Education in the arts is more often accomplished through a circuitous route rather than through singular, direct paths. And curiosity, a character trait of creatives, means the learning process is never-ending. Such is the experience of the artists affiliated with Mica Gallery. Just as many pursue BFAs and MFAs from universities for conceptual grounding in the language of art, those same artists and many others find the technical training they need in community colleges, trade schools and workshops.
A Million Little Pieces. Valerie Berlage, artist
Valerie Berlage’s work as a sculptor, woodworker and furniture-maker grew from “seeds planted” in childhood, she says. Her BFA from UNC–Asheville in mixed media printmaking provided formal training in design, but her love of color, pattern and texture came from creating with her grandparents.
“Woodworking and traditional handcrafts like quilting and embroidery were an ever-present part of my childhood,” she says. “Assisting a local woodworker reawakened that love of craft and taught me so much more about woodworking and running a business as an artist. I eventually found myself enrolling in the Professional Crafts Program at Haywood Community College, where I rounded out that knowledge, and learned so much more.”
Her studio name, Lauraine Lillie Studios, encompasses the names of her grandmothers. Among the advice Berlage carries with her are words from her grandmother Lauraine: “Always use all the crayons in the box.”
Nick Joerling’s career path, in his words, “was like driving on one of those roundabouts and never seeing an exit that appealed to me,”—until he found pottery. “In my 20s, I was in San Clemente, CA, looking for work and walked into this low, cinderblock building to ask if they were hiring,” he says. “I didn’t even know what they did there. It turned out to be a very small clay supply business that hired me to run a pugmill.” After a couple of months making lots of clay, he saw a man throwing clay planters on a kick wheel. “Fascinated, I began to figure out how to do what I saw that guy at the nursery doing,” says Joerling, who moved to Penland to work with Jon Ellenbogen and Becky Plummer, and later studied at Louisiana State University.
Evelyn Kline, the youngest of Mica’s artists and a recent graduate of the BFA program at Appalachian State University, describes growing up with artist parents as well as workshops at Snow Farm, in MA, and Penland as central to her fascination with metalsmithing. “I definitely think I learn best when I’m doing or making,” Kline says. “I taught myself basic enameling before I had the opportunity to take a class on it, and I continue to learn more about enameling by pushing myself to make things that are more complex or out of my comfort zone.”
From March 7 through April 30, Mica Gallery will hold a fundraiser, The Luck of the Pups, for Mitchell County Animal Rescue. Gently used works have been contributed for sale to benefit the heroic work of the animal shelter. The opening reception will be held Friday, March 7, from 5–7 p.m. A suggested donation of $10 will be collected at the door.
Mica is located at 37 North Mitchell Avenue, in Bakersville. In March, the gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by appointment by calling or texting Speckled Dog Pottery at 828.434.0353. Learn more at MicaGalleryNC.com, on Facebook at Mica Gallery NC or on Instagram at micagallerync.
