ARROWMONT CRAFT CONVERSATIONS is a video series that highlights artists in the Arrowmont community. We want more people to learn about Arrowmont and see why it is such a celebrated institution. Our partnership with Arrowmont faculty and community members has contributed to Arrowmont’s outstanding reputation. The artists who appear in this series exemplify the characteristics that represent the School — among the most experienced, capable, and innovative in the arts and crafts world.
Bill Griffith is a studio artist, administrator and educator at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. He has lectured and taught throughout the U.S. at craft schools, universities and craft guilds. A recipient of a Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artists Fellowship, Griffith continues to exhibit his work, jury and curate exhibitions nationally.
Currently the Outreach & Partnership Liaison, Bill came to Arrowmont in 1987 to help invigorate his studio practice during his summer break as a high school art teacher. In this Arrowmont Craft Conversation, Bill shares his early experiences at Arrowmont, the origins of his founding the Utilitarian Clay Symposium, and the influence of befriending so many ceramic artists through his roles at Arrowmont over the past 30 years.
BILLGRIFFITHCLAY.COM
Founded as a settlement school in 1912 by the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, Arrowmont has grown into a national center for contemporary arts and crafts education, supporting learning opportunities for individuals of all skills levels and ages. Arrowmont is located on 13 acres in the heart of Gatlinburg, TN only minutes away from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With access to tourist attractions, the convenience of a large city nearby, and a thriving arts and crafts community, Arrowmont offers a unique and immersive learning environment—an unexpected creative oasis amidst the bustle of a popular tourist destination.
The heritage of the School is rooted in an approach to the arts that builds upon traditional arts and crafts, and the joy of making. People travel from across the nation and the globe to take classes at Arrowmont. More than 150 national workshops are offered annually, in addition to a full complement of community classes, children’s classes and ArtReach classes, which provide a day of art to over 1,200 local school children annually. In addition, Arrowmont is host to numerous gallery exhibitions, symposia and conferences.
