2024 Artist: Vera Eshelman
Vera Eshelman is an artist living and creating in North Carolina. She grew up partially overseas, living in Russia from the ages of 4 to 17. influenced the myriad of experiences she tries to embody in her paintings. Influence from Orthodox iconographic art she witnessed during her childhood gives her work a somewhat solemn and structured overtone juxtaposed with more whimsically idyllic elements inspired by a love for fantasy. Much of her art carries a pervading feminine and sapphic energy, as she is inspired by the gentle beauty of the female form. Along with her exploration of feminity, Vera's art examines an array of experiences from different backgrounds, reflections on sexuality, and the divine beauty of life.
Please check back in 2025 for applications to open once again. The details of our Artist in Residence program, as well as past participants, can be viewed below.
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The purpose of the Refuge’s artist in residency program is to promote and support visual artists in representing compassion toward farm animals. The program is also set up as a means to invite the public to consider the mission and vision of the Refuge, and to encourage ideas and conversations around veganism and animal rights.
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Applicants must be 18 years or older and support the work and mission of the Refuge. Artists whose work explores intersections of veganism with race, environment, class, gender and/or other identities or abilities are encouraged to apply.
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Payment of the $500 stipend will occur in two installments on the following schedule:
$250 – May 15 (or at the artist’s first visit to the Refuge at the start of the residency)
$250 – Oct 1 (or at delivery to the Refuge of the artwork intended for the annual fundraiser)
Should the artist be unable to complete the residency requirements, the Refuge reserves the right to withhold payment of any of the stipend.
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The residency program begins on May 15, 2023 and ends on July 15th, 2023. A final work of art must be completed in time for our fall fundraiser, currently scheduled for fall of 2023.
The artist will visit the Refuge on a weekly basis during the residency to sketch, photograph, or observe the animal residents as would be helpful for their artistic process.
The artist will follow all procedures for safety and ease of the residents (locking gates, using non-toxic art supplies, etc.) that will be explained at the beginning of the residency.
The Refuge retains the right to use (via website, promotional materials, press releases, social media, and other) the artist’s image, statements, video clips, and photos of them engaged in their residency, whether working at the Refuge or presenting their public educational event.
The artist will donate an original work to the Refuge’s fall Benefit for the Animals fundraiser. The work of art for the fundraiser must be framed or otherwise ready for hanging or display on delivery, and the artist should indicate its value. The artist must arrange for a time to drop off the artwork when there is someone to receive it.
The Refuge will provide an arrangement with a public venue (such as a gallery, business, or non-profit) for display of at least one work by the artist within approximately 6 months of the end of the residency. It may be possible to arrange a reception or artist’s talk should that interest the artist, and is totally dependent on the venue and what they could offer to host. The work presented shall be in keeping with the residency in inviting the public to consider the mission and vision of the Refuge. Artwork for public display at the end of the year must meet the requirements of the space TBD, including pick up and drop off dates, size, and, if applicable, agreements between the host space and the artist governing commission and payment.
During the residency, the artist is encouraged to share sketches or progress of work on social media or blog, ideally with some information on the animal’s story or the artist’s experience sketching/observing them (this is flexible and can be arranged on an individual basis). The Refuge will also share such updates via social media.
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As part of the Residency, the artist is asked to offer one public program (youth or adult) at the Refuge during the residency. The public program may cover whatever topic the artist chooses that relates to the residency and that the public would find educational or interesting. For example, it could be a talk about the artist’s process or materials, storytelling about the artist’s relationship with farm animals, hands-on art instruction, or a talk about why communicating through art is important. The artist may coordinate with the Refuge to host the presentation and to provide a tour at the end, or may arrange for an off-site event that the artist arranges. In either case, the artist shall provide 6 weeks notice on the event details (time, place, description, location) so that there is time for the Refuge to publicize the event, coordinate registration, and provide set-up and cleanup if it is held at the Refuge.
