Profile
Professor Holly Fischer is an alumna of Meredith College, graduating with a BA in Studio Art in 1999. She has been part of the Art Department faculty since 2008. Fischer is a passionate mentor and derives great joy from the opportunity to help emerging artists discover their own creative voice.
Professor Fischer is dedicated to creating a positive and welcoming environment in which she can share her excitement and love of art making with students. Her courses encourage students to be curious and open-minded in their exploration and quest for an expressive and individualized body of work. Art making involves taking risks and delving into the unknown; Fischer ask students to challenge their perceptions and preconceived limitations. Fischer’s teaching style balances individualized instruction and support with rigorous, objective-based projects that focus on conceptual development and building technical skills and refining craftsmanship.
Holly Fischer is also a practicing artist with a vigorous studio practice and full exhibition schedule. Fischer enjoys investigating a variety of processes and materials, though her primary love is for ceramics. She is known for her abstracted figurative sculptures in white clay that celebrate voluptuous flesh and female empowerment. These works explore dualities inherent in femininity, encouraging a social engagement with gender politics by questioning stereotypes and challenging the traditionally assumed structure of the gaze. You can learn more about Fischer’s artwork by visiting her website: www.hollyfischer.com
Courses Taught:
Ceramics I, Ceramics II, Sculpture, Figure Drawing I, Figure Drawing II, Gender & Image
Academic Credentials
2004, MFA in Studio Art (Ceramic Sculpture Concentration), University of Texas at Austin
1999, BA in Studio Art (Sculpture Concentration), Summa Cum Laude, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
Presentations
2023 Guest Presenter and Demonstrator, NC ClayWorks Guild, Triangle, NC
2018 Visiting Artist, Workshop and Lecture, School of Art & Design, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI
2014 Guest Presenter and Demonstrator, Artspace Community Outreach, Southeast Raleigh Magnet High, Raleigh, NC
2011 Visiting Artist, Workshop and Lecture, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
2011 Juror, Gut Feelings: Confessions of a Body Conscious Culture, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
2010 Guest Presenter and Demonstrator, Cabarrus Arts Council, Concord, NC
2009 Guest Presenter and Demonstrator, Central Carolina Community College, Siler City, NC
2008 Guest Presenter and Demonstrator, Triangle Potter Guild, Raleigh, NC
Research
Women and gender studies, contemporary discourse on the figure, and the psychology of perception and desire all play a significant role in my personal artistic practice and scholarly work.Exhibition
2024 Holly Fischer: Solo Exhibition, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, NC
2024 Holly Fischer & Bassmi Ibrahim, Gallery C, Raleigh, NC
2023 Visceral Structures, Truist Gallery, Durham Art Guild, Durham, NC
2022 Coined in the South, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
2021 Holly Fischer: Solo Exhibition, City Market Artist Collective, Raleigh, NC
2021 Featuring: Sasha Bakaric, Holly Fischer, Ippy Paterson, & John Rosenthal, FRANK Gallery, Chapel Hill NC
2021 Flora [Fem] Fauna, Gatewood Gallery, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
2020 Flora [Fem] Fauna, Frankie G. Weems Gallery, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2019 Varied State, Whitespace Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2018 Different Shapes: Sculptural Ceramics in North Carolina, The North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove, NC
2017 Holly Fischer: Come Closer, Upfront Gallery, Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2017 Gendered: An Inclusive Art Show, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
2017 Refresh: New Art, New Views, Fine Art at Baxters Gallery, New Bern, NC
2017 Ceramic Innovations: International Juried Exhibition, Juried by Chris Gustin, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
2016 Umlauf Prize Retrospective Exhibition, Umlauf Museum, Austin, TX
2016 Rare Earth: National Ceramics Exhibition, Cabrillo Gallery, Aptos, CA
2015 Women In Clay, Frank Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC
2014 Winter Show, Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro, NC
2013 Holly Fischer: Duality, Flanders Gallery, Raleigh, NC
2013 Copper, Kaolin & Cobalt, Claymakers, Durham, NC
2012 Ceramic Art at NC Colleges and Universities, North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove, NC
2011 Holly Fischer: Sensual Abstraction, Flanders Gallery, Raleigh, NC
2011 A Woman’s Place: Artists Exploring their Identity in Society, Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, NC
2010 Holly Fischer: Solo Exhibition, Central Carolina Community College, Siler City, NC
2010 NC Clay Invitational, Frank Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC
2010 Embodiment, Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro, NC
2008 Holly Fischer, Zoe Charlton, Edward Monovich, D Berman Gallery, Austin TX
2008 Holly Fischer, Scott Upton, Margie Stewart, Flanders Art Gallery, Raleigh, NC
2006 Form in Translation: A Feminine Perspective of the Third Dimension, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2006 Transformation, Kirkorian Gallery, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
2005 Deep in the Heart, 511 Gallery, New York City, NY
2005 Configuration, The Savannah Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2004 Holly Fischer, Zoe Charlton, Edward Monovich, D Berman Gallery, Austin TX
2004 MFA II, Creative Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin
Awards
2020 Honors Faculty Appreciation Award, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2015 Excellence in Teaching, Adjunct Instructor, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2007 Josephine Beardsley Sandor Memorial Award, 111 Annual Exhibition, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, The National Arts Club, New York, NY
2005-6 Marie P. Cowen Fellowship in Ceramics & Artist-in-Residency, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
2004 Umlauf Prize, MFA Sculptor of the Year, Umlauf Sculpture Garden, Austin, TX
2003-4 Marshall F. Wells Fellowship Endowment in the College of Fine Arts, University of Texas at Austin
2003-4 Irving & Jeanette Goodfriend Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Art, University of Texas at Austin
2001-2 Emily Maverick Miller & Emily Miller Wells Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Art, University of Texas at Austin
2001 First Award, 23rd Annual Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition, Juried by Miriam Schapiro, Raleigh, NC
2001 Merit Award, People’s Choice Award, 7th Annual Juried Artists Exhibition, Fine Arts League of Cary, Cary, NC
2001 Creative Ideas Grant & Artist-in-Residency, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
Publications
500 Figures in Clay: Volume II, Lark Books, 2014
500 Ceramic Sculptures, Lark Books, 2009
