Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Fiber student Rebecca Porche is the recipient of the Handweavers Guild of America’s Dendel Scholarship for 2012.
While Porche already had a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design and has studied at the Penland School of Crafts and Arrowmont School of Art and Craft, she came to HCC to continue studying fiber arts.
“I chose to come to HCC because the program is very focused in the craft as well as being business oriented,” Porche said. “It is important for me to be able to make a living doing this. I heard great things about the program at HCC and about people succeeding in their fields after graduation.”
After graduation in May, she plans to establish a business selling scarves, naturally dyed handbags and showpieces in Western North Carolina. While at HCC, she furthered her craft, as well as honing a business plan for becoming a professional artist.
“This program is versatile. You can make utilitarian pieces such as scarves or show pieces. There are lots of possibilities,” Porche added. “As a student having full access to looms and the dye room opens up new opportunities.”
Porche says her connection to fiber is nostalgic. “There is life where the fiber came from whether it is plant or animal. Weaving allows you to be a part of an old process. And it is magical to see a piece come together before your eyes,” she said.
The folks in the mountains of Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee share more than a common boundary, they share a deep appreciation for the wild, sometimes rugged, but always beautiful landscape they call home. 
