The Clemson University Department of Art continued its long-standing relationship with ArtFields in 2026 as students and alumni from the College of Architecture, Art and Construction (CAAC) exhibited work during the annual juried competition and festival in Lake City.
Founded in 2013, ArtFields has grown into a year-round festival that supports exhibitions, public art and programming throughout South Carolina. Clemson University students, faculty and alumni have participated in the festival since its inception.
“ArtFields has been an important partner for Clemson University Department of Art since the beginning,” said Valerie Zimany, chair of the Department of Art. “The festival provides opportunities for students and alumni to exhibit work in a juried setting and engage with curators, collectors and public audiences. Participation in festivals like ArtFields contributes to artists’ professional development and visibility.”
Among the Clemson artists selected for the 2026 festival were MFA students Rachel Lane Updegraft and Tyson Gentry. Updegraft exhibited Conversation Piece, an oil on canvas work examining replication, mimicry and authenticity through expressionist influences and craft-based imagery. Gentry presented Everything and Nothing Has Changed, a work using hand-drawn pixelation and rural imagery to explore memory, decay and ambiguity.
Several Clemson alumni also exhibited work during the 2026 festival. MFA graduate Ethan McKellar ’25 presented Folding, a wood-fired ceramic vessel addressing grief and physical strain through visible cracks and distortions within the form. During the festival, ArtFields founder Darla Moore purchased McKellar’s large work, which was produced in fall for his thesis research at Clemson University.
As a Clemson MFA student, McKellar participated in a graduate excursion to Lake City led by Lee Gallery Director Denise Woodward-Detrich and previous South Carolina Arts Commission visual arts director Harriett Green. During the visit, students met with curators and learned more about the ArtFields program and application process.
MFA alumnus Deighton Abrams ‘16 returned to ArtFields in 2026 with Blu Time, a sculptural work examining environmental conditions and political contexts through symbolic imagery. Abrams was previously recognized as a 2017 ArtFields Merit Winner for Winter Kept Us Warm / Shanty Shanty Shanty. He currently serves as a lecturer at Auburn University.
Additional Clemson alumni recognized over the years by ArtFields competitions include MFA alumna Kymberly Day ‘17, who won the 2017 ArtFields Portrait Contest and participated in the festival multiple times, and MFA alumnus Brent Pafford ‘14, recipient of the largest 2016 Juried Prize for Remember This as a Time of Day. Pafford’s work became part of the ArtFields collection and has been exhibited in subsequent years.
BFA alumna Felicia Greenlee ‘93 also exhibited work during the 2026 festival with Over the Land and Home of the Free and Brave, a mixed-media piece created in recognition of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026.
Participation in ArtFields continues to be part of Clemson University Department of Art’s ongoing engagement with regional and national arts programming through exhibitions, professional practice and public outreach.
