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NASHVILLE, TN ---- The Tennessee Association of Craft Artists (TACA) has appointed Craig Nutt as its Interim Director following the retirement of longtime Executive Director Alice Merritt on December 31st. Craig Nutt is a furniture maker and sculptor residing in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. His work is in many public collections including the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Craig’s experience with regional and national crafts organizations as well as his 20 years experience working with Alabam’s Kentuck Festival of the Arts will be valuable to TACA as we make this transition,” said TACA President Harry Hearne. Nutt was a founder of the Furniture Society, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of that organization and on the Board of Directors of the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, an organization that provides financial relief to craft artists that have suffered a career-threatening emergency. He also serves on the Artists’ Council of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville.
“Even before moving to Tennessee 9 years ago, I have admired TACA as an organization and the work Alice Merritt has done as its director,” said Nutt. “It has a very efficient operation with a small but excellent staff and a committed membership of craft artists and enthusiasts. I look forward to the challenge of keeping all of these excellent programs going and to helping TACA look to the future of TACA and Tennessee Craft.”
“I have known Craig as a colleague for many years and am delighted that he has agreed to serve as Interim Director,” said Merritt, who has been director of TACA since 1988. “It has been a pleasure to watch the growth and development of Tennessee crafts and craft artists during my tenure as Executive Director. I have seen the organization itself gain strength and national prestige and able to deliver more services for artists and the community it serves. These are exciting times for TACA with new programs on the horizon, and we are fortunate indeed to have someone with Craig’s experience and enthusiasm to lead TACA through the next steps.”
TACA is perhaps best known for the spring and fall craft fairs it produces in Nashville’s Centennial Park and the fall fair it produces in Chattanooga. Through TACA’s educational outreach programs, artists demonstrate their craft in schools and public venues across the state, helping to preserve and continue Tennessee’s rich craft tradition. In addition, TACA is respected for its workshops in professional and business development, bimonthly newsletters, and annual Directory.
TACA is an independent not-for-profit corporation founded in 1965 to encourage, develop and promote crafts and craftspeople in Tennessee. For more information or to join, please visit www.tennesseecrafts.org or call 615-385-1904.
