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In early December, I had the pleasure of sitting down remotely with Eliana Rodriguez for a thoughtful and timely conversation about the preciousness of material in our craft. We reflected on how the recent devastation caused by the flood in Ashville, North Carolina, has profoundly impacted access to resources, reshaping our relationship with the materials we rely on. Eliana’s insights shed light on the resilience of artists in the face of scarcity and the creative ways communities are adapting to these challenges. Our discussion explored not only the tangible effects of the flood but also the deeper significance of material stewardship in times of recovery and renewal.
Eliana Rodriguez (ER): I’ve basically lived here my whole life. My family is from New York, which is where I was born, but we came to the Piedmont area – Winston-Salem, North Carolina – pretty soon after I was born. I grew up there; then, I went to school at Appalachian State University in Western North Carolina. From there, I immediately came over to Asheville and have been here since.
Randi O'Brien (ROB): When you went to school, did you get a degree in studio arts? Or do you have a degree in another field?
Eliana: I earned a BFA in studio art. My concentration, officially, is printmaking, but I want to include ceramics in there as well because I fell in love with it and completed so many courses in the area. I have a minor in dance, as well.
ROB: Your studio space in the Asheville area – is it your personal studio space or were you in a community/public studio space?
Eliana: I had a studio in the Riverview Station, which was one of the older buildings in the River Arts District. It used to be a train station. It's this huge, long brick building that was converted into a series of different artists' studios. I had a studio space in there, which was private, and there was also a studio space within my studio space. So I had a studio mate. I had been there for a little over four years.
ROB: After you secured your personal safety in the days leading up to the flood – from the lens of an artist – what challenges did you face in terms of preserving your work and materials during/after the disaster? Were there any pieces that you lost or were able to save?
Eliana: I was very lucky to have minimal physical loss other than the space. You can see the river from the window of my studio. I always knew that flooding was a possibility in that area. However, being on the second floor of one of the taller buildings in that area, I didn't think that I would actually be impacted.
Even with the elevation of being on the second floor, I still had about a foot and a half of flooding in my space. After the flood, it was a big rush to get in. We were told to hurry up, get in, and get everything out before mold set in and before they had to close the building down. So it was an intense rush to be able to get in and assess what the damage was, as well as get everything out.
When I got there, into the studio, it was amazing to see how quickly things were starting to disintegrate. It wasn't even four days after the flood, but my plaster molds were growing mold, and everything paper was pulverized. So there was just a lot of processing and figuring out what's trash and what is preservable – what can be cleaned.
The biggest loss was having access to a making space. I had been there for over four years, and with me being involved in ceramics – which I feel is very space and equipment-heavy, and then printmaking, which is also very space and equipment-heavy – I was always very grateful to have the space that I had. It was a wonderful size and a great location.
I think many of us are still processing the emotions tied to this experience.
ROB: After this experience, has it changed your perspective on the role of the artist or the role of arts in times of crisis, or do you see any unique responsibility of the artists in disaster-affected areas?
Eliana: I think, for me, it brought up some interesting conversations about the need for art. When people think of disasters or life-changing events – when you think of the necessities, things that people need: food, water, shelter – art gets tossed to the side. But living in that experience and seeing people respond, for example, through art by making posters, putting on events by means of art shows and live music for proceeds to support the arts. This all comes from a creative space, and it comes from an art space.
Artists were having a tough time obviously creating art because we were in the mix of things.
But the way other people in surrounding communities were responding to what was happening was through art to help artists. It was incredibly inspiring to see the moments where the artists, themselves who are impacted, couldn't be the ones making the raffles and making the big shows or the benefits, but the ways that community showed up and did that for us – with us – was moving.
One concern I have relates to the region pre-flood. Finding studio spaces was already an arduous task. After the flood, I worry there will be an even greater scarcity of community space.
The Village Potters Clay Center was one of the community studios that were hugely impacted, and to lose that large community studio is deeply concerning.
