The week of Thanksgiving began with a feast of art.
Lander University's annual Ceramics Sale ushered in the holiday season with about 1,000 art pieces available for sale, kicking off the shopping season with a blast of color and design at the Josephine B. Abney Cultural Center.
The much-anticipated event featured designs by 15 Lander students and guest alumni Ashley Dever of Lexington and Grace Seufer of Elgin.
Lander students Hallie Smith of Greenville and Brianna Clayton of Greenwood worked double duty as creators of ceramics pieces and sales staff patiently tallying the sales of customers who picked up platters, pitchers, mugs, Christmas ornaments and other functional and decorative items.
For Smith, 20, a junior arts major, the ceramics sale is the culmination of a passion for art that began in the second grade. "As I got older, I became more interested," she said, noting that she hopes to pursue a profession in the arts as a ceramics artist and photographer. "It's worthwhile to see that someone likes something I created that I didn't like as much."
Clayton, 22, a Lander senior, said the event was a big success. "It's been a great morning," she said of shoppers who assembled for the sale.
Clayton's desire to create ceramics was sparked in the seventh grade and continued at Lander. "I would like to pursue my art interests in the future and have an arts-related business."
Watching shoppers peruse the ceramics pieces of her students, Sandy Singletary was visibly proud. "We have more pots, bigger pots and the most pots that we've ever had," said Singletary, a ceramics artist and chair of Lander's Department of Art. "It's very rewarding. Students are able to see the body of work that has been done."
Singletary praised her students' ability to create during a time of extraordinary restrictions. "Our studio is up and running and has been since we returned in August. We've practiced distancing, we've worn masks, and we've kept right on going. Today is proof of the hard work and talent of our students and alumni."