March 1, 2022: Grand Opening of Arrowmont’s First, Off-Campus Space
Arrowmont chief executive officer, Trudy Hughes, shares an exciting announcement with the Arrowmont community. In this video, Trudy invites you to join the Arrowmont Board of Governors and staff at the Grand Opening of Arrowmont’s first permanent space off-campus: a new gallery in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Watch the video here or on…
Black History Month Ceramics Spotlight: Isaac Scott Hathaway
Isaac Scott Hathaway was a sculptor, ceramicist and educator who famously crafted more than 100 busts and masks of prominent African Americans and was the first Black artist to design U.S. coins. Isaac Scott Hathaway was born in 1872 in Lexington, Kentucky to Rachel and the Reverend Elijah Hathaway, the middle of three living children….
Winter Pentaculum 2022: Reflections by writer, Kyle Lang
“I shouldn’t be here.” This sentence haunted me in multiple ways as I arrived at the Portland Airport first thing in the morning on January 3rd. I was embarking on a cross-country trip to visit Pentaculum, a short-term invitational artists retreat in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was my second trip to this residency, the first being…
Black History Month: Fibers Spotlight – Harriet Powers
Harriet Powers is considered one of the most accomplished quilters of the 19th century – though much of her private life remains undiscovered. Born into slavery and emancipated in the Civil War, Harriet Powers went on to become a landowner and quilter – gaining recognition at regional art fairs and receiving commissions for her narrative…
Black History Month: 2D Artist Spotlight – Nellie Mae Rowe
Nellie Mae Rowe was born on the 4th of July, 1900, the 9th of 10 children. She grew up working on her family’s farm in rural Georgia. Though she showed an interest and talent for drawing at an early age, it wasn’t until she was widowed for the second time in her late ’40s that…
Arrowmont Connections: New Work by Peter Dellert
Arrowmont instructor and friend, Peter Dellert, creates sculptures from “recycled stuff,” collecting items over a number of years to create larger-than-life pieces. In 2012, he created a sculpture from discarded and found automotive catalytic converter covers, which had fallen off cars onto the road. Last year, he created a second sculpture using more automotive detritus,…
Black History Month Wood artist spotlight: Henry Boyd
Henry Boyd was a carpenter, business owner, and abolitionist. He was born a slave in Kentucky at the turn of the 17th century. He lived to buy his own freedom, run a successful and revolutionary business, and help countless people escape slavery as a conductor in the Underground Railroad. Boyd was born on April 17,…
Pentaculum Winter 2022: A beacon for the new year, by Suzi Banks Baum
“The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is– it’s to imagine what is possible.” -bell hooksIn an approach much like a crazy quilt, the Winter Pentaculum at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts brings together six studios of artists for five days of collective making at the beginning of…
January 25, 2022: Updates on Campus Improvements & Plans
Arrowmont chief executive officer, Trudy Hughes, shares an update on campus improvements with the Arrowmont community. In this video, Trudy describes some of the improvements Arrowmont made while the campus was closed during to the Covid-19 pandemic. “With not having those workshops and seminars, we could really focus on, and love on, this campus and…
Bill Griffith Retirement – Stories, Remembrances, and Tributes
The Buddha said, “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” That is what Bill Griffith has done with Arrowmont. Bill G first came to Arrowmont as a work-study student in the early 1980s. In 1987, he was hired by executive director Sandy Blain as assistant…
