Arrowmont and CraftSchools.us launch new podcast series

By Laura Tuttle, Marketing Support Coordinator, Arrowmont —

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is launching “Make/Time” – a new podcast series created by CraftSchools.us. The podcast is a project of “The Craft School Experience,” an initiative that promotes the value of immersive, residential craft schools across the country.

CraftSchools.us is a consortium of five U.S. craft schools promoting the craft school experience on a national scale. Through their efforts, they explore the values, communities and opportunities that join them as a movement of immersive, residential schools teaching a variety of craft disciplines. Members of CraftSchools.us are: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School of Crafts, Peters Valley School of Craft and Pilchuck Glass School.

“Make/Time” explores fine craft, inspiration and the creative process through interviews with established craft artists from across the field. The first three interviews feature artists from varying disciplines and experiences. Tom Joyce: sculptor and MacArthur Fellow known for his architectural work and large public sculptures in forged steel; Tim McCreight: jeweler, writer, and publisher who has begun an innovative program with West African jewelers; Sonya Clark: artist and head of the Craft and Material Studies Program at Virginia Commonwealth University, whose work in textiles often addresses issues of race in America. Podcasts are available here. 

“Arrowmont is pleased to help sponsor these podcasts which explore the work and thought of important artists,” says Bill May, Arrowmont’s executive director. “All of those interviewed have unique perspectives on the value of working creatively with materials to explore concerns both personal and public.”

The series is hosted by Stuart Kestenbaum – former director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME, 1988 – 2015. He is author of four books of poems, most recently Only Now and The View From Here, brief essays on craft, community, and the creative process. Kestenbaum is an honorary fellow of the American Craft Council and is currently the Poet Laureate of the State of Maine.

“Having conversations with leading and emerging craft artists gives me the opportunity to dig deeply behind the scenes,” says Kestenbaum. “Every episode gives us a special look at the person behind the work, their ideas and the inspiration that helps them achieve excellence in this field.”

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is a national art education center. The school enriches lives by developing aesthetic appreciation and fostering self-expression with hands-on experiences in a variety of media, classes, conferences and seminars. On the leading edge of arts education, Arrowmont utilizes contemporary and fine arts techniques to build upon a foundation of traditional arts and crafts.