Author: Claire Jarvis

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Lisa Nguyen’s “Ode to My Favorite Crazy Uncle”

“Calling you from the other side,” Lisa Nguyen, ash, walnut, casted bronze, dolomite mineral, mirror glass, cigarette, 2023

Created in spirit of the altars that can be found in many Vietnamese homes, Penland Core Fellow Lisa Nguyen‘s series, “Calling you from the other side,”  is a celebration of the memories of her uncle and cousin, invoking themes of family, friendship, love, and loss. This week, as Lisa leaves Penland having completed two years as a core fellow, we were honored to speak with her about this moving body of work.

INTERVIEW WITH LISA NGUYEN

Can you tell us a little bit about some of the traditions that informed “Calling you from the other side”?

This piece is an altar to represent loved ones who have passed away. Usually in Vietnam, these altars come in a cabinet form where it houses the plates, bowls, utensils, trinkets or small things that the deceased used a lot during their lifetime. Photos of family and records of important dates can also live inside the cabinets, it’s sort of like a time capsule. On top of the cabinet, there will be a photo of the person, incense for sending prayers to heaven and offerings of fruit and some of their favorite foods. 

Who is this work dedicated to?

It’s dedicated to both my uncle and my cousin. My uncle and I were really close though. We spent two weeks traveling from Ho Chị Mình city to Hanoi, visiting my moms side of the family, including that cousin. 

Lisa Nguyen and family members at the top of Fansipan, the highest mountain in the Indochinese Peninsula

What do the memories of your uncle and cousin mean to you?

My uncle was a pretty extroverted person. He was unafraid to state his mind and could make friends and conversation wherever he went. Sometimes I couldn’t tell when he was actually being serious or if he was just messing with me. Both my uncle and cousin had a very hard, rough upbringing, they were raised in the North. I think this is why my uncle chose to stay light hearted and humorous. They both taught me that, even though life is hard, one can still choose to bring in laughter and hope to create sweet moments into the world even in times of hardships.

Please tell us more about each piece.

This is the altar. It holds pictures, incense, and candles. These gestures are a way to greet your loved ones and invoke their to return from the spirit realm to the earthly realm to visit the living.

This mirror door acts as a telephone portal. The action of opening the door represents calling and wanting to speak or feel the presence of your loved one because you miss them. The mirror is a reminder that they are still with us. Even if we don’t physically see them, their energy is still nearby.

This is an altar of offerings. It is a form of mind-training to practice mindfulness when making offerings (mindfulness of their favorite foods and habits while on earth). It is also a way to invite your loved one into the space with offerings.

What moved you to make this work?

I decided to make this piece to commemorate my uncle and cousin and the memories we shared when we were together. It was a way for me to remember my trip to Vietnam and how much it impacted me, especially after meeting so many family members for the first time. It’s hard for my family from Vietnam to come and visit and so I think it’s important to not only make time to visit them but also to genuinely get to know them. I think it was the fact that I could speak and understand the Vietnamese language that made our bond super special (though they would tease me of my “accent”. ) It’s pretty normal for first generations to not speak their native language and to assimilate to the western culture, but my parents were really strict growing up. I wasn’t allowed to speak English inside our home. Growing up I hated it, but times like these is when I am very grateful I had to go through that; to be able to communicate and be curious about their upbringings and culture.

How does “Calling you from the other side” fit into the story of your two years as a Penland Core Fellow?

Prior to coming to Penland, I don’t think I truly understood what community or to be part of a community meant. The outside world is pretty harsh but at Penland, I feel the most safe, loved, accepted and appreciated. It feels like home; warm, loved and protected. Penland has taught me to get out of my comfort zone, to be curious about people and most importantly, I learned that there are so many ways to live life and it all comes down to how you perceive it to be.

What are some of the techniques you used?

The columns were turned on the lathe and then my housemate, Brandon cut the glass mirror to fit the dimension I needed. I also casted organic garlic and star anise in bronze. The garlic represents my uncle and his belief that garlic can cure almost everything. Its normal for restaurants to have chili pepper and garlic out and so anytime we went out to eat, my uncle would take extra cloves to keep in his pocket. The star anise represents my cousin. He was born and raised in Hanoi, where Pho originated. It was his favorite dish.

What is next for you?

I’m getting ready to leave the core program and I’ll be heading to NYC to work for some people. It’ll be challenging at first but knowing that Penland will always be home, a place where I can experience it over and over and it still remembers me, makes it a little more exciting to see what I can get myself into. 

Lisa Nguyen, 2022-2023 Penland Core Fellow

It has been a pleasure and an honor to spend two years here at Penland with Lisa during her core fellowship. We look forward to seeing where she goes in the world, and hope she will return often.

Lisa, thank you for sharing this work and the tender memories of your loved ones. Thank you for reminding us that life is short, precious, and beautiful.

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Exploring the Magic of Cyanotypes with Nydia Blas

We absolutely love the magical photographs that Nydia Blas created during her two-week winter residency in the Penland photo studio. This work was made with cyanotype photography, a technique that involves laying an object on paper coated with a solution of iron salts before exposing it to UV light and washing with water to create white and Prussian blue images. Nydia first explored cyanotyoes at Penland with instructor Tokie Rome-Taylor and was eager to go deeper with the medium and to seek inspiration in the landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Nydia was kind enough to share some of the highlights of her residency with us:

Work by Nydia Blas, finished at Penland

What was your intention for your two week residency in the Penland photo studio?