I've already treasured the way North Carolina has so many wonderful arts and communities. I feel incredibly grateful when I think about the list, even in just western North Carolina – Penland School of Craft, the River Arts District, Star Works, Mud Tools, and so many more – there's just so much here. To experience something, where so many of us were impacted, it honestly feels like there's another layer of connection, another bond that I'm seeing and feeling. I think this unity, this connection, will propel us moving forward and is what our focus is on right now.
ROB: Can you talk a little bit about your approach to experimentation or techniques in your studio? Are there any recent pieces or experiments that have been especially exciting for you in the studio recently?
Eliana: I definitely take more of a print-maker approach to ceramics. Having that print background, my approach is influenced and comes from a design sense. By that, I mean I use lots of colors and layers. By adding the ceramics element, it's now thinking about those elements in a three-dimensional sense. I'm very surface-heavy, and the ceramic form is an engaging, fun thing to figure out how to communicate the images in my head onto that surface.
I was very fortunate to take the Penland workshop with Jason Burnett, who taught screen printing and transfers onto ceramic work. This workshop influenced and changed my whole making process. Currently, I’ve fallen in love with experiments in layering underglazes, slips and glazes, and playing with the different resists to emphasize these layers.
ROB: The surfaces that you are layering, are any of them inspired by the Asheville region, or are they more from your own creative touch points and imagination?
Eliana: I think it's both. Living in this area, I realized that I'm exposed to a lot of greenery. My work references this greenery and blue skies, which have been motifs for my surfaces for a while. But, you know, living here, you don't necessarily realize those connections. It’s only been recently that I have made that connection mentally.
I truly love patterns as well. This region has a deeply rooted fiber tradition – the quilts and patterns I admire have naturally woven their way into my art as well.
ROB: Are there any particular pieces or series that hold any significant meaning for you?
Eliana: I've enjoyed this wide bottle vessel series that I've been creating. I hand-built them with local clay – Highwater Clays, Earthen Red. I enjoy playing with the balance of the raw clay along with glaze or surface decoration. A portion of the top part of the vessel is raw clay, and then there are portions that are slipped, glazed, and underglazed with a sky motif. I feel this series has united all the things that I've learned and appreciated from drawing, printmaking, and ceramics into one piece.
ROB: It's probably still way too early to fully know this or not, but post-hurricane, post-flood, are you seeing any of the impacts of that influencing your work? From your motif example, when we see lots of sky, we use and reference those colors and patterns. Do you think there'll be any kind of influence from the flood on your aesthetic as you begin to make work again?
Eliana: I'm not sure how my work will visually change, but in terms of the impact of my making – Highwater Clays, being one of the primary manufacturers of clay in the region and who have been greatly impacted by both hurricanes – will be a big thing to navigate in terms of how I'm trying to figure out how to move forward. They produce one of the primary clay bodies that I use. So, I'm just trying to figure out what my next steps will be.
With this in mind, it makes the Earthen Red that I do have right now very precious.
I'm trying to figure out how to honor what I have with this limited material. I don't know when they'll make more; if they'll ever reopen; when or if they will get a chance to make it again; if it will ever be the same. So, these are my concerns and path going forward. I have made works in the past that don't have surface decoration. The intention is to emphasize the clay body and the thumbprint texture. I feel that particular series and intention might make their way back into my work, because I feel very protective around this clay that I have right now. There is a sacredness to it.
You can explore more of Eliana’s work by visiting her Instagram page @eliana_erodriguez.
Artist Bio
Eliana E. Rodriguez is a Latina artist who creates pottery, prints, and illustrations. Rodriguez earned a BFA from Appalachian State University, where she discovered her passion for printmaking and ceramics. She has worked as a summer resident and studio assistant at Odyssey Clayworks and has served on the board of Southern Graphics Council International as the student representative. Rodriguez is currently a Speedball demo artist and has served as a studio assistant at the Penland School of Craft. She has an art practice in Asheville, North Carolina, where she continues to make work.
Website: elianaerodriguez.com