Emily Clanton at the installation site — November 7, 2025.

About the Artist

Emily Clanton is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher based in Weaverville, North Carolina.

Her work examines how participatory and public art can foster connection, reflection, and collective well-being within civic and community spaces.

Working at the intersection of socially engaged art and arts-in-health practices, Clanton designs projects that invite accessible, meaningful participation in everyday public environments. Her practice is grounded in duration, care, and ethical stewardship, with particular attention to how creative gestures unfold over time through shared presence, weather, and use.

Visitor interaction at The Ties That Bind Asheville — July 19, 2025.

The Ties That Bind Asheville began as a participatory installation initiated and authored by Clanton in spring 2025. Following its initial activation, she continued the work as an artist-led installation, maintaining its structure and ethical framework while documenting its gradual transformation as part of an ongoing research record.

Across her broader practice, Clanton develops projects that respond to moments of collective transition, recovery, and reflection, often working in civic, educational, and wellness settings. Her approach emphasizes clarity of authorship alongside openness to participation, ensuring that community contributions are held within a well-defined.

Site preparation at Local Cloth — August 1, 2025.

Clanton's work is informed by graduate study in the University of Florida's Arts in Medicine program and ongoing practice-based research. She has collaborated with municipalities, cultural organizations, and healthcare institutions throughout the Southeast.

Selected partners and commissioning organizations include the Spartanburg Art Museum, Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs, and the Medical University of South Carolina.