Glenda's first career began in a bank in Nashville, her hometown. Starting as a teller, she quickly moved to head teller and then branch manager. Obviously, she was good at it, but she found it unfulfilling and went back to school, receiving her BFA from Middle Tennessee State University in 1985. She continued her studies at Clemson, getting her MFA in 1987. In 1988 she replaced long-time Fine Arts Center Ceramics Teacher Bob Chance, who accepted a similar position in the art department at Furman.
Once at The Fine Arts Center, her commitment to her art, her students and the school launched a career that saw her artwork featured in "Handbuilt Ceramics" by Kathy Tripplett (1997) and "500 Teapots" by Lark Books (2002). Her work with Fine Arts Center students for the Children's Wing of Greenville Memorial Hospital was featured in "Pottery Making Illustrated Magazine" (2004), a publication of the American Ceramic Society. She served as instructor at the Greenville Museum of Art, Clemson University and USC Upstate. She worked as a studio assistant for Ellen Kochansky, lectured at Furman and Tri-County Technical College, and did ceramic workshops for 16 different Greenville County Schools. In 2002 Glenda was part of the original group of artists who began Greenville Open Studios, one of the most successful programs of its kind in the country, and served as its chairperson for five years.
Ms. Guion's work is included in numerous public collections, such as the South Carolina State Art Collection, the Pickens County Museum, Columbia College, Clemson University, Sumter County Museum of Art, Elliott Davis, LLC and Middle Tennessee State University. She has received 13 first place awards and has been exhibited in more than 120 regional shows, 19 national juried exhibitions and 12 solo exhibitions. Her clay work has been exhibited in venues such as Hickory Museum of Art in Hickory, N.C.; Galleria Mesa in Mesa, Ariz.; Danforth Gallery in Portland, Maine; The Holter Museum of Art in Helena, Mont.; Eastern Washington University in Spokane, Wash.; The University of Memphis in Memphis, Tenn.; Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah; Gallery of Artifacts and Treasures in Daytona Beach, Fla.; Capital University in Columbus, Ohio; and The Museum of Modern Art in Miami, Fla.
The beautiful stainless steel John Acorn sculpture on the west side of our new building was obtained due to Glenda's efforts. Roper Mountain Science Center, where Acorn's sculpture could be seen as part of the Holiday Lights exhibit each December, wanted ceramic sculptures for its Japanese Butterfly Garden and traded the sculpture for the three beautiful pieces she and her students designed and executed.
One of the highlights of her time at FAC was when she received a Surdna Foundation Grant (now the National Arts Teacher Foundation) to study Native American clay techniques in New Mexico with the Acoma Indians. That led to a curriculum unit that became a regular feature of her work and that of her students. It also led to a collection of 24 Native American pottery pieces that now forms one of the finest collections of its kind of any high school in the country. The collection, a gift of Joe Comin obtained with the help of Sharon Campbell and now on view at FAC, stands as a testament to Glenda's career as an artist, teacher and colleague. Scores of students will attest to what she meant to them and how her unwavering belief in their talents led them to discover in themselves the excellence she knew was there. Her example and her love of the school and everything it stands for will impact what we do long into the future. Enjoy your time, your new home and your new studio, Glenda. You have more than earned it!
