Anna Johnson and Jason McDonald will be joining the Penland Resident Artist Program next spring. Both will arrive in March 2025 to begin three-year residencies alongside current residents Geoffrey Bowton and Kimberly Thomas, who will stay two more years in the program.
Penland’s resident artists are full-time artists who spend one or three years living on campus and dedicating themselves to a proposed project or career transition. Many residents use this time to explore new ideas and directions, undertake ambitious projects, or develop new bodies of work. Please join us in welcoming Anna and Jason!
Anna Johnson
Anna had this to say about how the Penland Resident Artist Program will affect her practice,
“The studio space, physical location, financial relief, and community support create an ideal setting to develop a strong body of sculptural and non-wearable work that is key in achieving my goal—transitioning from a full-time contemporary jeweler to a full-time interdisciplinary artist…I am committed to being an asset to the program and a resource for others, ensuring that my time at Penland is mutually enriching for myself and those around me.”
Here are some impressive examples of Anna’s work:
To learn more about Anna and follow her journey, we invite you to visit her website and follow her on instagram.
Jason McDonald
“Being a resident at Penland will mean the opportunity to craft a sustainable practice by having the room to build and store the equipment required to run a functional glass studio. To work toward the goal of a sustainable practice to create products for sale as well as completing commissions. To practice rigorously. To grow my most valuable resource: my network. Finally, and most importantly, a Penland residency will provide me an outlet for continuing my work of fostering the BIPOC community through mentoring makers underrepresented in glass.”
Here are some stunning examples of Jason’s work:
To learn more about Jason and follow his journey, we invite you to visit his website and follow him on instagram.
Thank you!
Resident artists are recommended by a national committee of artists, curators, educators, and professionals who are knowledgeable about material-based work and understand what it takes to be successful in a self-directed residency. Panelists rotate frequently to bring a range of perspectives to the application review process. We received an impressive group of applications this year, and it was especially difficult to select only two residents. Thank you to our review panelists who offered their time and attention to a thoughtful review process:
Granite Calimpong, studio artist and educator living and working in Seattle, WA; Granite has taught glass classes at Haystack (ME), Penland, Pilchuck (WA), Pittsburgh Glass Center, University of Washington
Tanya Crane artist and educator; Assistant Professor of Jewelry, Sculpture and 3D Design at Long Beach City College (CA); 2024 USA Artist Fellow; 2023 Center for Craft Fellow in their inaugural Teaching Artist Cohort
Brad Cushman, independent curator, visual artist, and writer living in Little Rock, Arkansas; former gallery director and curator at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; former art department chair at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Mercedes Jelinek, artist and photographer living and working in Brooklyn, NY; professor, lecturer, visiting artist, and resident throughout the U.S. and Italy, including East Carolina University in Certaldo (Italy), Penland, The New School Parsons, and Yale University School of Art; former Penland resident artist, current Penland trustee