WILSON, N.C. — March 10, 2015 — Barton College professor of art Susan Fecho, a resident of nearby historic Tarboro, has opened Fecho Designs: Art Studio and Gallery. The grand opening for the downtown art studio and gallery, located at 110 West Granville Street in Tarboro, will be Friday evening, March 20, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The public is encouraged to stop by to peruse the space, experience the artwork, pick-up a class schedule, and enjoy some refreshments. Fecho Designs will offer instructional classes for both children and adults, ranging from printmaking, textiles, ceramic jewelry and contemporary mixed media. The studio/gallery will be open on weekends and by appointment.
The grand opening will feature an exhibition of Fecho’s botanical series as well as a developing collection of small-scale ceramics and sculptural textiles by Stantonsburg mixed media artist Renee J. Moore, a 2014 alumna of Barton College. Both artists grew up in Eastern North Carolina and find that elements of nature influence their work.
A multi-media printmaker and surface designer, Fecho will also showcase her collection of vintage printmaking presses ranging from lithography, letterpress and intaglio in a designated section of the studio during the opening.
When asked about her current interests, Fecho shared, “My recent work interprets the past as a personal, cultural, and archetypal artifact. The human body, architectural unit, and surrounding landscape become metaphors in my work. Trained as a traditional printmaker, I am intrigued by the richness and variety inherent in varied techniques. Storytelling is at the core of my work, with the sculptural book as a mode of telling stories, expressing feelings, and sharing imagery. Through my work the familiar reappears in unfamiliar configurations; a new sense of significance is imparted to an otherwise everyday object. My creative interests extend beyond the viewed subject, encompassing sculptural elements, allegorical imagery, and whimsical puns. In my work, there are varied layers of material and multiple facets of meaning.”
The opening of Fecho’s art studio and gallery, and the purchase of some equipment, was partially supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, and by the Edna Earl Boykin Fellowship in the Arts at Barton College.
Fecho is one of three 2014-2017 Barton College Boykin Fellows, a fellowship established to recognize the generosity of the late Dr. Edna Earl Boykin, a longtime Wilson educator and trustee emerita of Barton College. The Boykin Fellowship supports three tenured faculty members during a three-year period, one each in the education, art, and liberal arts disciplines in pursuit of audacious academic projects in their fields, which at the same time support the mission of the College.
Fecho has shown her work in 25 solo exhibitions and over one hundred invitationals. Her published images have been accepted into several major collections: the Smithsonian Institution’s American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library, Washington, D.C.; the Word and Image Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; and the Museum of Women Artists, Washington, D.C. In addition to earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from East Carolina University, she has completed postgraduate studies from various institutions including: Jan Van Eyck Academie, Humboldt Field Research Institute, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Northern Illinois University and Penland School of Crafts. Fecho has exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally, and she has been recognized with numerous awards, grants and residencies.
For additional information about Fecho and her studio/gallery, visit www.fechodesigns.com.
END