Penland School of Craft

Penland School of Craft is a renowned craft school and artist residency located in Bakersville, North Carolina, established in the 1960s. It offers one of the longest-running artist residency programs in the United States, providing professional craft artists with private studio space, housing, and community support to make formative leaps in their work and careers. The school supports a wide range of craft disciplines including ceramics, glass, metals, textiles, woodworking, photography, printmaking, and more. Penland fosters a vibrant creative community, hosting approximately 1,400 students annually in immersive workshops and welcoming 14,000 visitors to its 400-acre campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its mission centers on advancing craft as a contemporary art form through education, residency, and community building.