Arrowmont!

This summer I had a great time teaching a hand-building workshop at Arrowmont.  I had the best students and we had such a great time together.  Arrowmont has added a great new kiln yard and upgraded the class room facilities, so our time together was even better than ever!  It was great weather and everyone worked so hard the entire week!  On the last day we all created clay crowns, which I personally, think were the most fun! 

One of my students with an "old" Emily cup and now her "new" Emily cup!

The week I was there also happened to coincide with the hatching/mating/arrival of the synchronous fireflies which was easily one of the highlights of the summer!  Here is a short video of what it is! 

*For the best viewing experience, enter full screen with 1080p HD and the lights off!* During a two week window each year Synchronous Fireflies light up the night inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This rare event occurs in only a few places around the world. We were lucky enough to be invited to witness this amazing event for ourselves. To record this video in real time, we used special cameras capable of filming at ISO's over 100,000. Enjoy!

There was also a new and not as exciting addition to the Arrowmont campus....or I should say, I didn't think it was exciting until I tried it! There is a gondola in Gatlinburg that now goes over the campus at Arrowmont and it felt very intrusive at first, but on the last day of the week, myself and a few others took a ride to the top and BOY! It was quite the view! In town, you don't really get to see and enjoy the mountains, but up at the top of the hill the views are spectacular! I would highly recommend it if you are heading to Arrowmont for a workshop!