Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts

 

Last week I was at Arrowmont for a workshop, the first in-person one I've taught since the mentorship program at John C. Campbell Folk School in the fall of 2020. I've had several online classes through Lessonface and the Folk School since then but nothing matches the experience of face-to-face teaching. It's physically (especially after the hip replacement surgery in June) and mentally exhausting but I love it! 

Nine people came from far distances to be together in this most wonderful class. It was nice to finally meet some folks who I'd known for years virtually (social media and online classes), be introduced to others, and see old friends. 

I was fortunate to be able to invite an assistant for the class, and Roxie, a senior at the University of North Georgia who's studying textiles, came to Gatlinburg to join me.

The class was one that included design activities and a bit of weaving. Demos and discussions throughout the week, also.

Everyone worked hard, ate delicious food at the dining hall daily, and even saw a bear or two during the week! Here are photos of just a few of the activities from the class—and a view of the traffic getting to and from the school (if you didn't know, Gatlinburg is one of the prime tourist spots in the Great Smoky Mountains).

A Lillian E. Smith Center experience

 

I was happy to spend several days recently at the Lillian E. Smith Center where I've had many residencies in the past fourteen years. I've gone to the center at least once each year and in a few occasions, a couple of times. The residencies give me a focused time to work on projects. I've begun several design ideas for tapestries there as well as worked on writing and also sampling for upcoming classes.

 

On this stay I tried a new-to-me medium, gel plate printing. I've been seeing lots of demos of gel plate printing on Instagram. The plates can be made at home but I decided to order one of the commercial versions from the company, Gelli Arts. I can't say I've totally gotten the hang of making (good) prints with it yet but I surely did give it a workout while I was there!

My goal is to use one or more of the prints as a starting point for tapestry design. I think there's some potential in a few of those for that.

I also worked on a few small drawings in the evening:

I was quite encouraged that I could spend the days in the art studio, standing and working on making the prints. That's the most I've pushed my new hip since it came to live in me! I also was able to walk on the grounds without problem, having my hiking sticks for a bit of stability in some of the steeper places.

In a few more weeks I'll be testing my physical limits again when I'm at Arrowmont to teach for a week. I think it will go fine; just have to remember to pace myself. Maybe by this time next year I'll be back up to full speed again! 

One more class is scheduled after Arrowmont. That's at John C. Campbell Folk School. There's still plenty of space left in the class! If you're interested in taking delving into the resources in the fiber library at JCCFS, as well as seeing some of the textiles from the school's archives, join me in mid-October. This will give you time to see books and other materials that aren't often found. And the chance to have the school's archivist share many of the pieces from the early 20th century housed in the collection doesn't happen often at all. The class is Connecting the Threads and is from October 15-21.

Because of Memory — exhibit at Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art at Piedmont University

 

My exhibit at Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art at Piedmont University, Demorest, Georgia opened on August 31 with a reception. 

 Lots of people turned out from the Piedmont community as well as a number of family and friends. It was a beautiful way to culminate a year and half of planning for the exhibit. 

I chose the title Because of Memory since most of the works being shown were either created while I've been in residencies at the Lillian E. Smith Center or afterwards, based on images done there. Quite a few of the sketches and paintings from my residency times were displayed.

The words "because of memory" are ones from Lillian Smith's books, The Journey. The quote from her book: "Death can kill a man; that is all it can do to him; it cannot end his life. Because of memory...." is on a headstone of her grave. She is buried beside a stone chimney that was once part of one of the structures at Laurel Falls Camp for Girls that she was director of from 1925 to 1949.

I've photographed and painted the stones of the chimney several times while I've been there and a few years ago designed and wove a tapestry based on one of the paintings. I gave it the title Because of Memory and it's hanging in the exhibit—it's the tapestry at the right.

Other views in the gallery:

I'll be back to the museum next week to speak to some of the students. I'll be sure to talk about the value of artist residencies have held for me through the years. I'm looking forward to spending time at the LES Center again in a few days and seeing what images might be found there. Maybe one (or more) will turn into new tapestries in the future!