Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts

I Love Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts

Last summer I had the privilege of working there as a Work Study for 5 weeks; June 22-July 28th 2011.

Heading there, I had no idea what to expect.  I had never been to a craft school or ventured out for workshops outside of my undergrad university.  By the time it was my turn at Arrowmont, it was mid summer, and half of the work studies and studio assistants had already been there for a while.  I spent my first few hours there scrubbing away in the kitchens, and I loved it anyway.  Everyone there was fantastic; friendly, creative individuals I clicked with almost at once.  By the end of the first week, I felt like I had known some of my new friends for years; it didnt hurt having a friend I actually have known for years there already either- Thank you Jordan Krutsch.  I made soo many amazing new friends during those 5 weeks and continue contact still with most of those friendships.

As a work study at Arrowmont, every week you work, you get to participate in a week long workshop.  Your work on campus covers the workshop (not including studio fee or materials), room and board.  If you are looking to meet new creative individuals, learn new skills and techniques, and are willing to put in a little elbow grease for the opportunities, then Arrowmont is a good place to start.  I took 2 workshops that first summer: a hinge making workshop taught by Stacey Lee Webber and a wood turning class on turning green wood by Christian Burchard.

In the Spring of 2012 I made my way back to Arrowmont for another 5 weeks (roughly from March 20th- April 22); this time as a Studio Assistant.  The experience was a little different than the last year, mainly because it wasn’t the middle of summer.  I still met some amazing individuals who I still remain in contact with today.  There weren’t as many people running around campus as the year before, but it gave the work studies and studio assistants more time to create some work of our own in our (minimal) downtime.  The workshops I participated in this year consisted of a weekend enameling workshop with Kathy Wilox and a wood bending and coopering workshop with one of Arrowmont’s Artists in Residence (at the time) Dustin Farnsworth.

No matter what I do at Arrowmont, I end up with a vast amount of new knowledge and unbelievable friendships.  I hope my journey with Arrowmont goes well beyond these past 2 years.  🙂

Until the next adventure…