Georgia Designer Craftsmen: A Better Understanding

Abstract

Though brief mentions of the Georgia Designer Craftsmen (1959–1981) appear regularly in materials related to craftspeople working in Georgia in the 1960s through the early 1980s, many details about the group’s history have been forgotten. This essay provides the first complete account of the Georgia Designer Craftsmen. It highlights the key figures in the group’s development and outlines its significant activities and accomplishments. It relies on numerous archival collections including Charles Counts’ papers at Berea College Special Collections & Archives, the early records of the High Museum of Art at the Atlanta History Center’s Kenan Research Center, and newly available papers from the Martha Connell Gallery and from Harriett and Robert Nix at the University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The Georgia Designer Craftsmen was an important regional craft organization that promoted craft, craftspeople, and fellowship for craftspeople throughout the state of Georgia for more than two decades through exhibitions, workshops, and newsletters.