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Table in a Day, 2018 Edition

Two table in a day tables in progress

Summer at Penland boasts the Annual Benefit Auction and the Fourth of July parade. The spring season gets the Community Open House and the Easter egg hunt. In the fall, there’s the annual Halloween party and the final scholarship auction of the year. But it may be winter that hosts my favorite Penland event of all—Table in a Day in the wood studio.

Like these other Penland traditions, Table in a Day distills so much of what’s vital to life at Penland: fine craft, camaraderie, a bit of hustle, and a lot of fun. Participants have the twelve hours from 9 AM to 9 PM to construct a table of their own design, from milling the wood to joining and finishing the pieces. Now in its fourth year, it’s a frenzy that never fails to result in beautiful work and good laughs.

By this year’s 9 PM finish line, when pizza magically appeared on the studio tables and residents from all over campus came to marvel at the results, artists in the wood studio had transformed rough boards and ideas into a stunning variety of actual tables. Some were colorful and adorned with patterns, while others boasted elegant curves and thoughtful joinery. Wood studio coordinator Ellie Richards incorporated flooring from the old Northlight building into her three-part design, while core fellow Corey Pemberton used the strength of plywood to his advantage in a series of thin splines that support a circular top (both pictured above).

And, this year, the Penland community proved that you don’t have to be a wood resident to join the fun. Other entries included a 3D-printed miniature table in hot pink plastic (complete with pink plant accessory!), a table-shaped box made of book board, a clay dish decorated with an image of an intricate hall table, and screenprint embellished with drawing to make a pool table. There was even a remote Table in a Day entry from fall concentration instructor Christina Boy from her wood studio in Virginia!

Take a look at the slideshow below to get a glimpse of the action, or check out #tableinaday on Instagram for more photos.

—Sarah Parkinson

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Announcing our 2018 Penland Core Fellows

We’re excited to introduce our five new Penland core fellows: Joshua Fredock, Luke Gnadinger, Kento Saisho, Katherine Toler, and Devyn Vasquez! They will join second-year core fellows Stormie Burns, Elliot Keeley, Sarah Rose Lejeune, and Corey Pemberton on March 1, 2018 to begin their two-year fellowships.

As always, there were many outstanding candidates for only five available positions. We received 61 applications from across the United States. Our selection committee did an excellent job reviewing and evaluating these materials; we couldn’t conduct such a thorough process without their generosity, time, and energy. Thank you to everyone involved in this year’s selection.

Joshua Fredock

Josh Fredock portrait and piece of glass/metal sculpture

Joshua Fredock is a former navy rescue swimmer who lives in Asheville and has interned and worked at Monarch Glass Studio (MO), Rock Cottage Glass Works (KS), Metalabs (MO), and STARWorks Glass Studio (NC). Josh has been part of two Penland concentrations—once as a work-study student in the glass studio and once as a Christy Wright scholarship recipient. As a core fellow, Josh is primarily interested in building skills in glass and metals and developing his ability to express himself through his work.
Josh’s website
Follow Josh on Instagram

 

Luke Gnadinger

Luke Gnadinger portrait and set of prints

Luke Gnadinger currently works at the KMAC Museum (KY) and is a studio assistant for Jason Bige Burnett; he also spent years working at Kentucky Mudworks in Louisville. Luke has a BA in Studio Art from Transylvania University (KY) and has attended Indiana University Southeast as a post-baccalaureate student. At Penland, he has been a clay studio assistant and winter resident. He is interested in how creative practice can be a connector and catalyst for social change and plans to explore classes in various media towards this end over the next two years.

lukegnadinger.com
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Kento Saisho

Kento Saisho sculpture and portrait

Kento Saisho is a Windgate Fellowship recipient who is currently working as a freelance fabricator in Brooklyn, NY. Kento has interned and worked at Iron Mountain Forge and Furniture (RI) and Fort Standard (NY). He has a BFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and was a work-study student in iron at Penland this summer. During his core fellowship Kento plans to explore sculptural works in iron, works on paper, and how these two areas of interest intersect.

ksaisho.squarespace.com
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Katherine Toler

Katherine Toler portrait and intallation

Katherine Toler currently lives in Little Rock, where she works at the Museum of Discovery. She has previously spent quite a bit of time at Penland—as a work-study student, studio assistant, and summer intern in our textiles and drawing/painting studios—and is looking forward to returning. Katherine has a BFA from the University of Central Arkansas. Her background in painting and her interest in textiles have recently led to explorations in mixed-media sculpture, an area she plans to pursue at Penland.

