Artist Talks
with Bambi Hernandez & Lydia Thompson
Thursday, October 16 at 5:30pm
Artist Talks at Starworks are free and open to the public. Guests are invited to meet featured visiting artists, watch and learn as they present slides and discuss their process and influence, and ask questions about their works.
Treat Yourself - Starworks Cafe & Taproom is open during this event and proudly serves a variety of craft NC beer, delicious wine, coffee & lattes, smoothies, and much more.
Stay Late - Artist Talks are followed by Open Mic Night at Starworks Cafe & Taproom
Bambi Hernandez
Starworks Ceramics Resident Artist
The diverse creative practice of Elisa Hernandez draws from her queer and Latina experiences. Her work is inspired by graffiti's ability to occupy unexpected spaces, embodying a feeling of being present everywhere yet belonging nowhere. Her ceramic sculptures are complex yet fluid, combining a vibrant array of mixed media elements that challenge the notion of a singular identity. By layering images of her interpersonal relationships onto her sculptures, she expresses a profound desire to connect with her community and to seek permanence in her art. Born in Texas and now residing in Colorado, Hernandez's journey in art began during her teenage years in Fort Worth, where the influence of graffiti sparked an interest in design. She honed her digital lettering and typography skills while earning an Associate of Arts degree from Tarrant County College and a BFA in Art at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her thesis exhibit combines her expertise in graphic design with clay, layering text and images to tell stories that reflect her identity and connection to the world around her.
Lydia Thompson
Starworks Ceramics Resident Artist
Lydia C. Thompson is a mixed media artist and professor in the Department of Art & Art History at UNC Charlotte. She earned her BFA from The Ohio State University and MFA from the New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her work spans ceramics and mixed media, and she has received numerous accolades, including a Fulbright Hays grant to study traditional architecture in Nigeria, a Windgate Distinguished Fellow for Innovation in Craft, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and South Arts.
Thompson’s artwork has been exhibited in prominent galleries and museums, including the Mindy Solomon Gallery, the Society for Contemporary Crafts, Baltimore Clayworks, and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Her work is in collections across the U.S., New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. She has completed public commissions and has been an artist-in-residence at Medalta Ceramic Center (Canada), Guldagergaard (Denmark), and the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences.
In addition to her artistic practice, Thompson has held leadership roles at Texas Tech University, Mississippi State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She continues to shape the next generation of artists while maintaining her studio practice in Charlotte, NC.