Friday, December 2, 2016

Arrowmont Survives Barely - Off the Wall Friday

If you have been listening at all to the national news , you would have heard that that the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee were threatened this week with wildfire.  Included in that fire, was Arrowmont School of Arts and Craft, with its over 100 year old tradition in education .  Arrowmont hosts an extensive summer/fall workshop program with offering over 130 classes in assorted media.  They also blessed me with a scholarship in 2013

Fire Damage at Arrowmont
Luckily, between the work of fire fighters  and the rain, most of the Arrowmont campus was saved.  Although the school sits right in downtown Gatlinburg,  it is situated back from the main drag surrounded by  woods.  They did lose two of the main dorms and a maintenance shed (containing a lot of their equipment) to the fire.  Many more in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas lost far more.  Arrowmont has created a Rebuild fund  for anybody who wants to help financially in that effort.  Their December programs will continue as an effort to return to normalcy.

 This story struck me on how  fleeting our material creative life can be.  One minute all the things you've created are there and the next, it all can be gone.  What can't be burnt away though is the knowledge and education a school like Arrowmont has been sharing for over 100 years. I am thanking God for sparing Arrowmont so that I might return one day for another magical week.

the Studio walkway that I would travel to my dorm every night (2013)

I'm in the middle of my annual 3 week Christmas rush   - working 6 long hour days a week - so sorry that this is late!

What Have Been Up to Creatively?

8 comments:

Muv said...

Such a shame when fire rips through somewhere. Glad to hear it wasn't total destruction.

Norma Schlager said...

What a shame. The fire sounded so devastating. Thank goodness all was not lost.

quiltedfabricart said...

That really brings hat you see on the news into perspective how devastating wildfires can be. So scary and sad. I hope they can rebuild and get back to business.

Yanicka said...

I was watching the US news and saw some terrifying videos. Happy all was not lost.

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

I know......I lost everything including my sewing room and Both our cars in the August floods. All gone. We are still in the camper in our driveway.

Angie in SoCal said...

Reminds me of our local mountain fires. Glad the school was saved. Praying for all affected by these fires.

Kimberly Smith said...

We took a family RV-ing tour of the area a few years back. I'm afraid to see the pictures of the devastation - still in denial. Thank you for the linkup.

Lynda said...

Thanks for giving us an update on Arrowmont. I've been wondering how it made out with the fires. I've never taken classes there but did stop by and check out the lovely campus in September while visiting. It's been on my list for awhile to take a class or two. Thanks again.