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

July 26 – August 23, 2025
Owen Gallery

Reception TBA

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

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

Hollow Prince
Rachel Breitinger

Moon
Stacey Lane