Susan Smith Perry, artist
Beginning Wednesday, December 3, the Art League of Henderson County (ALHC) presents Wonder, an exhibition of work by sculptor Susan Smith Perry at The Art Place Gallery. On Friday, December 5, from 5–7 p.m., visitors to the gallery will be able to meet Perry, a South Carolina-based artist who, for this exhibition, will transform bamboo and handmade paper into a kinetic sculptural installation on display through Saturday, December 27.
“The sculptures of natural and human forms dance playfully and breathe with the movement of the viewer,” says Perry. “I create a contemplative exploration of the connection between nature and the human spirit.” For this three-dimensional composition of color and form, she synthesizes and reuses natural materials to explore transformation.
During the opening event, musician Elan DeHaro will perform in a collaboration that “enhances awareness of sound/silence, movement/stillness and form/void in the gallery space,” Perry says. “He will take the visitors on a world journey through music.”
Also on December 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the ALHC will hold an Open House celebrating an expansion and upgrades at the Stuart Glassman Ceramic Studio in response to a rising interest regionally in clay arts. Demonstrations will be held in the facility that now includes an upgraded Skutt kiln capable of handling larger works and Cone 10 firings; a new slab roller for hand-building projects; more Brent CXC wheels for wheel-throwing; and additions that include work tables, wedging stations and storage space, as well as studio assistants.
“Setting up a complete home studio is very expensive in terms of equipment,” says Art League president Diane Dean. “We now have two slab rollers, two kilns and two wedging tables which will provide more access. A second equally important factor is shelf space for boxes of clay, tools, and for storage of pieces of work waiting for the two stages of kiln firing. We also have increased from two to four glazing and hand building tables. This means more artists interested in learning more about clay or creating their products to sell in galleries or markets have access to everything they need.”
This latest expansion also includes a new Members’ Area, offering 24/7 studio access for professional and recreational ceramic artists and providing separate workshop and classroom spaces. The Glassman Studio has more than 30 members at present and with this expansion can now accommodate up to 60 members as well as more students. Upcoming classes include Elevate Your Clay Surfaces: Surface Design Focus with Kiona Edwards and Handbuilding & Intro Sculpture with Hannah Gambino. Find registration information for classes at GlassmanClayStudio.com.
“For our professionally working as well as emerging clay artists, this expands their opportunities for markets,” Dean says of the upgrades. “Many of our members previously drove to Asheville or Tryon for classes or memberships. Members of our studio also have the ability to sell their work at the studio or at The Art Place Gallery.”
For more information about memberships, classes or teaching opportunities at the Stuart Glassman Ceramic Studio, located at 2015 Asheville Highway, Hendersonville, visit GlassmanClayStudio.com. To learn more about Susan Smith Perry’s art, visit SusanPerryArt.com. The Art Place Gallery is located at 730 Locust Street, in Hendersonville’s 7th Avenue Historic District.
