Skip to main content

Appalachian Today

News and events at Appalachian State University
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Accolades
  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Athletics
  • Awards and Honors
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity
  • Events
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Global
  • Health and Wellness
  • Publications
  • Research and Creative Works
  • Safety
  • Scholarships
  • Students
  • Sustainability
☰ Menu
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact
View larger image

Appalachian alumna and Windgate Fellow Dani Iris and her daughter Penelope pose with “Make Do and Mend,” one of the quilts Iris shared as part of her Windgate application. Photo submitted

“Dani is exactly the kind of emerging artist who deserves this award. She is incredibly hard working and makes thoughtful, thought-provoking work that is both technically proficient and conceptually mature.”

Jeana Eve Klein, associate professor of fibers

Dani Iris ’18

Studio art major, Department of Art
Swansboro, North Carolina

Windgate Fellowship
The Center for Craft

By Mary Anne Savage
Posted May 25, 2018 at 10:59 a.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University alumna Dani Iris, a Swansboro native who majored in studio art, was recently awarded a $15,000 Windgate Fellowship — one of the most prestigious national honors for graduating art students. The fellowship is awarded annually to 10 students nationwide by the Center for Craft in Asheville.

Iris, who graduated May 12, is the first student from Appalachian to receive this award. She said she learned about the opportunity through Jeana Eve Klein, associate professor of fibers in the university’s Department of Art, who encouraged her entire class to apply.

“Dani is exactly the kind of emerging artist who deserves this award. She is incredibly hard working and makes thoughtful, thought-provoking work that is both technically proficient and conceptually mature.”

Jeana Eve Klein, associate professor of fibers

Klein said she was thrilled, but not surprised, that Iris was awarded the fellowship.

“Dani is exactly the kind of emerging artist who deserves this award,” Klein said. “She is incredibly hardworking and makes thoughtful, thought-provoking work that is both technically proficient and conceptually mature. I can’t wait to see how her career takes off with this kind of incredible start straight out of school.”

Iris said she wouldn’t have applied without Klein’s constant encouragement.

“It sounded cool, but didn’t seem like anything in my realm of possibility,” Iris stated. “Jeana has been an amazing teacher and really pushed us (Jeana’s class) to apply. She has just been a great resource and so willing to share her knowledge.”

According to the Center for Craft’s executive director, Stephanie Moore, the fellowship has been a launching pad for emerging artists over the past 13 years.

“The Windgate Fellowship provides critical financial support as a bridge between college and graduate school or life as a working artist,” she said. “It instills confidence and fosters bravery to take risks and the chance to seek and engage in career-enhancing opportunities.”

During the first round of the application process, the Appalachian scholarship committee chose two students to move on to the fellowship application. The Windgate committee then narrowed its search to 120 student artists before selecting the 10 winners.

Iris initially attended Appalachian from 2005-10 with a concentration in painting, but withdrew her senior year. She had planned to return the following year, she said, but postponed again due to personal reasons. While away from school, Iris said she took a break from painting and focused on sewing.

“I’ve always loved embroidering and sewing from when I was kid,” she recalled. “After I had my daughter, it was much easier for me to embroider and sew with her on my lap.”

When Iris re-enrolled in 2016, she realized that she could combine both of her passions and changed her concentration from painting to fibers. She also began exploring the combination of quilting and painting influenced by her personal experiences.

For the Windgate application, Iris submitted six pieces. One piece, “Make Do and Mend,” was a quilt painted with a portrait of Iris and her daughter.

In March, Iris said she was shocked to receive a call from the panel of judges letting her know she had been awarded the fellowship. According to Iris, the judges shared that they were inspired by her work and they had fallen in love with her daughter.

Iris plans to use her award to purchase a Juki Long Arm Quilting Machine and a 10-foot GQ Quilting Frame to help her create and experiment on her own. She has also signed up for the Textile Society of America and Surface Design Association conferences, along with a two-week course at the Penland School of Crafts.

Windgate Fellowship
Windgate Fellowship

Each year, the Windgate Fellowship identifies ten graduating college seniors with exemplary skill in craft. “The Windgate Fellowship provides critical financial support as a bridge between college and graduate school or life as a working artist,” says Stephanie Moore, Executive Director. “The Fellowship instills confidence and fosters bravery to take risks and the chance to seek and engage in career-enhancing opportunities.“

The results of such early support are already beginning to emerge. Today, Windgate Fellows hold full-time faculty positions, are accepted into nationally renowned residence programs, mount solo shows and establish successful studios. Over half have gone on to earn a Masters of Fine Arts degree. Their work can been seen in nationally traveling exhibitions, represented in galleries and published in periodicals such as American Craft. Supporting the next generation is one of the Center for Craft’s main focus areas identified to build a thriving national craft field.

Learn more
First Destination Success
First Destination Success

Appalachian tracks where its graduates go, notes high success rate

Whether graduates seek immediate employment or an advanced degree, their experience at Appalachian State University gets them where they want to go at a high rate of success.

Learn more

About the Department of Art

One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department of Art at Appalachian State University prepares students to explore art, identity, expression and creative problem-solving while challenging them to go beyond their previous limits by discovering new connections to culture. The department offers degrees in art and visual culture, art education, graphic design, studio art, photography and graphic communications management, with minors in art history, studio art, photography and graphic communications management. Learn more at https://art.appstate.edu.

About the College of Fine and Applied Arts

Appalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. Learn more at https://cfaa.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Awards and Honors
  • Gifts and Grants

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Awards and Honors
  • Gifts and Grants

Other Recent Posts

  • Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
    Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
  • Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
    Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
  • N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
    N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
  • App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
    App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
  • App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    WFDD
  • Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
    Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
  • App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
    App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
  • Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
    Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
  • $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
    $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
  • App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26
    App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26
  • Explore the future of business with new AI master’s degree tracks at App State
    Explore the future of business with new AI master’s degree tracks at App State
  • 12th annual iBackAPP Day of Giving draws over 3,100 App State supporters worldwide
    12th annual iBackAPP Day of Giving draws over 3,100 App State supporters worldwide

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact

App State

Copyright 2025 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
[email protected]

Abouts

Disclaimer | EO Policy | Accessibility | Website manager: montaldipa (beltmr) .. | Website Feedback

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Snapchat