Applicants will be notified of their acceptance into the program by April 15th. Any questions regarding this residency should be directed to info@piedmontrefuge.org
2023
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Sarah truly was “in residence”, as she spend time during the program living in the sanctuary yurt! Sarah was extremely ambitious and productive during her residency, creating many works of art using various types of media. She took photographs, sketched, painted, collaged, and worked with clay. Her public program was a recycled plastics workshop which encouraged attendees to collage with single-use plastics with a unique ironing method. For her major project she created wearable paintings and a film which were showcased in an exhibition entitled Outside of Us. The film, a fusion of dance, music and painting, was inspired by the resilience and interpersonal relationships of the animal residents of the Refuge. Sarah transformed one of the wearables paintings onto a canvas which she contributed to the Benefit fundraiser, along with incredible ceramic mugs featuring the beloved Refuge residents.
2021
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Miles Freuler and Sarah Graham, both Chatham County residents, were our wonderful 2021 Artists in Residence! During their residency, Sarah connected with many local artists and brought them to the Refuge to meet our residents and engage in their art forms. This engagement resulted in many connections that we are so happy to now have with the local art community. It also provided an opportunity for Miles to talk and learn from artists of with wide variety of backgrounds. Both Sarah and Miles created large paintings that sold in our online auction in the fall. Sarah also conceived of a special Art Walk event, which showcased works from our pandemic-inspired “Fan Art Fridays”.
2022
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Yoshimi brought a diverse set of artist skills to the program, as well as a background in creating prints and merchandise graphics for other farmed animal sanctuaries. Throughout her residency she was particularly drawn to the Animal-Centered Design approach of the Refuge. Wanting to share that information with a larger audience, she created two prints highlighting some of these unique features, as well as one print focused on the individuality of sheep. Using these prints, she crafted custom jackets that were showcased at a special Vegan Fashion Pop-Up held at the Refuge pavilion, and were later auctioned at our yearly Benefit for the Animals. Additionally, Yoshimi created a variety of other merchandise featuring Refuge residents including hats, shirts, and more!
2020
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While 2020 was a strange year, Erika was able to visit the Refuge many times to hang out with our animal residents, photographing them and getting to know their individual personalities and quirks. She created an online interactive activity called the Doodle Boogie, so that from the safety of home viewers could both see our animals and engage in a fun and artistic process! Her residency resulted in 5 stunning pieces that were available for purchase in our online auction. These works included a piece featuring Molly and Oliver sheep, which was the first in a series that uses the visual vocabulary of gig posters to present the residents of the Refuge in their own contexts, leaving humans on the periphery. We can’t wait to see what Erika does next!
2019
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Julie Uhler, a local oil painter from the Fearrington Village Community, was our 2019 Artist in Residence. Julie spent time sketching and getting to know our animal residents, resulting in 5 beautiful paintings. Her final work was displayed at the Breakaway Cafe in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in an interactive exhibit. Julie shared her residency with Barbara Hengstenberg, who became our first Writer in Residence! Barbara created a blog series reflecting on her time spent at the Refuge, and later joined our Advisory Board where she continues to make valuable contributions to the organization.
2018
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Lizzy Trickey and Lindsay Mercer traveled to North Carolina from Portland Oregon for our 2018 Residency. While at the Refuge Lizzy and Lindsay sketched, painted, and made zines featuring our rescued animals. They both engaged in volunteering activities, outreach events, and social events held at the Refuge. They held two workshops open to the public, a zine-making workshop and a series of mural workshops resulting in a large colorful mural now on display on the Refuge office. Their finished works included educational zines about the animals and paintings on reclaimed wood and metal.
2017
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Painter Barbara Shumannfang was our inaugural Artist in Residence! She spent two months sketching our animal residents and spending quality time with them at our sanctuary. Her resulting painting was a beautiful depiction of one of our goats, Jasmine, which was on display at the Litmus Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina as part of their annual Petcasso exhibition, before it was auctioned off at our Annual Benefit for the Animals. During her residency she held a beginning sketching class open to the public in the Refuge sheep barn.
