Preserving and Teaching Traditional Appalachian Craft
From Fran Day, Director-Institutional Advancement, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts –
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts announces a new initiative to facilitate the intergenerational transfer of traditional Appalachian arts and crafts and cultural heritage knowledge. The initiative is designed to preserve and continue traditional craft knowledge by educating teachers and grades 4-12 students in Central Appalachia about traditional craft making, and by offering master artists and cultural elders the opportunity to teach and learn in Arrowmont’s supportive environment.
The initiative consists of three elements.
- Legacy: Appalachian Arts for Appalachian Teachers
- ArtReach on the Road
- Appalachian Craft and Culture Fellowship
Legacy: Appalachian Arts for Appalachian Teachers offers a full scholarship including tuition, lodging, meals, and travel or materials stipend for a one-week workshop for teachers from Central Appalachia. The workshop is open to elementary and secondary teachers from Central Appalachia—the scholarships are not solely for art teachers—any teacher, any grade level, any discipline/subject taught may apply. Legacywill provide eight workshops taught by professional studio artists and experts in Appalachian craft. Participants will learn craft by making a traditional craft object, will learn how craft relates to and may be used to enhance their subject, and they will be provided practical information about how to use the new knowledge. The week also offers general sessions led by noted educators who will discuss infusing arts and crafts across the curriculum; how to talk with administrators about the value of crafts in the curriculum; how to get support for their projects. The week is designed so that teachers have time to interact, share ideas, and build a supportive network. The first workshop will be offered July 14-20, 2019 on the Arrowmont campus. For more information about Legacy,email Nick DeFord, program director, ndeford@arrowmont.org.
Art Reach on the Road is an expansion of Arrowmont’s highly regarded day-of-art for 4th-12th grade students. ArtReachprovides a full day of arts and crafts instruction. Now in its 25th year, over 25,000 school children have participated in the program. Since its establishment in 1992 as a rural arts outreach initiative, ArtReachhas supplemented the limited arts instruction offered in schools. Some ArtReachstudents have gone on to become working artists, others have become teachers, business owners, doctors, lawyers, elected officials, and most importantly,
contributors to our communities. Previously limited to Sevier County Schools, ArtReach is now available to schools, school districts, and arts organizations across Central Appalachia. ArtReach on the Road is designed to help modern students in Central Appalachia learn about and appreciate their culture and the importance of craft in their daily lives. It also addresses the preservation of traditional craft knowledge—knowledge that is disappearing as the region becomes urbanized and practitioners often do not transmit their skills to future generations. The program will offer workshops in a range of media such as wood, clay, sculpture, fibers, and many others that have a significant history in Appalachia. The first ArtReach on the Road programs will be offered winter 2018-2019. For more information about ArtReach on the Road, email Rebecca Buglio, program and studio manager, rbuglio@arrowmont.org.
Appalachian Craft and Culture Fellowship offers traditional craft artists and cultural elders the opportunity, time, and space to learn, reflect and share their knowledge of traditional craft. The Fellow will be in residence at Arrowmont for three to four months. The Fellowship includes lodging and meals, studio, stipend plus resources to attend conferences or other educational opportunities. During their tenure, Fellows will present a public lecture and mount a small exhibition of their work. The Fellowship is open to Central Appalachian traditional craft artists and cultural elders such as storytellers. Preference will be given to the non-classically educated artist. For more information about the Fellowship, email Jim Scarsella, deputy director, jscarsella@arrowmont.org.
ARROWMONT SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CRAFTS
Founded as a settlement school in 1912 by the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, Arrowmont is a national contemporary arts and crafts education center supporting learning opportunities for individuals of all skills levels and ages. Students work and learn in state-of-the-art studios from expert instructors who are professional studio artists or university professors. Arrowmont offers weekend, one-and-two-week workshops in a range of media including clay, wood, metals, textiles/fibers, enamels, glass, drawing, painting, photography, paper, and bookmaking. The heritage of the School is rooted in an approach that builds on traditional arts and crafts—150 national workshops are offered annually, a full complement of community classes, children’s classes, and ArtReach provides a day of art to over 750 local public school children annually. The School hosts revolving exhibitions in three major galleries and offers symposia and conferences. The Artists-in-Residence program provides self- directed, early career artists with time, space and support to create a new body of work in a creative environment.
Eligible Central Appalachian Counties
Kentucky: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe.
North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.
Ohio: Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, and Washington.
Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White.
Virginia: Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe.
West Virginia: All counties: Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Braxton, Brooke, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood, and Wyoming.
Preserving and Teaching Appalachian Craft is supported in part by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.
