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United States Artists

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Katharine and Michael outside of the newly built Drawing House

Katharine DeShaw and Michael Sherrill at the new Drawing House. © Photo Andrew Glasgow, 2012.

Drawing House:
by Katharine DeShaw
Executive Director, United States Artists
I recently had the great pleasure of visiting with USA Windgate Fellow Michael Sherrill at his home and studio in Bat Cave, North Carolina. Sherrill, a master ceramist, was hosting an artist residency for students from area colleges on behalf of the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. During this visit, the artist in residence was Magdalena Odundo, who spent eight days sharing her formidable skills with the next generation of ceramists.  
Michael and his wife Margery had been planning for a while to build a space that would offer to artists a respite from the busy world. When Michael won the USA Fellowship in 2010 he used some of the funds to build a lovely cabin that is now the new “home” for their resident artists.  
“I live in a beautiful place and have a great studio. However, my studio has become increasingly busy (a good thing!) and it isn’t always a quiet space. For some time, I had dreamed of building a place and calling it the Drawing House, a place conducive to quiet reflection, thinking and drawing.”
a quiet place
Margery and Michael in the pottery studio, smiling

Magdalena Odundo and Michael Sherrill in the pottery shop. © Photo Katharine DeShaw, 2012.

Margery throwing a clay vessel with students looking on around her in the Drawing House

Magdalena working with the students in the Drawing House. © Photo Katharine DeShaw, 2012.

reflect...
“Receiving the USA Windgate Fellowship was a gift and it opened a door of opportunity. Not only did it make it possible for me to realize my personal dream, it also created an opportunity for me to share it with other artists. I knew there were other artists who needed the same thing that I did: a quiet place to draw, think, reflect. Margery and I were proud to have Magdalene Odundo as our first ‘official’ visiting artist in residence at the Drawing House. Magdalena, a British citizen, was delighted to learn that the USA Fellowship helped to create her temporary home. It was a pleasure for me to meet her and see her sharing her vast talents with a passionate group of students.”
Should you be interested in learning more about the work of these outstanding artists please visit Magdalena’s site and Michael’s site.
closeup of Margery's hand smoothing the clay on the wheel.

Magdalena molding clay. © Photo Katharine DeShaw, 2012.