Adri Pritchard
Adri Pritchard is a sculptor and metalsmith from Irmo, South Carolina, who achieved a Bachelor's in Fine Arts with a concentration in Metalsmithing at Appalachian State University. Their work often incorporates found objects into reliquaries, exploring themes of memento mori, the quiet morbidity embedded in everyday life, and the beauty found in life after death. Pritchard’s work has been exhibited in galleries in throughout North Carolina, as well as being featured in SNAG’s Online 2025 Juried Student Exhibition. They are currently based in Boone, North Carolina.
Artist Statement
I have always been a collector at heart. As a child, I gathered rocks, leaves, and snail shells—small things others might have stepped over without notice. Over time, my fascination shifted toward objects that carried traces of life and loss: feathers, insects, bones. I began to understand that what many dismiss as decay is, in fact, a record of existence.
Where some see roadkill, I see memory. A deer by the roadside isn’t only a body—it’s a creature that once moved through the world, just as we do. By gathering and preserving what remains, I work to give these lives—however small or forgotten—a second presence. By using the animal remains alongside imagery of the environment they were found in within my metal reliquaries, I am telling their story and giving a chance for their memories to be shared. My practice is an act of quiet resistance against erasure, against the ease with which we discard what no longer serves us.
If you passed away alone, would you want your body ignored, or would you want someone to recognize that you once lived? That compassion should not be reserved for humans alone. A possum, a raccoon, a deer—every life holds value. Through my work, I strive to honor that shared beginning and ending, reminding us that no creature is too small to be remembered.
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EDUCATION
Fall 2025 – Bachelor's in Fine Arts, Studio Arts, Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
EXHIBITIONS
2026 – New Kids on the Block, Group Exhibition at 2026 Interwoven Material Topics Symposium Wellington B. Gray Gallery, Greenville, NC
2025 – The Tiny Show, Juried Exhibition at the Tiny Space, Boone, NC
2025 – Mend the Gap, Senior Group Exhibition, Walling's Gallery, Boone, NC
2025 – SNAG’s Student Exhibition, Juried Exhibition, Online
2025 – Embers, Group Exhibition, Treats Studio, Spruce Pine, NC
2025 – Art and Design Expo, Juried Exhibition, Smith Gallery, Boone, NC
2024 – The Cabinet of Curiosities Exhibition, Group exhibition, 3rd Place Gallery, Boone, NC
ARTIST TALKS
2025 – Emerging Artist Craft Conference, Southern Highland Craft Guild, Asheville, NC
AWARDS
2025 – Room & Board + $1,500 Tuition Scholarship, Penland School of Craft
2024 – Dean’s List, Appalachian State University
2017 – Finalist in Promotional Design Competition, Technology Student Association
EXPERIENCE
Summer 2025 – Internship with Metalsmith Anna Johnson at Penland School of Craft
Fall 2025 - Spring 2024 – Part-Time Studio Monitor for Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design Studio at Appalachian State University:
CERTIFICATIONS
2019 – OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Training Course
2018 – Adobe Certified Associate Certification – Center for Advanced Technical Studies, Chapin, SC
SKILLS
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CAD Modeling (Rhino), Repousse and Chasing, Metal Fabrication Clay Slip Casting, Mold-Making, Enameling, Centrifugal Casting, Sand Casting, Die Forming, Anodizing, Chemical Etching, Oxy-Acetylene Welding, Brazing, Silver Soldering, TIG Welding, MIG Welding