Jordan Ahlers is a longtime Asheville art insider, curator, and craft advocate. He ran one of the region's largest craft galleries for 18 years prior to opening Momentum Gallery in 2017. Ahlers' commitment to material-based work continues through Momentum Gallery, a state of the art, luxurious two-floor space in downtown Asheville. Momentum provides access to stunning, museum-quality works in glass, metal, clay, textile, and wood, along with paintings, original prints, and unique studio furniture pieces.
Jordan Ahlers was invited to be one of three judges for the 2023 Smithsonian Craft Show, which takes place at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC on May 3-7, 2023. Ahlers has the distinction of joining Mary Savig, Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and scholar Dr. Oscar P. Fitzgerald, craft author, historian, and consultant on American furniture from colonial times to the present. Ahlers comments, "I am humbled for the honor to participate as a judge for the country's most prestigious craft show where top artists from around the country exhibit their best work. I look forward to seeing this year's work and connecting with artists, friends, and my fellow judges."
This year the Smithsonian Craft Show celebrates the American spirit in craft and design. See and buy hand-crafted work from leading contemporary artists, including an outstanding selection of Native American and indigenous work. Also on display: pieces from this year’s Smithsonian Visionary Award and Delphi Award winners (including Momentum Gallery's own Amber Cowan).