Events – Page 23 – The Penland Sketchbook

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Penland

Penland at SOFA CHICAGO 2017

aerial view of SOFA Chicago exhibit hall

We’re eagerly anticipating another year of incredible art, fascinating lectures and demonstrations, good friends, and more at this weekend’s SOFA CHICAGO 2017. The expo opens tonight and runs through November 5 at Navy Pier. It will feature work by hundreds of artists across a range of media from glass and metal to painting and textiles. Penland’s director Jean McLaughlin will be there, and we’ll have a table staffed by some wonderful Penland volunteers all weekend—please stop by and say hi!

If you’re in the Chicago area, a day at SOFA CHICAGO is a unique opportunity to see some of the best in sculpture, craft, design, and more all under one roof. It’s also a great way to see the recent work of many Penland instructors who are represented at the event. A few will be presenting as part of the SOFA lecture series, including jewelers Kat Cole and Janis Kerman, curator and glass artist Susie Silbert, and ceramic sculptor Esther Shimazu.

And for all of us who can’t be there in person, the lush photographs of this year’s art on the SOFA website are well worth a look. Take a peek and be inspired!

Images: SOFA CHICAGO

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Posted on October 3, 2017October 5, 2017 by Penland

#WeMakePenland on October 4

Two women working with natural dyes

UPDATE, OCTOBER 5
Thanks to everyone who made Penland’s first giving day a great success. We received 309 donations (exceeding our goal of 250), and together we raised $29,165 in support of Penland’s scholarships, studios, and other programs. Gifts started at $1 and went up from there, and we are grateful for every one of them. Thanks so much to everyone who donated, posted pictures and stories, were part of our on-campus photo booth, liked and shared our posts, or cheered us along. And we were so touched by the many little stories posted by friends of the school. You can see them all at #WeMakePenland.

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Today, together –
#WeMakePenland a center for growth, creativity, and community.

On October 4, our first ever Giving Day, we’re bringing our community together to strengthen Penland’s programs, facilities, staff, scholarships, and more. We have until midnight tonight to reach 250 donors in 24 hours, and we need your help!

Here’s what you can do:

Make a gift – any amount counts! Donate here.
Share our campaign stories on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter or via text and email. Get your friends and family involved!
Post your own stories from Penland. Use the hashtag #WeMakePenland and include the link to the campaign: bit.ly/WeMakePenland.
Create a matching gift or challenge on the campaign page. Your generosity motivates others. Even a $25 challenge can be a big inspiration!
Become an advocate to amplify your impact. Creating an account on GiveCampus allows you to see how many clicks, gifts, and dollars your outreach has generated.

We chose #WeMakePenland as the theme of our campaign because Penland really is a community effort. Thank you for helping us make this day a success, and thank you for making the Penland experience richer for everyone. We couldn’t have Penland without people like you.

Join the #WeMakePenland Campaign

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Posted on August 28, 2017 by Penland

Scenes from the 2017 Penland Benefit Auction

It wouldn’t be August at Penland without our biggest event of the year: the Annual Penland Benefit Auction! This year’s on August 11-12 was another rousing success and a beautiful illustration of just how vital Penland’s community is to our many programs. We owe everyone involved a giant THANK YOU—from the Penland staff, interns, core fellows, and resident artists to the event sponsors, advertisers, and donors. Hundreds of artists gave exquisite works of art, hundreds of volunteers came to clean the campus and move furniture and prepare the displays and pour the drinks, and hundreds of guests came to enjoy it all and support our programs. We couldn’t pull off the auction without the love and generosity of each and every one of these people, but together, they helped us do something incredible. Together, we raised $638,390 for Penland! This money goes to support so many aspects of our campus, from maintenance and renovations to beloved buildings like the Craft House to purchasing supplies for our studios and paying the salaries of our dedicated staff.

The benefit auction is also a time to recognize some very special people at Penland. We were lucky this year to have featured artist Vivian Beer on campus to share her work as a furniture designer, and we welcomed incoming Penland director Mia Hall under the tent with her husband David Clemons and their daughter Fiona. We also got to recognize two incredible women as our 2017 Outstanding Artist Educators: potter Cynthia Bringle and weaver Edwina Bringle. Both have been pillars of our creative community for decades, sharing their expertise, critical eye, and encouragement with generations of aspiring artists. The impact they have made on Penland is impossible to quantify, and it was truly a joy to thank them for their dedication to this place and the work that we do.

We hope the slideshow below is a fitting tribute to all the fun, the hard work, the beauty, and the camaraderie that went into this year’s auction. We’re already looking forward to doing it again with you all next year on August 10-11, 2018!

Want more? See the photo booth pictures from Friday, Saturday, and the volunteer party on Saturday night!