Tag: Penland

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Natural Dyes at the Penland Gallery

installation view of "Further Evidence" at the Penland Gallery

For most of human history, the colors used in art, craft, and materials of all sorts were derived from plants, minerals, and insects. Since the industrial revolution, however, synthetic dyes and colors tailored for specific materials have been the norm. In recent years, the craft world has seen a renewed interest in natural dyes, and they are now the subject of a new exhibition at the Penland Gallery titled Further Evidence: The Art of Natural Dyes. This riot of color will be on display through July 14, with an opening reception from 4:30-6:30 PM on Saturday, June 15.

Curator Catharine Ellis explains that the recent interest in natural dyes has been inspired by the local food movement, by an interest in personal and environmental safety, and by an increased scientific and technical understanding of dye processes and materials. Ellis is a weaver and textile designer based in Waynesville, NC and is the co-author, with textile engineer Joy Boutrup, of a recent book titled The Art and Science of Natural Dyes. The Penland Gallery exhibition brings this book to life with innovative, colorful work in cloth, tapestry, and paper.

Many of the pieces incorporate various approaches to shaped-resist dying or shibori, techniques that can create patterns after the cloth has been woven or patterns that are embedded in the individual threads before they are put on the loom. Two pieces in the show include words that are part of the woven design. Other works have designs and imagery created through tapestry weaving, stenciling, stitching, or piece work.

Artwork by Ana Lisa Hedstrom
Indigo-dyed paper by Ana Lisa Hedstrom

A series of remarkable wall pieces by noted shibori artist Ana Lisa Hedstrom were made by folding paper, dying it in indigo, and then unfolding and flattening to reveal geometric patterns in blue. An installation by ink maker Tim McLaughlin display materials and tools used for ink production along with glass vials of ink and journal pages written in extraordinary script with a fountain pen. The whole exhibition is a testament to the commitment this group of artists has to understanding and creating art with the colors of nature.

Running concurrently with this exhibition is a smaller Focus Gallery show of functional pottery by former Penland resident artist Shoko Teruyama, whose work is ornately shaped and patterned in vivid colors. The Visitors Center Gallery has an ongoing display of objects that illuminate the history of Penland School, and the Lucy Morgan Gallery presents a selection of work by dozens of Penland-affiliated artists. On display outside the Penland Gallery are large steel sculptures by Daniel T. Beck and Hoss Haley. There is also an interactive, outdoor installation by Jeff Goodman titled The Kindness for Imaginary Things.

The Penland Gallery and Visitors Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM and Sunday, Noon-5:00 PM; it is closed on Mondays. For more information visit penland.org/gallery.

Two works from "Further Evidence"
Left: dyed and quilted piece by Kim Eichler-Messmer. Right: dyed and woven piece by Amanda Thatch.

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Photo of the Week: Core Camo Day

Penland's core fellows

This crew is working hard all week to get so many things ready for the beginning of summer workshops on May 26. They are, of course, the Penland Core Fellows: a remarkable group of artists who live together in a big house on Penland campus, take workshops throughout the year, push their work in new directions, and do all sorts of important jobs for the school. They are dressed in camouflage because they are busy and don’t want to be interrupted so they figured they’d be harder to find this way.

Nah, they just decided it was just camo day.

Left to right: SaraBeth Post, Mia Kaplan, L Autumn Gnadinger, Erika Schuetz, Kento Saisho, Josh Fredock, Devyn Vasquez, Kat Toler, Scott Vander Veen.

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Sixteen Spring Workshops

We’ve just finished uploading all Spring 2020 workshop descriptions to the Penland website, which means that a full year of workshops is available for your browsing pleasure! Take a look at all our upcoming offerings here.

Spring and fall at Penland both offer students two very different options: focused, immersive one-week sessions that delve into a particular skill or technique, and expansive, eight-week sessions known as concentrations that allow artists of all levels to cover a lot of ground in the studio.

Here’s a taste of the concentrations we’ll be offering next March 8 – May 1, 2020 for those who want to go deep in the studio:

  • Clay – Parts Unknown with Jenny Mendes
  • Glass – Intentions & Innovations with Dan Mirer
  • Iron – Attention to Detail with Andrew Dohner
  • Metals – Wunderkammer with Suzanne Pugh
  • Photo – Processing Process with Mercedes Jelinek
  • Letterpress – Print/Process/Production with Jamie Karolich
  • Textiles – Following Threads: Trusting Tangents with Hillary Waters Fayle
Students in Annie Evelyn’s Spring 2019 woodworking concentration pose with some of their chairs at the session’s final Show and Tell.

And, for those who want the Penland experience in shorter bursts, we’re excited to share these one-week offerings:

  • Glass – Ebb & Flow with Ben Elliott
  • Textiles – Handweaving: Foundations & Exploration with Amanda Thatch
  • Printmaking – Word & Image with Stuart Kestenbaum and Susan Webster
  • Paper – Paper of Place with Frank Brannon
  • Textiles – Felt & Straw Hats: Traditional Blocked & Freeform with Wayne Wichern
  • Wood – The Art of the Bandsaw Box with Jenna Goldberg
  • Books – Bookstone Bookwork Woodwork with Daniel Essig
  • Clay – Don’t Hate, Decorate! with Kurt Anderson
  • Wood – Creating Stringed Instruments with Beth Ireland & Keunho Peter Park

Registration for each of the above workshops opens on Wednesday, May 15 at 10 AM Eastern time. Students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Scholarships are available for all eight-week concentrations. Scholarship applications are due by June 15 for fall workshops and November 28 for spring workshops. Beginners and advanced students alike are encouraged to apply!