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Journey at Home

From the day we closed our doors in March 2020, we were trying to come up with creative solutions to continue to support our artists and our communities. We moved our exhibitions and our gift shops online.

We took our Journey of the Arts home with #journeyathome. We wanted to know how our artist members and members of our community were getting creative at home. Submission was free, and the only rule to participate was that work submitted needed to be made after March 15, the date we closed our doors because of the spread of the pandemic.

We also teamed up with Mitchell County Schools and Penland School of Craft to assemble packets of art supplies for students’ last weeks of school for the 2019-2020 school year and for them to have supplies for creative activities into the summer. Learn more about those efforts here and view the activities sent out in the packets.

“This is an arrangement of pieces from larger cubes that I have been slab building, inspired by my studies of Sol Lewitt.” – Michael Rutkowsky

“Green-grey lichen produced bright spattered tangerine.” – Linda Goodwin

“This painting was inspired by an image in a 1966 book titled ‘The Life of the Forest’ that I discovered in my late great-grandparents’ Burnsville, NC home. I was also eagerly awaiting the Tulip Poplar in our yard to bloom as I painted this!” – Allison Edge

“I wanted to share a piece that expressed the loneliness of being at home during COVID-19 without expressing sadness.” – Deana Markus

“I have been home to avoid the virus for two months. Thank God for my studio. This piece was a long time in the making.” – Heather J Miller

“More ‘Dark Shadows,’ David Selby.” – Mary Ruth Webb

“Definition of Haint: A type of ghost or evil spirit from the Carolina Coast. According to Appalachian historian David Tabler, the word haint can refer to an angry dead spirit, but also to ‘an undefineable something that scares the beejeevers out of you.’ Hang your haint near the entrance to your house, on your porch or a tree nearby to help ‘scare the bejeevers’ out of Covid-19! Wishing you good health from Valerie Schnaufer at Rabbit Hop Studio, Spruce Pine, NC. Before coronavirus, I’d head to my studio knowing what I wanted to create. Early on, after Covid-19, I found I wanted to make something that related to this new reality, and the idea of the old beliefs of ‘haints’ came to mind and then to reality.” – Valerie Schnaufer

“My work reflects my life. It continues to do so in these weird times.” – Mark Flowers

“Seraphim is a rooster with whom we share a life. He is an angel…” – Collene Karcher

“A comment on bowls.” – Robin Martindale

“Trees.” – Sabrina Miller

“I have been working in creating unique lamps that incorporate my kilnformed glass landscapes over the past year. They are finally comping to fruition!” – Amanda Taylor

“This is my first spring in Burnsville and I find myself enchanted by the beauty.” – Deana Markus

“I made this piece in the days leading up Easter. It was inspired by the innocence and abundance of new life popping up around the mountains.” – Allison Edge

“Dark-pink blossoms produced variegated pink/yellow/gold dye results: nature transmuted. With time, the COVID crisis may do the same, in unexpected ways.” – Linda Goodwin

“I painted this piece after watching a young nurse help an elderly woman who seemed very sick.” – Annette V. Centofanti

“I enjoy woodcarving as a hobby and like making Santas as well as caricatures. Thanks for looking.” – Rod Gatlin

“For the Spirits of Autumn Show this fall.” – Mary Ruth Webb

“New doors for my studio and my first large sculpture, a walnut chair.” – Paul Eisenhauer

“This sculpture-in-progress is a public art commission for the city of Tamarac, Florida. At this point in the process, I am working with plywood and paper cut-outs to work out the composition for what will be 62 fused glass rectangles.” – Jim Bowman

“In Greek mythology Lachesis measures the thread of life.” – Collene Karcher

“Frustration.” – WJ Cunningham

“I am working mainly with palette knife.” – WJ Cunningham

“I’m deep into the original ‘Dark Shadows’ and drawing vampires.” – Mary Ruth Webb

“These flowers were made to bring color and cheer to our garden year round. We could all use as much joy as we can find especially in these trying times. It’s an eternal victory garden.” – Lynne Hobaica & Rickie Barnett

“Although mainly a stone carver, I started out a drawer and a painter so had a chance to dig out my pencils and watercolors last week. It had been years! Wishing you all blue skies.” – Collene Karcher

“I’ve made wooden Easter eggs for my niece and nephew, brother, sister-in-law and mother for about 20 years, usually delivering them at Easter brunch in Huntsville, Alabama. This year they were rushed and had to be mailed, but the circle remains unbroken. St. Rosalia, St. Roche, St. Corona, and a couple of Covid-19.” – Lori Gilcrist

“Mon atelier est fermé administrativement… Mais la maison est ouverte à la Cuisine créative Salade de feuilles sauvages , fleurs du balcon et reste du frigo… Pas mal, non?!” – Annie hostein-mortier, Potiere en Ardèche, France

“Just playing with colors.” – Jenny Lou Sherburne

“I have wanted to paint the triangle under this stair since I moved in about 7 years ago. Once I started, I couldn’t call it finished until the walls and door panels and some of the trim was painted too. More than I bargained for!” – Jenny Lou Sherburne

“I love grids and had been seeing many beautiful quilts on Instagram. I just decided to play around with them.” – Lynn McLure