katherinetoler.com
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Devyn Vasquez

Devyn Vasquez portrait and arrangement of objects

Devyn Vasquez lives in Miami and works at the Fletcher Arts & Cultural Center while maintaining a studio and teaching art classes. She has also worked at Baltimore Clayworks and the Turchin Center for Visual Arts (NC) and has been an assistant to both artists and curators. Devyn has a BFA from Appalachian State University (NC) and has taken a summer metals workshop and fall clay concentration at Penland. Ceramics and jewelry have been her main focus, but she is looking forward to exploring new mediums and finding connections between technique and concept throughout her fellowship.

devynvasquez.com
Follow Devyn on Instagram

 

Of course, the excitement of this announcement comes with a twinge of sadness as we prepare to send five of our current core fellows on their way at the end of the winter. Eleanor Anderson, Thomas Campbell, Rachel Kedinger, Kyle Kulchar, and Alex McClay have achieved some really incredible things in and out of the studios, and we will miss them dearly. We’re looking forward to seeing where their ideas and talents take them—and not-so-secretly hoping that we’ll see them back at Penland on occasion!

 

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Core Show 2017

The following post is a photo slideshow. If you’re looking at it in email, we recommend viewing it on the blog.

 

Penland's A+ core fellows! Thomas Campbell, Eleanor Anderson, Kyle Kulchar, Elliot Keeley, Sarah Rose Lejeune, Stormie Burns, Rachel Kedinger, Corey Pemberton, and Alex McClay
Only a gold van is fit to chauffeur the core fellows on their big day!
BE IN TOUCH: 2017 Core Fellowship Exhibition
In addition to making all the work, the core fellows select the pieces to exhibit and do all the installation themselves.
Every year, this special night draws a crowd of staff, students, instructors, friends, family, and community members.
Director Jean McLaughlin welcomed everyone and introduced the Core Fellowship Program.
Penland's program director Leslie Noell introduced each core fellow with observations about their work and growth as artists.
A look through weaving by Sarah Rose Lejeune at the show on opening night
Alex McClay, Net Series, steel wire, sterling silver, linen knotted netting by Sarah Rose Lejeune
Alex McClay, Net Series (detail)
Alex McClay, May I Leave Now? etching on handmade paper
Corey Pemberton, On Separation, pen and ink on paper
Corey Pemberton, Auxiliary, Diptych (detail), fused glass
Eleanor Anderson, Studies from Penland Summer 2017, assorted media
Eleanor Anderson, Wood Quilt #1, plywood, paint, wire, waxed linen thread
Elliot Keeley, Basket Nasty, collagraph
Elliot Keeley, Bottle Permutations (details), wood-fired stoneware, steel, copper
Kyle Kulchar & Daniel Garver, Ikat Settee, ash, double weave-double ikat
Kyle Kulchar, Torsion, steel
Rachel Kedinger, Producing Connections, steel, enamel
Rachel Kedinger, Shoe Making Hammer
Sarah Rose Lejeune, At least there were some good dreams, cast and dyed silk organza
Sarah Rose Lejeune, Neither here nor there, handwoven ondulé devoré in cotton, silk, and stainless steel
Stormie Burns, left: Skew Bowl, cast glass; right: Skew Bowl (with Courtney Martin), wood-fired stoneware
Stormie Burns, Everything is Fine, screenprint
Thomas Campbell, Bronze Pin Container, bronze, salvaged steel
Thomas Campbell, Brake Vessel, salvaged steel, stainless steel
Congratulations on such a beautiful show, Core!

 

The annual core show in October is one of the most special events of the Penland year. It’s a time for us to celebrate our nine incredible core fellows, who give so much energy, hard work, and life to the studios and the school for the two years they’re here. This year’s show, BE IN TOUCH, featured pieces in metals, wood, textiles, print, glass, and more. The work ranged in size from earrings and delicate baskets to furniture and a giant stitched accordion book that, even partially folded, stretched up to the ceiling. Each piece was an exquisite representation of the dedication, exploration, and talent of these emerging artists. Congratulations Thomas, Eleanor, Kyle, Elliot, Sarah Rose, Stormie, Rachel, Corey, and Alex—and thanks for such a great show!

The work from BE IN TOUCH is currently on display at Queens University in Charlotte, NC. It will be up through December 7 and is well worth a visit if you’re in the area!