EVL Native Becomes Executive Coordinator
EVL Native Becomes Executive Coordinator
Tami Fuller Welcomed by Roycrofters-at-Large Just in Time for Winter Festival
Tami Fuller (right) grew up in Ellicottville and has developed a great following in the East Aurora art community. She is pictured with RALA President Peter Potter. Photo Courtesy of Sarah Salvilla of Artistic Boutique
EAST AURORA - The Roycrofters-at-Large welcomes Tami Fuller as its new Executive Coordinator, marking the first change in leadership in two decades. Fuller replaces Deborah Muniak, who announced her retirement in September, after serving the association for over twenty years. Muniak put forward Fuller as her successor and the two have worked closely in the transition in leadership.
Fuller is a known presence within East Aurora and the larger arts community and works with the NY Council on the Arts as a 2022 Creatives Rebuild NY artist, a program defining culture-makers working to promote and revitalize the arts landscape in WNY post-COVID. She is a writer, editor, curator and arts educator and has significant ties to both the Arts & Crafts movement and the larger WNY arts community.
Fuller has worked closely with RALA for several years in a volunteer capacity, having curated and exhibited “The Evolution of Roycroft” at the Grove Park National Arts & Crafts Conference in 2022 and currently serves as the chair of the Roycroft Emerging Artists Program, one that she piloted and implemented with the assistance of the board in 2021. Her previous work with the organization, deep background in the Western New York arts community and experience in print and electronic media will be valued as she builds upon the legacy that Muniak established during her tenure.
Said President Peter Potter, “We are very grateful for Deb’s service and we will all miss her skills. We wish the best for her and her family. We are excited about working with Tami and look forward to a productive association as our organization approaches its 50th year in 2026.”
RALA is looking forward to an exciting new period of growth and evolution of RALA as a critical arts service organization under Fuller’s watch and is looking forward to expanding its presence and support services to its Artisans, the East Aurora arts community and the larger Arts & Crafts community nationwide.
The Roycrofters At Large Association was founded in 1976 with the mission to keep the Arts & Crafts Movement alive, guided by principles set forth by founder Elbert Hubbard. Roycroft Artisans have been accepted by the Roycrofters At Large Association’s Master Artisans based on their high standards of work through a Juried process. Artisans proudly display the registered double R mark representing the quality of their work and are the only modern working artists permitted to represent themselves as “Roycrofters”, representing the very strongest in quality workmanship and design core to the values of Elbert Hubbard and the original artists of South Grove Street in East Aurora. RALA is proud to carry this tradition forward and consider themselves stewards of the respected “R.”
ROYCROFT WINTER FESTIVAL
The Roycrofters-at-Large Association (RALA) is also pleased to announce that this year’s Roycroft Winter Festival, to be held on December 2 and 3, 2023 will have an exciting and significant change in venue. This year’s Winter Festival, a long-standing tradition in East Aurora, will be held on the grounds of The Park School in Amherst.
Founded in 1912, The Park School of Buffalo is WNY’s only co-ed, PreK-Grade 12 and Montessori school, and was also ranked #1 Best Private K-12 School in Buffalo and Erie County by Niche for its second consecutive year. Park was founded by a group of Buffalo parents who had met with the influential philosopher John Dewey. Under Dewey's guidance and with the leadership of his star student, Mary Hammett Lewis, Park began educating children in 1912 implementing Dewey's key insight that deep learning occurs through constant experimentation and problem solving. The curriculum has always been interdisciplinary, as such, the arts are integrated into all academic subjects. Park students are academically and socially prepared problem solvers equipped with confidence, critical thinking skills, and a desire to make the world a better place.
Earlier this year, RALA was approached with the opportunity to collaborate with Park School, and subsequent conversations revealed considerable mission overlap and a shared history in the Arts & Crafts movement, making the decision to hold this year’s Winter Festival on the grounds of the school an easy one. This temporary change in venue is an exciting opportunity to connect the Roycroft Renaissance and the modern Roycroft Artisans with a broader segment of Western New York Arts & Crafts collectors who may have been prevented from traveling to East Aurora in previous years, and the Roycroft Artisans are looking forward to sharing East Aurora’s proud Arts & Crafts traditions with the larger WNY arts community. This location’s proximity to both the Northtowns and the City of Buffalo is in keeping with RALA’s mission to promote and further the evolution of Roycroft.
The school has three visual art studios and a woodworking shop. Park's partnership with the Roycroft Winter Art Show is a natural outgrowth of the school's history and mission.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Roycroft to host their winter art show. Art education is core to the Park educational experience and our students, families and teachers are very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by the wonderful artists who will be showing their work,” said Keith Frome, President of Park School.
This year’s festival will feature 24 Roycroft Artisans and Artists working in wood, fiber, gold and silver, copper, sculpture, fine art, leather and photography that represent “fine craft” and traditional artisan and fine art mediums alike.
The Roycroft Winter Show is a traditional opening of the gift giving season and offers a wonderful selection of handcrafted items made with the highest standards in craftsmanship. This year’s festival will run from 10:00am-5:00pm on Dec. 2 and 3, 2023 in Clement Hall on the grounds of Park School, located at 4625 Harlem Road in Amherst, with ample and convenient parking. A nominal admission fee of $1 will be charged for adults.
Raffle tickets for the RALA “Goodie Box” will also be available. The Goodie Box is a tradition of the organization for over 20 years and is the backbone of its non-profit fundraising initiatives. This year’s box contains items created by Roycroft Artisans and Master Artisans valued at over $6,000. The drawing will be held in February 2024 at the 37th National Arts and Crafts Conference, at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. The winner need not be present.
The 48th Roycroft Summer Festival will be held on June 29-30, 2024 at the Classic Rink on Riley Street in East Aurora.
Information on the Roycrofters-at-Large and membership options can be found online at www.ralaweb.com. Follow the Roycrofters-at-Large Association’s social media pages on Facebook (www.facebook.com/roycroftartisans) and Instagram (@roycroftartisans) for updates and information on the 2023 Winter Show and to experience the Roycroft Artisans exceptional work.