Virginia Eckinger views the Artist-in-Residence program at Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design (an A&E Sustaining Grant recipient) as a gift – one that she is most grateful to have received.

“It has given me a lot of time in studio, which I didn’t have before, and has been really helpful,” she says. “It’s really allowed me to focus on my work.”

Eckinger is a ceramist and one of three artists selected by Craft Alliance to participate in its yearlong residency program, which began in September and runs through August. The 26-year old native of Birmingham, Alabama attended Washington University as an undergraduate, where she majored in sculpture, and received a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Alabama. As a ceramist, she said her primary medium is clay, but she sometimes incorporates wood, metal, plastic, paint and resin into her work.

She said not long after finishing graduate school, she began looking at residencies around the country. “This one was my best option,” she said. “I was really interested in coming back to St. Louis, and Craft Alliance has a really rich history in ceramics. I am excited to be working with them.”

Established in 2008, the Artist-in- Residence program supports emerging and mid-career artists who want to develop their art in a collaborative, community-based arts center. Craft Alliance pays each artist a stipend and provides them with a workspace free of charge, access to fully  equipped studios and an opportunity to exhibit and sell their work. The residency also encourages artists to explore new ideas and further develop their studio practice.

Eckinger says she and the other residents typically spend about 20 hours a week in the studio working on their art. She also teaches in Craft Alliance’s adult education programs, summer camps and community outreach programs with area schools. This May, she and three other artists, Megan Singleton (fiber arts), Jessica Anderson (metals) and Emilie Mulcahey (metals) will display and sell their art at the annual Artist-in- Residence Exhibition at Craft Alliance’s Delmar location.

After her time at Craft Alliance ends, Eckinger hopes to find another residency somewhere else in the country or take a university teaching position.

“It’s difficult to make it as an artist in any medium,” says Eckinger, “so a lot of us have to supplement our art with 9-to-5 jobs teaching. As I said, being able to spend at least half of my week in the studio, working on my art, is a gift.”

Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design is an Arts and Education Council Sustaining Grant recipient. To learn more visit craftalliance.org.