PENLAND
LINE
The Penland Line
EDITOR:
DONNA JEAN DREYER
DESIGN + production:
ALICIA D. KESHISHIAN • r ,
photographs:
DAN ESSIG, ANN HAWTHORNE, MICHAEL JOSLIN,
WANDA LEVIN, KENT MCLAUGHLIN
contributors:
KEN BOTNICK, CAREN BROSI, REBECCA
CALDWELL, ROBIN DREYER, CONNIE SEDBERRY,
EVON STREETMAN
The penland line is published three times a
YEAR TO COMMUNICATE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PRO
GRAMS, PEOPLE AND PHILOSOPHY OF PENLAND AND TO
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH SEVERAL GROUPS OF PEOPLE AT
ONCE: CRAFTSPEOPLE AND FRIENDS LIVING NEARBY,
INSTRUCTORS, DONORS AND FRIENDS OF PENLAND. WE
INVITE YOU TO SHARE YOUR NEWS, OPINIONS AND/OR
PHOTOGRAPHS WITH US. WRITE: EDITOR, PENLAND
LINE, PENLAND, NC 28765.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A letter from new trustee Clarence Morgan offers
this correction, "The profile on 'New Trustees' in the last Penland Line
stated that I taught at East Carolina University for seven years when,
in fact, I served on the faculty from 1978-1992. " Our apologies.
UPDATE: We continue to hear from fiber artists in response to recent
Penland Line features The 1993 summer program reflects many of the
suggestions we received. There have been some improvements to the studios
over the winter, and we are moving full steam ahead. On May 1, about 60
fiber enthusiasts spent a day at Penland getting acquainted with the program
and listening to presentations by Rob Pulleyn of FiberArts magazine; Lyn
Perry, who talked about commissions; and Philis Alvic who presented a slide
show, "The History of Penland Weavers." - Donna Jean Dreyer
The setting has a familiar ring to Penland people. Conway
founder and director Walter Cudnohufsky began his new
school with 14 students, 3 teachers, a sugar house, a barn
above a river and a vision that expanded the narrow
definition of landscape architecture to include human
content and values. It was an experiential approach to
education, in which the students worked on landscape
design projects with clients, moving quickly from the
theoretical to the actual. Ken has remained close to the
Conway School, returning each year to teach a workshop
in design.
While he was at Conway, Ken stayed in close touch with
the book artist Steve Miller, as they made plans for a future
collaboration. After completing the landscape design
program, Ken moved to New-York to find a loft space, and
soon after Miller and the Red Ozier Press equipment
arrived from Madison. Although Ken drew great satisfac
tion from landscape design projects, he decided to focus
on "the landscape of the page" and the handmade book.
This decision coincided with the good news that he and
Miller had received an NEA grant and other funding.
His ten-year involvement with the Press had begun while
he was still at the University of Wisconsin and continued
on through the New York period until 1988 when both he
and Steve moved on to new opportunities. The archive of
the highly regarded Red Ozier Press, over 70 titles of fine,
letterpress printed and handbound limited editions of
poetry and short fiction, has been purchased for the
permanent collection of the New York Public Library.
During the Red Ozier years, Ken says he "became inti
mately involved- with the reality of operating a small,
crafts-oriented business: making the work, exploring av
enues for sales, shows, and publicity; working with public
and private organizations."
MARRIAGE
AND FAMILY
It was in New York that Ken
had perhaps the best surprise:
his romance with Karen Werner
began with lots of talk over
many cups of coffee and blos
somed into marriage.
Karen intended to make a ca
reer of theater and movies. Her
early preparation included stud
ies in the theater program of
SUNY/Purchase and with Uta
Hagen in New York. She spent
5 years in California where she
appeared in sit-coms, made-for-
TV movies and four feature
films. Returning to New York, she did the usual assort
ment of jobs that actors take when there's no work acting:
a limousine chauffeur, a waitress, a manager of a gourmet
food store, and in a flower shop where she met Ken.
They were married in 1985, and their family now includes
Claire, almost 7, and Molly, almost 3. They moved to
Woodbridge, Connecticut in 1987, when Ken joined the
staff of Yale University Press with responsibility for the
design and production of fine art monographs, cata
logues, and books on design. He continued to develop his
own business, begun in 1986, in design and production,
involving letterpress printing and computer design. In
addition he has taught classes and workshops in book arts
and design for Yale School of Design, the Paper and Book
Intensive, and currently at Wesleyan University. In his
spare time, he makes books!
In their life in Connecticut, Ken and Karen have evolved
a philosophy which does not make a division between
work and family. They have woven together Kens mul
tiple responsibilities, Karen's growing interest in educa
tion, and the joys and strains of parenting. "It is nice to
have children around," said Ken, "and not have your work
so separate from your life that it becomes a mystery to
your kids. I like having the children and their energy
infused into my work life; it's not a sterile environment."
Karen has been in a school volunteer program in which
she is mentor to an inner-city girl. In this role, she goes to
the girl's school once a week and often has her visit with
the family on the weekend. After Karen is settled at
Penland, she plans to finish her BFA degree, perhaps at the
Universiiy of North Carolina/Asheville and then con-
t
tinue graduate study in education or, counseling.
For Ken, the opportunity to live and work at Penland
School represents a logical
synthesis of his commitment
to design, crafts and alterna
tive education. He and Karen
are particularly exci ted by the
people they have met — the
Core Students, Residents,
staff, instructors and Penland
neighbors — and "look for
ward to joining the vibrant
and supportive Penlandcom-
munity."
The Botnicks will move to
Penland in June after Claire
finishes school and Ken com
pletes his work with Yale
University Press and
Wesleyan. S]
in