January 29, 2015

Penland School of Crafts Welcomes Australian Artists

This June, Penland School of Crafts will turn Australian for two weeks when seventeen artists and educators from Australian National University’s School of Art in Canberra take over the fifteen studios–all during the same summer session, June 7-19, 2015.

Jemima Parker, Undefined (wearable) object
Richard Whiteley, head of the glass at Australian National University, and Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen, ANU’s head of furniture, developed the all-Aussie session with Penland programs director Leslie Noell. Both schools share an innovative, practice-centered philosophy, and the session presents an unprecedented chance for makers to study with ANU faculty in the U.S.

Students who attend the session will work with Australian artist-educators at the height of their craft. These artists include Richard Whiteley, gold- and silversmith Simon Cottrell, textile and installation artist Jemima Parker, book and multimedia artist Nicci Haynes, and the artists listed in the teaching studios below.

“There is always an easy, open conversation between studios at Penland, with students and instructors siting this creative exchange across media is one of the things that, in addition to the daily focused classroom experience, makes their time at Penland even more rich.  Said Leslie Noell. “Now imagine what this conversation will be like with seventeen vibrant instructors who have all known and worked together for years. (Not to mention the accents!) I expect the entire campus to crackle.”

Ashley Eriksmoen, who ​previously ​taught at Penland​ ​and will teach woodworking during the 2015 session, sees a progressive synergy between ANU’s ​hands-on ​approach to​ teaching​ craft in the academy and Penland’s intensive workshop context. “[ANU’s] ​undergraduate and graduate programs​ are centered on thinking through a material,” said Eriksmoen. “Our workshop discipline​​s​ involve art, craft, and design–and​ are closely aligned with those at Penland. We offer a high-caliber program Down Under. At Penland, we’ll offer it to students who wouldn’t otherwise make the antipodal journey.”

Among the Australia-based artist/educators who will be teaching during the session are:

Simon Cottrell’s jewellery and objects have been extensively published and exhibited worldwide since 1996. He is currently a researcher and professor in the Gold and Silversmithing Workshop, School of Art, at ANU. Metalsmith magazine published an 8-page feature article on his work and practice. 

Nicci Haynes stretches the definition of book arts to include prints, costumes and performance, video, projection, and spoken word collaboration. Her work explores the idea of the inner world being described physically. Nicci teaches in the Print Media and Drawing discipline at ANU. Nicci’s work was included in the 2014 exhibition Behind the Personal Library: Collectors Creating the Canon at the Center for Book Arts, NYC. 

Jemima Parker is a Canberra-based artist and screenprinter using traditional textile materials and methods, along with drawing and printmaking processes to create work that moves between disciplines and blurs boundaries of creative practice. She teaches textiles at ANU. 

Richard Whiteley is a glass artist renowned for his restrained yet monumental cast glass sculpture. Employing mass, negative space, transparency and translucency, Richard’s work and teaching career have helped shape the current state of contemporary glass. After several years of teaching and studio-based work, he is back in Canberra as Head of the Glass Workshop at the School of Art at ANU. He also maintains his own practice from his studio in Queanbeyan.

January 28, 2015

John C Campbell Folk School Offers Locals Discount Tuition

The John C Campbell Folk School considers local residents a special part of the Folk School community. Visit the  studios, stroll the gardens and nature trails, or experience a concert or Community Dance. Share the excitement of special events such as the twice-yearly Auctions or Annual Fall Festival. As a full-time local resident, you always receive 50% off tuition rates on a stand-by basis. 

Full-time local residents are eligible to enjoy a 50% discount for any regularly priced class, on a space-available basis. To be considered a local student, you must be a full-time, permanent resident of one of these counties:
North Carolina: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon, or Swain
Georgia: Fannin, Towns, or Union
Tennessee: Polk

Choose from Over 48 Subjects. Students of all levels will enjoy exploring varied craft genres. You'll also savor the cooking, music, dance, and Appalachian culture classes. Browse classes by subject, date or instructor on the  John C Campbell Folk School website. 

January 26, 2015

LAST WEEK for Heartwood Gallery's 30th Anniversary Sale

Hurry over to Heartwood Gallery, 21 East Main Street in historic downtown Saluda NC, to take advantage of their 30th anniversary sale continuing now through January 31, 2015. 




January 20, 2015

John C Campbell Folk School 2015 Catalog Now Available

The new 2015 Folk School Catalog is here. Start making your class wish list, and register online. Choose from over 800 weeklong and weekend classes in 47 disciplines. 

Pick up your Catalog in the Keith House Lobby now. Request a printed Catalogand it will be sent directly to your mailbox. 
 

Perfect for iPads, iPhones, and computers, the Folk School Catalog is now available as a Catalog eBook online.

 Request a printed Catalogand we'll send it directly to your mailbox.