Penland School of Crafts has open spaces in an upcoming one-week session available at half tuition to area residents. The discount is available to residents of the following western North Carolina counties: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey. Regular room and board charges apply, but students are not required to stay on campus.

The session runs Nov. 1-7 with spaces in books and clay. Rory Sparks will lead a bookmaking class focused on the drum leaf binding, a simple and versatile book structure that is well suited for presenting drawings, prints, and other two-dimensional artworks in book form. Eric Knoche will teach a wide variety of techniques for handbuilt clay including pinching, coiling, and slab work, along with techniques used to make large, multi-part sculptures.

Both of these classes are open to students of all levels. Beginngers are welcome. Complete information is available in the classes section of the Penland website, penland.org. To enroll, call the Penland registrar at 828-765-2359, ext 106.

The Penland Standby Program offers discounts to area residents who take unfilled spaces in Penland classes shortly before the classes begin.

Penland School of Crafts is an international center for craft education dedicated to helping people live creative lives. Located in western North Carolina, Penland offers workshops in books and paper, clay, drawing and painting, glass, iron, metals, printmaking and letterpress, photography, textiles, and wood. The school also sponsors artists’ residencies, an outreach program, and a gallery and visitors center. Penland is a nonprofit, tax-exempt institution which receives support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

-Submitted by Robin Dreyer