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TRYON—Tryon Arts & Crafts School recently announced the opening of a solo exhibition and installation by Crista Cammaroto and a complementary pottery exhibit by Michael Kline. A joint reception for both will be held on Thursday, August 14, from 6 to 8 p.m.

In the school’s main gallery, Cammaroto’s Terra Forma delves into profound themes of nature, decay, and regeneration. Her exhibition features numerous unique printed photo montages – archival prints capturing her temporal earthworks – along with a site-specific installation. The installation is meticulously constructed from organic materials gathered from local farms, gardens, and woods. 

“Drawing from a practice rooted in deep engagement with the earth, Cammaroto’s process often involves physically molding the earth and obsessively re-arranging nature’s elements, transforming them from background into a designed foreground,” said TACS Executive Director Will Barclift. “This work, which began in 2016, invites viewers to feel the air, the leaves, and the earth beneath their feet, fostering an intimate connection to the sophistication and balance of the natural world.”

A significant component of Cammaroto’s exhibition is an outdoor site-informed earthwork, “Terra Flora: Designing the Wild Along the Pacolet,” conceived as a memorial to Hurricane Helene. This piece integrates storm debris and a segment of a repurposed wooden boardwalk, formerly a feature of neighboring Harmon Field parks and recreational lands, offering a poignant testament to the hurricane’s impact and nature’s resilience. 

The earthwork will be subject to numerous community engagement activities, culminating during TACS’s Hearth & Anvil outdoor event on Friday, October 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. The indoor exhibition will be on view until Thursday, October 9, and the earthwork will later be transformed into a permanent garden feature.

Presented alongside Cammaroto’s exhibition, TACS will feature a complementary exhibit of pottery by esteemed Penland, NC, ceramic artist Michael Kline, creating a unique artistic dialogue. Kline is celebrated for his masterful utilitarian ceramics, often wood-fired salt-glazed stoneware with organic patterns and rich textures. 

Inspired by traditional North Carolina pottery and techniques from other parts of the world, his current work often features intricate, botanical-themed stamped and inlaid surfaces developed using the Korean sanggam method. 

“Kline’s pieces imbue a robust connection to the earth and serve as a thoughtful counterpoint to Cammaroto’s installations, highlighting the beauty and strength found in both meticulously crafted objects and natural forms,” said Barclift.

TACS’s annual sponsor is New View Realty. Additional event and general sponsors include Overmountain Vineyards, Nature’s Storehouse, and Tryon Theatre. TACS also gratefully acknowledges ongoing operational support from the Polk County Community Foundation, North Carolina Arts Council, and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

For more information, visit tryonartsandcrafts.org.