Spring Visiting Artist

Each fall and spring, Penland invites a visiting artist to join us for one or two weeks to engage with Concentration instructors and students. This spring we are delighted to have two visiting artists.

Cristina Córdova

Cristina Córdova is a ceramic sculptor and teacher. Her awards include the USArtists Fellowship and the North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship. Her work is in the collections of the Renwick Gallery (DC), the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico. She has taught at Penland, Haystack (ME), Santa Fe Clay (NM), and Anderson Ranch (CO).

cristinacordova.com

Cristina will give a visiting artist lecture on Tuesday, April 2 at 8:15 PM in Northlight titled Manos abiertas: making from where you are. This event is free and open to the public.

“Many of the themes that ground my practice are rooted in the identity of someone from the Caribbean, from Puerto Rico. Amidst all the vantage points that catalyze creativity this one, time and time again, offers a clear stance from which images of weight emerge. And yet, having lived for years amidst the ebb and flow of Penland, this once impermeable identity now has softened boundaries that are in constant dialogue with all that is received and understood outside of the small, evergreen territory I still consider home. This lecture will speak to the influences that have shaped my creative practice and explore the emergence of themes tied to identity and displacement through the lens of figurative ceramics.”

Jaime Suárez

Jaime Suárez is a sculptor, ceramist, installation artist, set designer, draftsman, and teacher. His work has been collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), the Museum of Art in Colombia, and the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico. He is an associate professor in the school of architecture at the Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico.

Jaime will give a visiting artist lecture on Wednesday, April 3 at 8:15 PM in Northlight titled Clay Beyond Ceramics. This event is free and open to the public.

“Three experiences during the first year of architecture studies influenced my development as an artist: reading The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura, a lecture by Louis Khan, and an investigation and paper on the work of Antonio Gaudi. An appreciation for nature and the passing of time, the inherent quality of materials, and the search for originality have shaped a diverse expression through clay which has extended to paper and concrete. Through the talk, I will share both conceptual concerns and techniques.”    

Fall Visiting Artist

Each fall and spring, Penland invites a visiting artist to join us for one or two weeks to engage with Concentration instructors and students. The intent is to add an invigorating presence to the session, enhancing the experience for everyone.

Tift Merritt

Tift Merritt is a singer and songwriter. In her nearly 20-year career, she has recorded seven albums of original material and earned a Grammy nomination. Tift is known for her short-story-style songwriting and her creative collaborations. She has shared the stage with bands as varied as Nick Lowe and Jason Isbell and was a member of Andrew Bird’s band, The Hands of Glory. In 2017, she designed a fabric collection for Bernhardt Design inspired by the guitar straps she makes with vintage ribbons. Most recently, she has been a regular contributor to the Oxford American, chronicling her tours with her young daughter Jean. The New Yorker called Tift “the bearer of a proud tradition of distaff country soul that reaches back to artists like Dusty Springfield and Bobbie Gentry.”

tiftmerritt.com

Wood Summer Session 7
August 25-31, 2019

Sandra Sell
Carved Wood Sculpture

This workshop will cover the techniques used in creating carved wood sculpture from start to finish: design, wood selection, initial carving, refining the design, surface treatment, and finishing. Demonstrations will cover reductive carving using chainsaws, grinders, and other tools along with the proper use and maintenance of hand-held power tools. We’ll create surfaces through texturing, fire, acrylic, and milk paint. Students will experiment with their own designs and texture elements and can anticipate completing one sculpture or several exploratory samples. Daily critiques will benefit all participants. All levels. Code 07W

Studio artist; teaching: University of North Carolina Asheville, Grand Prairie Art Center (AR), Little Rock Air Force Base Art Program (AR); exhibitions: National Association of Women Artists (NYC), Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts (VA); collections: Arkansas Art Center, University of Arkansas Little Rock, Historic Arkansas Museum.

sandrasell.com

Textiles Summer Session 7
August 25-31, 2019

JoAnn Kelly Catsos
Contemporary Black Ash Basketry

Using black ash splint, wooden forms, and stain or dye, students will design and create their own contemporary works of art. A slide show will explain the harvesting and processing of black ash splint, but we’ll work with pre-harvested material. The workshop will begin with traditional plaited construction techniques, then explore pushing the boundaries of the idea of the basket. We’ll cover bending hardwood into handles and rims, creating basket shapes on and off molds, and the mathematics of woven twill patterns. Students can expect to complete two or three pieces. All levels. NOTE: Textiles workshops are taught in walk-up studios accessible by a stair lift. Code 07TB

Studio artist; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Campbell Folk School (NC), Peters Valley (NJ), Fuller Craft Museum (MA), Handweavers Guild of America; collections: Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC), National Basketry Organization (MA).

JoAnnKellyCatsos.com

Textiles Summer Session 7
August 25-31, 2019

Ana Lisa Hedstrom
Shibori: Explorations & Alternatives

This workshop will cover new shibori techniques and variations on the basics, including Arashi pole wrapping, hand and machine stitching, and itajime folding and clamping. We’ll experiment with different substrates and processes, dyeing paper with kakishibu tannin, resist-fulling wool, and scouring silk organza. We’ll use both natural and commercial dyes, comparing their relative merits and results. We’ll look at samples—including Japanese indigo shibori—for inspiration and education. All levels. NOTE: Textiles workshops are taught in walk-up studios accessible by a stair lift. Code 07TA

Studio artist; teaching: San Francisco State University, California College of the Arts; two NEA grants, American Craft Council fellow; solo exhibition: San Luis Obispo Museum (CA); collections: Cooper Hewitt Museum (NYC), Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), De Young Museum (San Francisco), Oakland Museum (CA), Racine Art Museum (WI).

analisahedstrom.com

Letterpress Summer Session 7
August 25-31, 2019

Scott Moore
Letterpress Wood Type Production

This workshop will give students a rare opportunity to use historic pantographs to make wood type from a collection of provided patterns and to create new wood type patterns of their own. We’ll also explore ways of making letterpress type using modern methods. End-grain and side-grain maple will be available. Students will use Penland’s letterpress equipment to proof their work and produce prints from their new type and graphic shapes. Basic woodworking, graphic design, and/or letterpress skills will be helpful, but this workshop is open to all levels. Code 07L

Retired teacher of industrial arts; one of four people in the world producing new wood type for letterpress printers, lecturer on wood type history.