How this UNC Charlotte art professor found inspiration from NC to Ghana

Mixed media artist and UNC Charlotte ceramics professor Lydia Thompson likes to think of artwork as an ongoing conversation. It’s how she connects to the community, to students, to the past and even to a deeper understanding of herself. That conversation expanded to Ghana this summer, thanks to a $6,600 travel grant from The Lighton International Artists Exchange Program.

Thompson, who specializes in ceramics, spent three weeks in Ghana studying traditional adobe architecture and indigenous pottery methods, meeting local artists, lecturing to students, and visiting cultural and historical landmarks.

The trip was full of discovery and inspiration. And it’s only one part of a very rich year of opportunities for Thompson. This fall, she will be an artist-in-residence at Starworks, an arts and educational non-profit organization in Star, about a two-hour drive northeast from Charlotte. Thompson also was recently named the 2025 North Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts by South Arts, a prestigious and competitive award program which recognizes one visual artist per state across nine Southeastern states. Thompson spoke to the Charlotte Observer both before and after her trip to Ghana about what these opportunities and recognition mean to her.

Read the full story by Liz Rothaus Bertrand in the Charlotte Observer. Photo of Lydia Thompson in her studio by Khadejeh Nikouyeh for the Charlotte Observer.