August 19, 2025
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Department of Fine and Graphic Arts is hosting a show featuring the work of ceramic artist Gretchen Murchison to honor her induction into NSU’s School of Creative and Performing Arts Hall of Fame.
The show will run through Sept. 11 in NSU’s Orville Hanchey Gallery. A reception to meet the artist will be from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28. The public is invited to attend.
Gretchen Murchison
A ceramicist, tableware designer and life-long Natchitoches resident, Murchison has emerged as one of the community’s most sought-after creatives. Since launching her career with the signature “Bloom” bowls in 2017, she has forged collaborations with retailers, designers and fellow artists throughout the south and continues to experiment with forms inspired by florals, water and natural elements. Her pieces are designed to be both beautiful and functional as vessels, serving ware and home accents that draw friends and family around tablescapes and appointed spaces in the home.
Murchison completed a degree in Fine and Graphic Art in 2017, debuting the “Bloom” collection at her senior show. She collaborated with New Orleans tableware designer Beatriz Ball on several pieces, as well producing her own original collections. Among those are custom pieces commissioned by interior designers and private collectors and a commemorative vase for the Natchitoches Spring Arts Festival Queen. Her home studio and gallery opened last year.
Earlier this year, Murchison collaborated with Brett Alan Garfinkel, chair of NSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance, to present an inventive modern dance concert, Modern in Motion XII, at Riverside Reserve, the renovated Cane River warehouse that has become a popular event space. With Murchison’s pieces thoughtfully staged throughout the venue, the choreography intentionally reflected the ripples and fluidity of the sculptural forms as dancers moved throughout the space — the Blooms brought to life. At the conclusion of the opening night performance, Murchison was surprised by the announcement that she was a 2025 inductee into the CAPA Hall of Fame.
Hanchey Gallery is located at 140 Central Ave., in the Creative and Performing Arts complex. Hours at 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-noon on Fridays. For information on NSU’s Department of Fine and Graphic Arts, visit https://www.nsula.edu/art/.
