2018 Spring Interns: Life on the Binne

Back in January, when the trees were bare and everything was covered in snow, our new Studio, Nonprofit Management, and Ceramic interns arrived at WSW. Nine-months later, winter, spring, and summer have passed, and as the leaves are starting to turn and the air is getting crisp, three of these interns are moving off the Binne and onto their next adventures.

From Art-in-Ed to Chili Bowl to SAI—and all the daily jobs in between—these women were hands on and knee deep in projects. Studio interns Sarah Gordon and Laura Salgarolo worked with a number of artists-in-residence to troubleshoot and complete major studio projects such as producing artists’ books; printing Chili Bowl Fiesta posters; and assisting in SAI workshops. In their off hours, they worked on their own projects, including building frames with our maintenance mogul Woody; and learning to make paper and beat fibers in the Raina Beater. Our Ceramics intern, Breana Hendricks, was in production mode throwing and decorating bowls for Chili Bowl and preparing to be a guest teacher for the ceramics class Surface Exploration that concluded her internship in March.

Marisa Malone, our Nonprofit Management intern, dove into writing for the WSW blog, interviewing artists and writing features on their work. She spent many hours in the silkscreen, papermaking, and letterpress studios, absorbing as much studio access as she could.

In June, we welcomed our summer intern Emma Difani and a third studio intern Ashleigh Pillay. During SAI, the five of them spent hot summer days in an even hotter kitchen helping Difani put together her thoughtful, delicious meals. The food was so good that the interns took on the ambitious project of making a limited edition, screenprinted cookbook of Difani’s recipes titled Assembled on Plates. This collaboration called upon each of their various skill sets, backgrounds, and aesthetics, which were harmonized through their shared love of food, art, and time on the Binne.

For their exhibition Assembled in Place (which included the work of Difani and Hendricks), each utilized familiar mediums with ones learned at the Workshop. Gordon combined dry-point with handmade paper and her affection for textiles to create life size paper figures, Salgarolo translated her interest in fairytales and narrative into a multi panel screenprint on handmade paper, accompanied by found and handmade objects. Malone took her love of drawing into the paper studio and created drawings with string on handmade paper, as well as cast paper objects. Difani composed place-inspired prints using elements of the surrounding nature, and Hendricks showcased her vessel work, incorporating screenprint decals and gestural glaze marks.

The show reflects their collective experience of living, making, and working at WSW, each bringing their own aesthetic and interests to their work which became unified in the gallery space.

With as much work came play. There were a number of trips to New York City, visiting museums; many afternoon swims; and exploring the Hudson Valley, visiting orchards and eating pizza.

Through their time here, they got to know each other and the staff well. Gordon and Salgarolo agree that working closely with Studio Manager Chris Petrone has been an invaluable experience. Malone, working alongside Managing Director Rachel Myers and Artistic Director Erin Zona on a myriad of projects, felt supported in pursuing her interests and has found working among an all-women staff to be refreshing and encouraging.

What are they onto next? Gordon is returning to Indianapolis and will prepare for applying to graduate programs in Engineering, Salgarolo is staying in the area, continuing to pursue illustration. Malone is taking advantage of being untethered and will travel around the west coast visiting friends and family while continuing to focus on her drawing and writing. Difani is back in Oklahoma City teaching Printmaking at Oklahoma City University, and Hendricks has traveled to Jamaica to explore ceramics in that region. Pillay will continue her stay with WSW for another six months.

We’ve immensely enjoyed working with and getting to know these women. We send them off with our best wishes and are confident that they will continue to create and achieve amazing things.