Arrowmont: The Wood Studio

One of the biggest decisions I had to make, when I decided to spend a week at Arrowmont, was which class to take. I have respectable - if, somewhat, amateur - art ability, but the kinds of classes offered was staggering - life drawing, woodturning, bookmaking, pottery, cabinetry, textiles and more. At the time, I was involved with workforce development at Lone Star College and was following discussions about the re-emergence of training in the skilled trades - carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, etc. I was also reading a book titled, "Shopcraft as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work." Like many American students in 1980s, I took a shop class - leatherworking - but I was not very good at it (I would usually get the leather too wet and punch right through the leather with too heavy a hand). For this adventure, I decided I wanted to be introduced to a craft - with tools...and machines. God help me! So, I chose a woodturning class. Little did I know that I had signed up with one of THE woodturning gurus, Nick Cook. Before leaving for Arrowmont, I bought a set of tools, read two books and watched a video on woodturning. I didn't want to be a completely ignorant. Luckily, I wasn't the only novice in the class - there were two girls who were just as green. (How's that for hitting the old male ego a good one?) Honestly, even the more experienced turners agreed that they had learned a lot during the class. Nick was a great teacher, letting me make mistakes and counseling me to work with "finesse and patience" - two of my least strong attributes. Our workshop assistant, Aaron Hammer, and the other students in the class were also a great help. After a couple of days trying to turn beads on practice wood and catching the tool, a skew, several times, I persevered. By the end of the week, I had turned a couple of honey dippers, a bottle stopper, a odd-looking candlestick, a plate, a bowl and mini-goblet. Not bad for a beginner. I was very proud of the work, including the practice sticks with all of the wonky beads and gouges - I call them my "totems." The Wood Studio at Arrowmont was more than I could have imagined. (I thought we would be in some hot metal building.) The (air conditioned) woodturning studio has 15 lathes, each outfitted with an exhaust fan and workbench. Students can bring their own tools or borrow a set from the school. Besides the woodturning shop, the Wood Studio has a gallery of some incredible wood pieces, a huge woodworking shop and an upstairs gallery for visitors - a group of whom got to a piece of wood I working on go flying across the shop after I caught it the wrong way with my tool and knocked it off the lathe!

In the end, my experience at Arrowmont was incredible. I haven't been able to turn since class - need a lathe and a place to put it - but that's okay. In the end, I proved to myself that I could lighten up, and with some finesse and patience, actually produce something.

Arrowmont: The Morning View

As mentioned earlier, Arrowmont offers students dormitory-style accommodations. It had been many years since I stayed in a dormitory, but, in the end, it was all part of the adventure. I stayed in Hughes Hall, a more modern dormitory. Hughes has a great screened in porch, laundry facility, sculpture garden and an upstairs lounge - where I set up my coffee pot. (I wasn't walking all the way down the hill for coffee!) Walking down in the morning, I would come around the Red Barn and be greeted by the sun and the Smoky Mountains off in the distance. I would make my way to the Dining Hall for breakfast and then, on to the wood studio. After dinner, it was time to face the walk back up the hill. And it was a big one for this flatlander from the Texas Gulf Coast! I learned to take it slow and steady in order to make it back to the dorm. I probably should have walked it faster and multiple times to work off the delicious meals we served!

Arrowmont: The Staff House

Above is the Staff House at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. It was here, on the lawn, that everyone gathered Fourth of July night to watch the fireworks show just over our heads. Adjacent to the Staff House is the Dining Hall. I joked before going to Arrowmont that I was off to "big kids camp," and with the dormitories and dining hall, it did sometimes feel like camp. Everyone kids that the dining staff "force feed" students three meals a day. They definitely laid out a great buffet. There was always plenty to eat and a very family-like atmosphere, sitting down at group tables to get to know fellow students.

Arrowmont: The Red Barn

One of Gatlinburg, Tennessee's greatest treasures - and best-kept secrets - sits tucked away just off of the Parkway at stoplight #3. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts offers one- and two-week workshops for all skill levels in a variety of media. Originally founded by the Phi Beta Pi Fraternity in 1912 as a settlement school, by the 1970s, Arrowmont had become a place for artists to gather, learn and socialize. I have been to Gatlinburg several times over the years, but never knew about Arrowmont - it's literally right on the Parkway - you just have to know where to look! While thinking about a vacation this year, I had planned to go to Gatlinburg, but didn't want to just be a tourist again. I thought about volunteering somewhere or taking a class. A basic web search for "gatlinburg craft classes" brought me to Arrowmont's web site - and I was hooked. The campus not only has great studios, but also provides accommodations and meals.

One of the most recognizable - and historic - buildings on campus is the Red Barn (above). It has had many uses in the past and currently serves as one of the dormitories for students. I would have stayed in the Barn except it has no air conditioning. There were a couple of cool nights the week I was there, but toward the end of the week, it got warm and humid. Here's some more about the Red Barn from the Arrowmont web site:

"The Red Barn was built in 1923 and served its purpose then as a model barn where boys of the Settlement School were taught the care of livestock. Later, the structure housed the first movie theatre in the Gatlinburg area. In 1959 the barn was renovated into housing for students who attended the summer Craft Workshop. The front half of the hayloft was retained as it originally was built to be used as a lounge called the Owl's Nest. Finally, in 1999, the Red Barn was remodeled once again to accommodate Arrowmont's continuing growth and expansion. The building is still used as housing for students participating in the School's workshops, but the structure was fortified and upgraded."

Recently, students from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville completed a digital history project about the Settlement School, Phi Beta Pi and Arrowmont. Here is a great picture of the Red Barn in 1956.

Gatlinburg Fireworks

I was fortunate to arrive at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts on Independence Day. After dinner, students, faculty and staff spread blankets on the lawn in front of the Staff House and watched a spectacular fireworks display right above our heads. It was great. Unfortunately, I ran out of battery power before the finale - one of the best I've ever seen.