Marshall art residency owner encourages creators to 'drink from the well' of WNC's history

MARSHALL - A Marshall artist residency will host a show opening, pottery sale and mountain music performance May 18 in celebration of art, community and place.

Township10, located on roughly 30 acres in the Grapevine community of Marshall, opened its residency component in 2020. Owner Marjorie Dial, a ceramic artist, bought the property in 2018 from the previous owners, who operated East Fork Pottery.

Don Pedi, an old-time dulcimer player, will be doing a performance on the porch, and Luis Rodriguez, a food activist, Indigenous rights activist and chef will be preparing light refreshments for the event.

Bill Jones, Township10's current lead resident, will offer a show on the property's tobacco barn.

Jones, who is originally from Pennsylvania, is a classically trained potter. Jones said he is very excited about the May 18 installation, "All I Know is Now."

"I've been making functional pots for a long time, but this work is more of a departure into sculpture for me," Jones said. "So, it's kind of a new body of work, and not a lot of people have seen it. The tobacco barn down there just makes a lot of sense for the work. So, it's a cool opportunity."

The ceramic sculpture pieces speak to the duality of the inside and outside with the openings in the vessels, Dial said.

While the departure to ceramic sculpture from functional pottery is perhaps a bit more daunting, it's also more demanding of the artist's time, Jones said.

"Usually, I'll spend a day throwing the pieces for it, and then I'll spend a day or two assembling it," Jones said. "Then, some time glazing and firing it. These pieces have a lot more time in them then, say, my normal, functional pots, which is what I've been doing for the last 13-14 years. So, this is sort of stepping into a different territory."

But the different territory has been a satisfying endeavor, albeit a challenging one, Jones said.

"They're engrossing in a way that has been very satisfying," Jones said. "It's been really good. It's been technically frustrating, which ceramics by nature is just technically frustrating. But it's scratching at a different itch."

Township10

Dial said the artist residency typically takes three to five residents at a time.

The concept of the lead resident allows Dial to carry out her vision in conjunction with fellow artists, and to allow the residents to immerse themselves in their work.

"I think it's actually really important for the project that I'm not on site, because people don't have to feel like they have to thank me and that I'm their hostess," Dial said. "They can just take over, and it's not The Marjorie Show, which is really important. They should be the center."

Jones said making art at Township10 is easier thanks to the approach taken by Dial.

"I think, because of Marjorie's attention to detail here, it definitely facilitates artmaking," Jones said.

The artist residency is free to artists, and has attracted artists from as far away as Ghana and Canada. A typical residency lasts six weeks, but the lead resident typically stays for two years.

The property's main house offers two bedrooms, and there are another three bedrooms in Township10's bunkhouse, which is 900 square feet and offers two bathrooms, a washer and dryer, a full kitchen and a reference library.

The property also features ceramic studios and a studio for painting and weaving.

Artists are encouraged to cook dinner with each other at least once a week.

Dial remembers when she first saw the property, and the literal vision she had while standing at the top of property's view point.

"I walked up to the top of the property and I really had a full-on vision of how this was going to work. I saw this other building that I later built, I saw it, because we needed another residence for the artists," Dial said. "I could see people walking around. It was pretty wonderful for me, because it's given me a lot of structure for my life.

"I'm an artist. I basically realized I wanted to create a place where artists could really enter into the complexity and strangeness of whatever their art is. There's sort of this tendency in the art world to force artists to simplify or explain what they do, and I wanted a place where you could just not worry about that. You don't have to prove anything, just make your work."

The space facilitates a familial, community vibe for the artists, which is exactly what Dial intended.

"They all want to get their work done, and they talk about who they are and what their art influences are," Dial said. "It's pretty intimate to live this close for six weeks."

Offering the residency for free is Dial's way of giving back to the community, she said.

"I wanted to do something for the community I love," said Dial, who grew up in South Carolina and used to visit North Carolina while growing up.

"There's a lot of deep, rich craft history in this area, in Western North Carolina. I wanted to invite artists to sort of come out and drink from that well, and participate in that fantasy. It's been a really diverse group of people who come out here, and they go to Black Mountain College Museum, and the Center for Craft, and they go to Marshall, and take it in and see what connects, and see what they're interested in.

Dial said the name not only honors the geographical space, but also hints at the self-governing principles of the organization.

"I wanted the name to be a part of where we are, and we're in Grapevine, Township 10," Dial said. "We have our own sort of system of doing things out of here. Most things are done through exchange, but there's not any money being exchanged. So, I invite people out, and then they leave a piece of art. So, this kind of references that we have our own system of government."

While the residency is free, Dial encourages artists to leave a piece of their work, or a record to contribute to the music collection, as a memento for their time spent at the Marshall spot.

"I think as artists, it's a vulnerable place to be in. People are really putting themselves out there and struggling with difficult content most of the time," Dial said. "So, a place like this, I'm hoping is a place where artists can feel like they don't have to perform, or explain, or make it simple. They just can sink into it. What I am saying to them is, 'Thank you for doing what you do. It matters. Here you go. Enjoy this.'

"It's based on intimacy, conversation and art, and giving what you can give, whatever it is."

Township10 is located at 310 Ras Grooms Road in Marshall. The event will take place at Township10 from noon-4 p.m. For more information on Township10, visit its website: https://www.township10.org/.

Johnny Casey has covered Madison County for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel for nearly three years, including earning a first-place award in beat reporting in the 2023 North Carolina Press Association awards. He can be reached at 828-210-6071 or jcasey@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Marshall residency Township10 celebrates community, place and art