Printmaking and Book Arts well represented at Penland Winter Residency Program

Printmaking and Book Arts Area faculty and graduate students participated in the Penland Winter Residency Program. Professors Melissa Harshman and Eileen Wallace along with graduate student Alex McClay spent the first week of January at Penland School of Crafts working on research in both printmaking and book arts.

Penland is a national center for craft education located in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Penland’s focus on excellence, its long history, and its inspiring, retreat setting have made it a model of experiential education. The school has also become the focal point for a lively community of craft artists, thanks in part to the resident program which has encouraged many artists to settle in the area. 

Penland Winter Residency is an opportunity for a small community of artists to work independently for a short term in Penland’s studios during the quiet season. There are a limited number of artists per studio—enough people to provide conversation and creative camaraderie, but not so many that focused time in the studio is compromised. Penland’s goal is to provide professional opportunities for individual or collaborating artists and encourage experimentation and inquiry in all media.

Melissa Harshman is the Chair of the Printmaking and Book Arts Area. Eileen Wallace is a Senior Lecturer in Printmaking and Book Arts.  Alexandra McClay is in her first year of graduate studies at the Lamar Dodd School of Art.