Art lovers in the Edenton area will soon be treated to the combined crafts and skills of two fine
art photographers and a ceramist/tattoo artist during a two-week residency.
Ashley Beatty, Sarah Thomas, and Amber Cox will be in residence at The Peanut Factory from June 21 through July 4, 2026. They will present an artists’ talk about their artwork at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, at the Peanut Factory, 916 Badham Road, Edenton. This event will be followed by a Meet and Greet session with refreshments, lasting until 7 p.m. A $15 donation is requested to attend the July 1 event.
Information can be found online at https://thepeanutfactory.org/159-2/
The three artists live and work in the Midwest and have shared their professional networks for
many years in Ohio, Indiana and beyond. The two photographers, Ashley Beatty and Sarah
Thomas, will collaborate at The Peanut Factory to create artwork for their upcoming duo
exhibition in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They will make a piece that highlights their melded
environmental concepts, focusing on topics ranging from forest conservation to plastics
management, to comment on humanity’s impact on planet Earth.
Ashley Beatty is an environmental photographer and educator whose transdisciplinary practice
explores the intersection of ecological consciousness and artistic expression. In the past, she
attended The Peanut Factory as an artist in residence during the summer of 2019. Returning
seven years later, she hopes to accomplish collaborative and communal goals in her art practice.
Beatty says: “Community engagement is at the core of my character, so community-centered
residencies allow me to educate no matter where I am. The Peanut Factory specifically combines
my community interests with the space and time to work on current projects, collaborations,
replenishing my social battery alongside other artists.”
Sarah Thomas is an interdisciplinary artist and photographer based in Toledo, Ohio. An
environmentally engaged artist, her residency goals focus on exploring The Peanut Factory’s
extension at the Spruill Conservation Farm, located across the Albemarle Sound in Roper.
Thomas says: “As a photographer working with the environment, the Peanut Factory seemed like the perfect fit as soon as I heard Spruill Farm was an alternative space to work on. Knowing
there are trails, woodlands, and shorelines to explore and work with, I knew I could elevate my
work with natural elements in a collaborative way, conceptually and technically. The farm
environment offers an opportunity to expand my lens-based practice through direct engagement with natural materials and ecological cycles. “
She adds: “By incorporating found matter, natural elements, analog and digital photography, and sunlight-driven photographic processes, I aim to create work that reflects the reciprocal
relationship between land, image-making, and time. This work will inform my concepts
surrounding how natural is nature in a world of plastics.”
Amber Cox comes from an academic background, studying fine art at the University of Saint
Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has spent the past twenty-one years cultivating a studio
practice grounded in painting, ceramics, and sculpture. While she earns her living as a tattoo
artist, this practice reflects her studio work through overlapping interests in the natural world, the human body, pop culture, tattoo history, organic forms, landscape, and memory. Cox’ current focus is on a new body of artwork that she intends to showcase in a new venue in the spring of 2027.
Regarding her residency, Cox says: “Edenton is highly appealing to me due to the
environment it is set in. I am very excited to explore the natural setting it’s located in and
compare that with where I currently reside. I hope this will inspire my work and broaden my
knowledge of the local flora and fauna.”
She adds: “I am hopeful that this time will allow me to be quiet in my work and meditate in
nature. I hope to accomplish a specific thesis for my next project and have it be stimulated by the environment at The Peanut Factory.”
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment. Comments are subject to approval.