Three artists consider what it means to rise at Tryon Arts & Crafts School
This winter, Tryon Arts & Crafts School (TACS) presents Ascension, a glass-focused exhibition featuring Jennifer Bueno, Kimberly Thomas, and Kit Paulson, three artists who approach the material as a vehicle for transformation. On view January 13 through February 15, the exhibition coincides with TACS’s annual fused glass symposium, FuseFest, and invites viewers to consider ascension not as escape, but as a shift in perception. According to the school, the exhibition explores “the essential thresholds between the seen and the unseen,” with each artist using glass to articulate a distinct path upward. Bueno’s luminous works translate the intimate relationship between body, environment, and atmosphere into suspended, otherworldly forms. Meanwhile, Thomas turns inward, using kinetic flameworked and mixed-media sculptures to confront the psychological struggle required for personal evolution. Lastly, Paulson’s meticulously constructed pieces recall instruments of study and ritual, balancing scientific inquiry with spiritual longing. Together, the artists propose that ascension is less about leaving the world behind than about learning to see it — and ourselves — more clearly. The exhibition concludes with a closing reception and artist panel on February 13.
Ascension: January 13-February 15, 2026; Closing Reception & Artist Panel: Friday, February 13, 5:30-7pm
Tryon Arts & Crafts School / 373 Harmon Field Road, Tryon / tryonartsandcrafts.org