Five to Nine: New Work by Penland School of Craft Staff

July 26 – August 23, 2025
Owen Gallery

Reception:
August 15, 2025
5 PM – 7 PM
Owen Gallery

Five to Nine: New Work by Penland School of Craft Staff will highlight current work done by staff members of the Penland School of Craft. This group of twenty individual artists approaches the field of contemporary craft from the broad perspectives of functional objects, sculptures, and two-dimensional works, representing a material range of paper, photography, printmaking, metal, textile, ceramic, wood and glass. Unique to Five to Nine, these artists are not full-time studio artists. Each balances their studio practices with work obligations and active roles in craft communities locally and beyond Western North Carolina. The staff at Penland not only prepare the teaching studios, write grants, maintain the school facilities, prepare food or greet customers at Penland Gallery but also fill roles in many more locally oriented events and creative groups like Treats Studio, Penland’s Community Open House, Fire on the Mountain and the Spruce Pine Potters Market. Penland staff members are also on boards of arts organizations, jury exhibitions, and teach at craft schools. Through showcasing the studio work of these multifaceted artists, this exhibition highlights the broadness of what it means to live, work, and make as an artist today.

Participating Artists

Autumn Brown – Metal
Erin Castellan – Painting & Textiles
David Clemons – Metal
Betsy DeWitt – Textiles & Photography
Courtney Dodd – Glass
Robin Dreyer – Photography
Susan Feagin – Pottery
Joshua Fredock – Glass & metal
Derek Freeman – Textiles
Nick Fruin – Glass
Claire Jarvis – Fiber
Lori Brook Johnson – Drawing
Mirrah Johnson – Textiles
Beth LaCour – Folded Paper Vessels
Stacey Lane – Jewelry & Kinetics
Ashley Poole – Metal
Amy Tromiczak – Textiles
Therese Watkins – Painting