Appalachian Center for Craft

Have a Seat! with Heather Ashworth

We are building a stool! Students will learn basic woodworking techniques and furniture making through the construction of a stool. All students will learn the proper and safe use of power equipment. Once the stool is glued up, we will weave the seat using colorful Shaker Tape, exploring a selection of patterns to express each student’s individual style.

Heather is a Knoxville based craftsman and wood shop technician. She is the admin and shop manager for Able Trade in old downtown Knoxville; a 24 thousand sq ft industrial makerspace. Heather has been in the woodworking world for over 22 years starting as a teen, originally focused in furniture design before shifting to high Craft over the 12 years she worked for Arrowmont School of Arts and Craft. Her current focus is on chair caning and restoration, Shaker Craft including bentwood boxes and broom craft. As well as teaching in all areas including bringing the next generation to fall in love with woodworking and the trades field! Check Heather out on IG @madelastnightstudio

Blacksmithing Basics with Marcus Johnson

Students will learn basic coal forge operation, including starting and managing the fire, controlling the heat of the workpiece, and basic hammer technique. Participants will make an array of hooks, spoons, forks, and bottle openers, and will have the opportunity to design their own pieces using basic decorative techniques, such as rope twists and pineapple twists. 

Marcus Johnson is a bladesmith and metalworker based in Middle Tennessee, specializing in kitchen cutlery. A graduate of TTU’s Appalachian Center for Craft, he has been a participant in several regional craft fairs, as well as fairs in the New York City area, where he was born and raised. His knives have won awards ranging from Honorable Mention, to Best in Show.

Basketweaving: Sculptural and Functional Vessels with Angela Eastman

In this workshop, we will explore basketweaving techniques to create useful vessels and sculptural forms. Using both prepared reed and materials that we harvest from the Craft Center's campus, such as wild grapevine, we will learn traditional techniques for weaving baskets which have been practiced for thousands of years. Students can expect to take home several completed baskets and some sculptural explorations. 

Angela Eastman is an artist working primarily in basketweaving and metalworking, who lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She received an MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2018 and completed the Core Fellowship program at Penland School of Crafts in 2014. She has attended numerous artist residencies nationally and internationally.

Welcome to Woodturning with Mitch Jones

During this workshop students will learn how to safely use a lathe to make a variety of utilitarian projects. From learning how to form and shape your work with gouges and scrapers to putting the final touches on your pieces with sanding and finish, you’ll learn all the basics. Projects will include candle sticks, utensil handles, small bowls, and more. Students will get a taste of what can be done on a wood lathe in a safe, supportive environment.

Mitch Jones is a craft/folk school success story, he took a community class at Arrowmont in the winter of 2014 and was hooked. Having now taught or assisted over 1300 hours between Arrowmont and John C Campbell, he brings a wealth of knowledge from various instructors and his own experiences. Growing up on a tobacco farm in central KY, Mitch was initially drawn to the utilitarian aspect of woodturning making bowls and utensil handles. Recently he was bit by the embellishment bug and has enjoyed seeing where this new aspect of creativity can take him!

Have Loom Will Travel: Explore Weaving on Simple Looms with JoEl LoGiudice

Off-loom weaving is an ideal medium for working with repurposed materials to create unique works of art. Participants will begin on simple pin looms and cardboard looms to develop basic weaving skills. Then they will advance to building their own frame loom using salvaged materials. Through demonstrations and hands-on experiences, students will learn how to warp looms and explore various weaving techniques using a variety of recycled materials including paper, fabric, yarn, and natural fibers. By the end of the workshop students will have several small woven samples, a small finished project, and three simple portable looms to take with them.

After receiving a B.A. degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a Masters degree from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, JoEl LoGiudice has devoted her professional life to the field of arts education. Her teaching career began in Orange Park, Florida with a three-year NEA residency as an Artist-in-Schools and she then moved to instructor posts at the college level: Florida Community College, Jacksonville, Florida; Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee; Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, Tennessee and Vanderbilt University Sarratt Center, Nashville, Tennessee. During her tenure at Vanderbilt University she engaged in the arts administration field with positions as Director of Sarratt Gallery, Curator of the Holocaust Art Collection, and Director of the Office of Arts & Creative Engagement. In addition, she has taught weaving and fiber art workshops at art conferences, weavers guilds and at various schools including the Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, Tennessee; John C Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina; Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance, Atlanta, Georgia; and The Clearing Folk School, Ellison Bay, Wisconsin. Her artwork has been exhibited throughout the Southeast and she continues to be actively involved in professional arts organizations currently serving as Past-President of the Tennessee Craft Governing Board.

Hot Glass 101 with Sarah Montrond

This workshop teaches the fundamentals of sculpting with hot glass. Working in both the hotshop and lampworking facility, we will create paperweights, flowers, cups, and glass beads. Working with glass often requires collaboration and assisting one another -- we'll learn how to work together as a team. Together, we'll learn to gather, shape, blow, add color and sculpt hot glass from the furnace. We'll also learn flameworking techniques to shape and color glass beads at the torch, for use in the creation of our own wearable art.