Since 1963, Penland has proudly hosted a resident artist program, with the dual intent of offering a stimulating, supportive environment for artists at transitional points in their careers and enriching the life of the school and the community by bringing artists here to live and work on the mountain. There are seven resident artists at Penland; they are full-time, self-supporting studio artists, in residence for three years.  We’re pleased to announce the selection and imminent arrival of an exciting new group of four:

David Eichelberger works in clay, combining sculptural form with function. He has lived in the Penland area before and says that he considers it his home. David was a resident at the Energy XChange in Burnsville, NC from 2004-2007. In 2010, he received his MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. David has been a student and studio assistant at Penland several times in the past.

Robin Johnston is a textile artist who brings a strong sense of the weaving tradition to her investigations of contemporary issues in art, culture, and science. For the past two years, she has been an affiliate artist at Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California, and has taught weaving at California College of the Arts, in San Francisco, and the University of California-Davis. She  teaches weaving at CCA and UC-Davis, and for  the past two years has  been an affiliate artist at Headlands  Center for the Arts.
Robin’s website: www.robin-johnston.com

Tom Shields, from Asheville, NC, is a wood sculptor and fine furniture maker. His  work recycles evocative objects, most often chairs, with evident respect for their histories, creating new lives for them as both intriguing sculptures and functional, if complicated, pieces of furniture. Tom recently earned his MFA from the University of  MA-Dartmouth. He has been a student at Penland several times, most recently as Daniel Essig’s studio assistant this past summer. Tom’s website: www.tomshieldsart.com

Gwendolyn Yoppolo makes functional ceramic pots inspired by her interest in the interaction of form with the  human body. She is currently an artist-in-residence at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, CO, has taught at Carroll College in Helena, MT, and Juniata college in Huntingdon, PA, and has worked as a kiln technician at Alfred University in Alfred, NY, and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY. Gwendolyn has attended Penland several times as a studio assistant.
Gwendolyn’s website: www.gwendolynyoppolo.com

We can’t wait to see what they’ll do.

For more information about the resident artists program at Penland School of Crafts, click here to visit our website.