Penland School of Craft: There's No Substitute for the Handmade Mug

Have you registered for the 35th Annual Penland Benefit Auction yet? 

It will be Penland’s first ever online auction, and also their first auction to last a full week long! Tickets are available now to join us for this virtual celebration and support Penland's ongoing mission of creativity, community, growth, and word-class craft education. Penland is offering two ticket options this year—the "party" option includes access to silent and live auction bidding, a printed auction catalog, a handmade mug like those above, and other Penland party favors to bring the festivities right to your door.

Mark your calendars for August 1-8, and register now to join us there!

Kimberly Michelle Shelton (left) and Amanda Ann Palmer at Penland with a selection of their mugs

A note from the Penland School of Craft: The past couple months have shown us how many things can transition to an online format, from Northlight slide nights to our Board of Trustees meeting. But we also know that there's no substitute for the presence and materiality of a handmade object, and that's why we knew without a doubt that we wanted to keep up the tradition of handmade auction mugs. This year's are an especially beautiful collection of hand-thrown, decorated, and glazed pieces. Each one—500 in all!—was designed and made by Kimberly Michelle Shelton of Dirt Dobber Wares (Atlanta, GA) with assistance from Amanda Ann Palmer (Hartland, VT).

One thing we especially love about these mugs is how they each display a unique personality while maintaining an impressive cohesion as a group—sturdy, inviting, earthy, and rich. Scrolling through a few of Kimberly's process photos is a telling window into how much thought went into these designs. We love this look at the various glazes and clay bodies she tested, as well as these close-ups of her approach to geometric patterning and glazing.

Thank you, Kimberly and Amanda! We know these mugs will add an extra special touch to auction week in August and many, many mornings to follow.

FASHIONADO