Become a Member
Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. co-op membership requirements are simple:
- Must be 16 years of age or older
- Must be an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Interested artists and craftspeople must submit a membership application and three samples of their artwork to be judged by the co-op Board.
Applications are available for download here, or at the Qualla Arts and Crafts store at 645 Tsali Boulevard in Cherokee.
Membership application judging is done biannually in late January and mid-June, after which applicants are scheduled by appointment to demonstrate their skills in front of the Board.
CRITERIA
Artwork is judged on a scale from 1-5.
1 – being not acceptable and 5 – being excellent.
There are ten categories judged by the Board:
- Authenticity
- Quality
- Craftsmanship
- Exhibited
- Technique
- Finish
- Knowledge of craft process
- Difficulty
- Marketability
- Amount of family history and legacy involved in the work
SCORING
A total of 70+ points means the artisan is accepted.
A score ranging between 35-70 means that artisan’s membership has to be discussed by the Standards Committee. A score of less than 35 means the artisan is not accepted as a member.
FINAL APPROVAL
Once an artisan’s application and demonstrations are complete, presuming they eet all other requirements listed above, the appliation must then be approved by at least 35 of the 350+ cooperative members at the biannual meetings held in February and July.
The Board and existing members have very high expectations of potential members. Only the highest quality of work produced by the best and most skillful artisans can be represented through Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc.
CONTACT US
If you are an artisan seeking membership and have questions on our standards or application process, please contact us by calling 828-497-3103 or emailing.