My Mission
The mission is to revive vintage and rare materials into new art, giving each piece a unique narrative.
Wendy Gilhula’s work bridges textiles and ceramics through reclaimed materials, intuitive process, and Appalachian storytelling. Whether stitched or thrown, each piece preserves memory and myth by honoring what survives, what strains, an
The mission is to revive vintage and rare materials into new art, giving each piece a unique narrative.
Wendy Gilhula’s work bridges textiles and ceramics through reclaimed materials, intuitive process, and Appalachian storytelling. Whether stitched or thrown, each piece preserves memory and myth by honoring what survives, what strains, and what endures.
In her Appalachian Storm series, each ceramic piece is handcrafted whole or in part with irreplaceable Appalachian clay, telling stories of survival and renewal inspired by the 2024 Appalachian floods.
The series is about recognizing nature's raw power and the resilience of the communities rebuilding around it.
These pieces have natural blemishes and cracks,
intentionally embraced as part of their story, with each one surviving the fires of the kiln twice.
Carry a Legend is a series of garments such as jackets, vests, purses, and skirts, all stitched from reclaimed needlepoint and secondhand materials.
Each piece is made with approximately 95% reclaimed textiles, honoring Appalachian memory, myth, and women’s labor.
These garments are not meant to be worn but to be witnessed. They feature imagery like unicorns, Bigfoot, and bridal motifs or symbols of inherited stories and expectations.
There is intentional visible tension in the stitches, allowing the strain and survival embedded in domestic craft to remain part of the narrative.
This series invites viewers to reflect on what we carry forward
through generations, through garments, through legend, and what we choose to carry.
WENDY GILHULA
Artist Bio
Wendy Gilhula is a multidisciplinary artist based in
Knoxville, TN, whose work explores resilience, transformation, and memory through reclaimed materials. Her ceramic series Appalachian Storm: Survivor Series and textile-based Carry a Legend garments center on the physical and emotional landscapes of endurance from natural disaster to personal myth.
With a degree in Modern Dance from the University of Tennessee, professional choreography experience, and a background in both pottery and textiles, Gilhula has created her own method for creating that embraces imperfection as evidence of life and narrative.
Her work is represented by The District Gallery in Knoxville, TN, and River Gallery in Chattanooga, TN, and exhibited in juried shows and museum-aligned venues across the southeastern United States.
Photo: Drew Bridges