down into two categories with some examples below each.

Spruce Pine heritage & culture: 

  • Blacksmithing / Fire on the Mountain 

  • Bluegrass & other local music traditions

  • Art & Craft (i.e. pottery, textiles, folk art, glassblowing, etc.)

  • Agriculture 

  • Minerals, gems, and mining heritage

Natural features and other outdoor activities:

  • Rivers / boating / fishing

  • Mountains / hiking / biking

  • Wildlife / Flora & Fauna special to this area

FAQ

  • February 28th is the deadline to apply, and you’ll be notified by March 10th at the latest. 

  • April 24th is the deadline to have murals completed. This is ahead of our Fire on the Mountain Blacksmith festival that will take place on Locust street in Spruce Pine on April 26th. 

  • Murals will be painted on the plywood that is currently enclosing our recovering under-construction downtown Spruce Pine businesses on Locust st. Some businesses under construction and may request paper murals to hang in their windows while construction is underway.

  • We’re looking for local folks – priority will be given to artists who live and work in Mitchell County, but artists residing in Yancey County will also be considered. 

  • YES! We are looking for a digital artist that would be able to create a design that can be translated into a single cut vinyl application. Please note this in your application.

  • A minimum of $1000 will be paid to each artist upon completion of the mural and a $500 materials stipend will be granted at the start of the project for a total minimum payment of $1500. We are still working on fundraising for this project so there is a possibility that we might be able to offer more.

  • Because these murals are so large, some murals will need to be dismantled in pieces. We are working on a solution to give these murals an extended life. Possibilities include an auction, selling cut pieces of the murals, allowing downtown businesses to hang murals inside their new businesses, or sealing them and hanging them on the exterior of buildings

Application Closed

Thank you to Toe River Arts for partnering with Downtown Spruce Pine to fund this project.