A Season of Making: Reflections on 2025

 

May your holidays be filled with peace and joy. Please note: Our office and galleries will be closed from December 24 through January 4 and will reopen on January 5, 2026. A Season of Making: Reflections on 2025 Member Features from the Touchstone Members Exhibition As the year comes to a close, we’ve been spending time listening — really listening — to the artists who make Touchstone what it is. Over the past several weeks, we’ve shared a series of Member Features, each offering a glimpse into the creative lives, processes, and perspectives of artists with work in the 2025 Touchstone Members Exhibition. These conversations were conducted over email, thoughtfully and generously, with help from Touchstone Communications Committee members, Andrew Thornton and Erica Nuckles. They’ve become something we didn’t fully anticipate: a quiet archive of why people come to Touchstone, why they stay, and how making fits into their lives. If you missed the exhibition — or if you’re looking for something meaningful to read over the holidays — we invite you to explore the full series below. Finding Meaning and Strength Through Enamel and Self-Reflection "This exhibition highlights the diversity of the membership and shares the wide breadth of work being made by them.” ~Andrew Thornton Read More Finding Joy, Challenge, and a Little Bit of Alchemy in Clay "Touchstone has a very special place in my heart and my art journey." ~Rebecca Frola-Biss Read More Painting as Connection, Reflection, and Wellness "I hope viewers find a personal connection to the work, perhaps seeing something that resonates with their own experiences or emotions." ~Sasha Phillips Read More Craft, Curiosity, and the Art of Piecing Things Together "I have come back every year...and still love arriving on the campus and working on new skillsets." ~Elizabeth Lawrence Read More Illuminating the Unseen Through Color and Imagination "Being featured at Touchstone feels like joining a living conversation about craft in Appalachia.” ~Danielle Crooks-Nyland Read More A Lifelong Journey in Craft, Color, and Community "I love giving myself creative challenges and asking, ‘What would happen if I did this?'" ~Joy Knepp Read More Creation Stories, Natural Materials, and a Deep Sense of Place "I was looking for classes to ‘up’ my process and to create more polished, professional gallery-ready work." ~Julie Paez Read More A Lifetime of Teaching, Making, and Seeing the Beauty in Nature "My pieces in this show were not created for any other reason except to please my own creative need." ~Beverly Post Barrett Read More Honoring Nature Through Metal, Stone, and Generations of Craft “I believe in the power of handmade objects, where the artist’s touch is evident in every curve and detail.” ~Aileen Lampman Read More Exploring the Natural World Through Form and Fire “I love when my pieces cause people to conjure their own memories of places that have shaped them.” ~Kade HB Read More Clay, Curiosity, and the Strength of Community “Small steps are still steps and it is the community that drives places like Touchstone.” ~Ashton Little Read More Where Making Is the Destination "When I go on a ‘vacation,’ I want something interesting, educational, rewarding to do." ~Monica Broere Read More Additional Members Featured in the Exhibition: Ray Brown Glen S. Gardner Donna Hetrick Lia Musante Colleen Ramsay Sonya Sagan-Dworsly Jordan Stanford Andrew J. Welton Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and their artwork in the exhibition. Special Thanks to our Guest Juror: Ruby Lopez Harper Executive Director of the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+)  Warm Wishes Thank you for reading, for supporting artists, and for being part of Touchstone’s creative community. We wish you a restful, meaningful holiday season and look forward to welcoming you back in the new year.   As the year comes near a close, we invite you to consider supporting Touchstone through our Annual Appeal. Your gift helps us continue providing workshops, exhibitions, artist opportunities, and creative experiences that bring people together through craft. Support Touchstone's Annual Appeal Pictured: 2025 teens, chaperones, instructors, interns & staff. Looking Ahead to 2026! As we turn toward a new year, we’re already looking ahead to the workshops, residencies, and creative opportunities that will unfold in 2026. Explore 2026 Five-day Workshops Pictured: Artwork by workshop instructors Pete Braspenninx, Curt LaCross, Erika Johnson, Robert Thomas Mullen, Lynette Youson, & Leah MacDonald. Please do not respond to this email, for general questions, email info@touchstonecrafts.org.   BECOME A MEMBER (724) 329-1370