Three outstanding young artists have been selected to spend a year pursuing their art while teaching and living in Columbia.

Pocosin Arts residents receive a monthly stipend, along with private accommodations, a studio space in which to work, and storefront exhibition/gallery space on Main Street in town. Craft artists in clay and metals from across the United States are selected for these positions through a highly competitive process.

This year, Pocosin was able to add a third residency to the program thanks to the generous support of local photographer Ken Cherry. Jewelry and metal artist Barbara McFadyen of Chapel Hill sponsors the two other annual residencies.

This year’s artists are: Caitlin Kelly McDonald, who just completed a Master of Fine Arts in metalsmithing and jewelry at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she also taught at the undergraduate level. She has won many awards for her work, including scholarships to study at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine and the Peters Valley School of Craft in New Jersey.

“At Pocosin I plan to pursue the transformation of my work from large scale sculptural jewelry to more wearables,” McDonald said. “Creating wearables is a way for me to further interact with an audience on a more intimate level. I plan to continue exploring different materials in connection with traditional metalsmithing techniques.”

The second resident is Gabrielle Graber. She makes figurative ceramic sculptures and photographic images printed on textiles. In 2015 Graber received the Windgate Fellowship at the Center for Craft Creativity and Design in Asheville, and she has just completed her MFA from The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. She has also attended workshops at Haystack and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee.

“I will come in with liveliness, passion, and enthusiasm. I am eager to move into a new workplace as a newly graduated student, and I am honored to take up residence with the Pocosin Arts Residency Program,” Graber said.

The third artist honored is Mark Arnold, who completed his MFA at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville this May, having spent the last ten years working on ceramics in an academic setting. He is a seasoned teacher, also with gallery experience, and is eager to continue his experimentation with surface and form in the ceramics studio.

“Pocosin Arts is the perfect transition for me,” Arnold said, “it will allow me to work in the same kind of community and facilities I have had in school, but also let me have the freedom to develop into a professional artist.”

Pocosin Arts Executive Director Marlene True is thrilled with the newcomers who begin their residencies on June 1. “Our Resident Artists always prove to be an important part of our local community,” True said. “They share their gifts and the creative experience with friends and neighbors, and they teach our adult community classes. With sponsorship provided by the Grable Foundation, they also teach our youth programs, which include ‘Art After School,’ while school is in session. Resident artists also lead weekly arts activities for the Tyrrell Middle and High School Art Clubs and teach some of Pocosin’s seven Summer Art Camp sessions.”

Pocosin Arts also rents studio space and lodging for artists seeking special short-term residencies in the community. If you are interested in applying for

a special short-term residency, please contact the school at (252) 796-2787 or email info@pocosinarts.org for more information.