Join Nolan Wright, our current Artist in Residence in his studio (Suite 205) for an evening of conversation and hands-on demonstration!

Nolan is in residence until October 28th.

FREE to attend. Please RSVP using the form below. This special event is limited to 20 people!

Biographical Statement
Nolan Wright is a largely self taught fiber artist, born in Tucson, Arizona, who uses traditional basketry techniques to make sculptural forms, typically working with dyed and painted pine needles, waxed linen thread, and other materials. He currently lives in South Carolina, but grew up in the desert southwest and was deeply impacted by the rugged landscapes he was exposed to there, and by his family’s collection of both traditional and contemporary crafts, including the work of indigenous artisans from many parts of the world. Both of those threads played an important part in his developing aesthetic, and continue to be reflected in the objects he creates. Nolan’s work has been included in numerous juried national and regional shows, including Art Evolved: Intertwined, a fiber art exhibition traveling the country from 2023 – 2026 co-sponsored by Studio Art Quilts
Associates and the National Basketry Organization. Other recent exhibitions include: ArtFields Competition 2025 (Exhibition Award); Fantastic Fibers 2024 (Yeiser Art Center, Paducah KY); Selected Works, Yarn / Rope / String (New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford MA, 2023); Small Expressions 2021, a national juried traveling exhibition sponsored by the Handweavers Guild of America; Excellence in Fiber V (Muskegon Museum of Art in partnership with the Fiber Art Network, 2020).

Artist Statement
I use basketry techniques to create unconventional forms, most having been inspired by shapes and textures in nature that excite me. Trees, twisted by the wind or that have interesting bark or exposed roots, tide pools, tree fungi, seed pods, mountain canyons, rock formations, and such. Especially dense, undulating, weathered shapes and surfaces. Echoes of the landscape I grew up with in Arizona, and time spent in other rugged areas. Working slowly, stitch by stitch, knot by knot, I try, in much of my work, to create objects that evoke a similar feeling of encountering something unexpected, not necessarily beautiful or elegant. The repetition, care, skill, and time required calms and is important to me, resulting in a sort of rhythm. Each piece both creates and grows from that rhythm, organically, often with nothing more than a general idea of shape and a color palate at the start. As I have become increasingly concerned about the state of our world, conceptual threads related to fragmentation and adaptation have begun finding their way into my artistic intentions as well, still tied to exploration of material and technique. With each piece, I hope to surprise the viewer, plant a seed to view things a bit differently, and perhaps ask and act on their own “what if I tried that” questions.