My plan was to gain a better understanding of the cyanotype process. I began making cyanotypes at Penland in the Summer of 2023 when I took a class with Tokie Rome-Taylor. I loved working with my hands, playing, and returning to an idea over and over again. My plan for the residency was to make cyanotypes rooted in magical realism using appropriated images, my own photographs and items from nature. I also wanted to play around with adorning completed cyanotypes with watercolors, beads, etc.

Digital negatives used in Nydia’s work

We love your beautiful cyanotypes! Can you tell us a little bit about this work?

The work begins with Penland, because I think it’s a magical place and I was drawn to the land from the first time I visited. I knew what I wanted to do but I wasn’t sure of the specifics.  I work very intuitively and I spent my first day connecting to the land and gathering messages about the direction of the work. I had a dream about a snake and I started there, sourcing a snake image online and using a photograph from a previous body of work. And from there that is how my process went. I made digital negatives, cut them out by hand and made collages on cyanotype paper and exposed them in light boxes. Outerspace, the moon, the sun, deer, hawk, and the butterfly make appearances. I often work backwards to create meaning, thus more will unfold as I keep looking and reflecting.

What was your Penland Winter Residency experience like?

My experience was great! I am from New York but have lived in Atlanta for five years, that being said it was so cold and I have never driven in the snow. But, the love and warmth of the people, food, and interactions at Penland made up for that. It was the first time in a while that I got to just play and have fun making things with my hands. Sometimes, I think we forget that at the core, our art practice should be FUN. I made some great connections with new people and it was lovely to see familiar faces again. I enjoy seeing what everybody was working on at the end of the two weeks.


What’s next?

I just began the Spring semester at Spelman College where I teach photography, so I am looking forward to connecting, inspiring and learning from my students. I am working on my third book of photography, which I am super excited about. When it gets a bit warmer, I will begin working on a new body of work about Atlanta, Georgia. Besides that some rest, reading, writing, and self-care/love/healing.

Nydia Blas is a 2024 Penland Winter Residency Distinguished Fellow, one of eleven individuals receiving an award to attend the residency at no cost and with the support of a stipend, made possible with support from the NEA. Discover more of her work HERE.

Thank you so much, Nydia, for sharing your practice with us!

Nydia Blas
2024 Penland Winter Residency Distinguished Fellow

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New Chair from Old Porch

A lover of reclaimed materials, fall wood concentration student Johnny McCaffrey fell for a beautiful pile of weathered wood while here at Penland. Until recently the porch of Dora’s Place, one of Penland’s historic buildings, the tongue-and-groove pine decking had just been replaced. With the blessing of Penland’s facilities and grounds team, McCaffrey got right to work giving the wood a new life… with impressive results.

Said instructor Wyatt Severs,

I look at this beautiful piece and I feel a lot of presence and care for the material. I love the simplicity of the tongue and groove boards and the thoughtful way that Johnny made them sing. As a project, this was a full learning experience, taking things to the next level for Johnny, who brought a lot of skill and a great eye to the workshop. It was challenging to figure out how the joints would come together, but Johnny was able to trust the process and figure it out along the way. They really knocked it out of the park.

We hope you enjoy enjoy our short interview with Johnny McCaffrey below:

Johnny McCaffrey sits in “Doras.ext” at Show and Tell

Can you tell us a bit about the piece? 

I created this chair from sketches that were inspired by Martin Puryear’s sculptural work. I’m endlessly fascinated by organic forms, repetition, and texture. The chair is an experiment in the marriage of these fascinations. Reclaimed material is my primary medium. The opportunity to use the Dora’s House front porch tongue-and-groove decking as the exterior material of the chair felt like a magical thumbs up from the universe—as though the wood was meant to be in this new form as its next iteration.

Titled “Doras.ext,” this piece by Johnny McCaffrey was created using reclaimed pine, birch plywood, galvanized nails, and lacquer

What was something you learned through the process of making this chair?

This was the first time I explored the possibilities of burn finishes for a larger project. The burn finish was inspired by the Japanese wood-burning technique called Shou Sugi Ban. The process was mesmerizing because of the way the fire and heat revealed the swirling, organic grain patterns of the wood—it felt like alchemy. I learned that there is a wide range of finish possibilities by simply using fire. Utilizing this technique gave my chair sensual tactile qualities. The final finish is burned, brushed, and lacquered, making the chair a shape-shifter–at times seeming as though it’s made of leather or soft to the touch or glistening metal.


Students admire Dora.ext at show and tell

What was it like being in the wood studio for six weeks?

IT. WAS. AWESOME.

Every day felt like a gift. Our instructor, Wyatt, set the scene for us to be able to explore the edges of possibility in woodworking, which allowed me to feel expansive in my creative process. My classmates’ work and personalities offered a spectrum of skills, vision, and creativity that energized me to see my own visions through. The shop was an amazing space to actualize work, but the people–staff and students alike–made the space come alive with potential.

What’s next?

After just one day on campus, I knew I wanted more time at Penland, so I applied for the upcoming Core Fellowship! No matter the outcome, I am going to continue to find ways to be in relationship with craft schools to further my creative process and find community and spaces that can help me materialize my work.

I’m also going home to Washington State to spend time with my favorite person, my cat, Mooncat.

Check out the new porch at Dora’s Place.

Thank you, Johnny, for sharing your story!