Tag: #WeMakePenland

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We Make Penland!

the overwhelming everythingness of belonging, collage by Anthony Naimo

Once a year, we celebrate Penland Giving Week. This year our goal was to connect to our Penland family near and far and to inspire 400 gifts of any size. Thanks to this wonderful community, we met our goal, shared your Penland stories online, and raised $100,000 for this place we love!

Giving Week Collage

This year we commissioned some exciting original art to help us get inspired. To create his collage, the overwhelming everythingness of belonging, Penland metals studio coordinator Anthony Naimo got inspired by the Penland archives. The wonderful result is full of easter eggs and archival penland images.

What was the process of creating the collage like? We asked Anthony:

The Penland campus is teeming with miniature installations of delightful, handcrafted offerings left by generations of makers hoping to give back to this really special community we all share.

Discovering these gifts is a magical experience, and there is no end to the discovery. Things seem to just manifest. Like they’ve always been there. Maybe they have. It’s like an army of woodland sprites are hurriedly marching an endless parade of whimsical objects across time and space to amuse and delight us. That’s the fantasy and characterization of Penland’s community I hoped to capture in this collage. Radiant. Abundant. Magical.

 

Your Stories

Penland memories from our friend Annie Evelyn, this year’s Giving Week spokesperson

During Penland Giving Week, friends shared stories of what this school has meant to them. It was wonderful to discover how people found their way here (a high school literature teacher), the peers that inspired them, the support they enjoyed (pivots, shifts and ventures), and the ways they grew (from student to instructor).

We love hearing about the legacy of creativity (grandkids falling in love with art at kids camp), ideas that inspired (Miss Lucy the badass), creative exploration (the beginning of whole bodies of work), and the sustained relationship with treasured ideas, objects, and memories that link you to Penland.

Connecting your stories shared online with our current campus activities, we created a collage in The Pines dining hall,  putting together printed posts with elements added by current students here for Spring Concentration.

We Did It!

For nearly 100 years, this has been a place where people can find friendship, advice, and inspiration in one another. Our teaching philosophy is based on generosity, the free sharing of knowledge and experience. But it doesn’t stop there. Penland people are generous with their hearts. Penland people make this place possible with their many and varied contributions. In a world of challenges and cynicism, Penland continues to be greater than the sum of its parts. We are deeply grateful for your support.

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We Make Penland on October 3

Giving Day photo banner in wood studio

Next Wednesday, October 3 is Penland’s 2nd annual Giving Day, a 24-hour push to generate support for Penland programs and share the impact of this place we love. The theme for the campaign is #WeMakePenland because this is a day to celebrate the creative power of making, the ideas and energy and inspiration that are born here, and—most of all—the strong and vibrant community that holds it all together.

Each one of you is a critical part of this community, and that’s why we’re asking YOU for your help. Please join us on October 3 to make our #WeMakePenland campaign a success! Here’s what you can do:

  • Share your story—Find a favorite Penland photo, write a short caption about what Penland means to you, and share it on social media with the hashtag #WeMakePenland. Every story adds power and momentum to the campaign!
  • Make a gift—Our goal is to reach 300 donations on October 3, and every gift counts! Whether you can give $1 or $10 or $50, your gift helps support the creative discovery and connection that Penland fosters. You’ll be able to contribute at penland.org/wemakepenland when the campaign goes live on October 3.
  • Get your friends involved—Help us spread the word far and wide! Text your family, send an email, or post on Facebook to encourage others to join our push on October 3.

We couldn’t have Penland without people like you, and we sure wouldn’t want to! Thank you for helping us make this day a win and for making the Penland experience richer for everyone.

If you’d rather not wait until October 3, you can make a gift now and have it count toward our Giving Day goal.