How did we get here?
About Us
In the United States, the Ozark region is known for an abundance of sparkling springs, waterfalls, clear water lakes, caves, caverns, and sinks (also known as karstic land-forms). The Ozarks represent the largest area of rugged topography between the Appalachians and the Rockies. It also has many superior handmade crafts and producers of beautiful music, each passed down from one generation to the next generation.
One of these towns is Calico Rock, Arkansas, in Izard County. Overlooking the White River and the Ozark Mountains from the limestone cliffs. The French fur traders traveling the White River noticed when the sun hit the limestone bluff in the evening, it looked like the calico fabric color. Hence the town name of Calico Rock. The Arkansas Ozarks provide a stunning backdrop for an extended vacation or weekend getaway fun. Mountain towns and villages, get a unique look into Arkansas' rich history and an opportunity to experience the Ozark community's relaxed lifestyle. Here, Calico Rock is a place to relax, enjoy, and be lost in time.
The Calico Rock Cooperative felt the need to reintroduce the crafts and cultures that have been lost in time. So many generations have passed down the way of life and the style that makes the Ozarks special. Here you will find beautiful music and crafts preserved for the future.
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Supported By
In 2009, the vision to bring local artisans out of the hills into one location and open an Artisan Cooperative started to work. The Calico Rock Artisan Cooperative became a part of the Calico Rock Community Foundation, a non-profit 501c(3) organization making it affordable to share their talents and sell their trade.
The dream was beginning to transpire; starting with 12 vendors, we went to work. Today we have expanded to 39 unique creative artists. Each and everyone is an extraordinary artist, and we are pleased to exhibit their works.
Each artisan lives within a 150-mile radius, making them local. Merchandise designed and crafted with love and affection in their home studio. The vision to save traditional crafts from the past and share them today is happening.
All funding received is put back into the community to help revitalize the community.
(Met-calf 1987, paginated)
“To understand [craft] fully, one must sit at the workbench or the loom or the potter’s wheel, and observe, and participate in the careful shaping of things. The jeweler at her bench must spend years of practice to master her craft, and then must have invested a small fortune for the tools of her trade. The very act of sitting down to work proves a commitment, an allocation of time and money that most people never undertake.”