Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts Collection
This collection houses a variety of materials documenting the history, activities, and legacy of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Tennessee's oldest craft school. The collection includes photographs, publications, correspondence, business records, and more. The material in the collection spans from 1793-2003, though the bulk of the collection documents Arrowmont's activities during the 20th century.
The collection is arranged into 15 series:
Series I: Organizational History (1793-2003) includes materials related to the history of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, the Settlement School, and Arrowmont.
Series II: Administrative (1918-2008) documents the administration and leadership of Arrowmont including information related to its Board of Governors, directors, staff, and membership.
Series III: Classes (1960-2003) pertains to the varying classes offered at Arrowmont for children and community members. The series includes brochures, workshop papers, and class lists.
Series IV: Exhibitions (1961-2000) consists of files for exhibits and includes postcards, posters, and brochures.
Series V: Programs (1970-2001) is a comprehensive series of both the community and professional programs put on by Arrowmont including assistantships, scholarships, and their Artists-in-Residence program.
Series VI: Special Events (1931-2003) compiles files from craft-focused conferences and other outreach events.
Series VII: Facilities (1807-1999) documents Arrowmont's physical footprint with material related to its campus such as building blueprints, leases, deeds, and plans.
Series VIII: Financial (1910-1992) includes general financial information and reports. Also included are documents regarding future projects and deeds of gift.
Series IX: Arrowcraft Shop/Arrowcraft Inc. (1925-1995) contains class catalogues, correspondence, photographs, and financial records.
Series X: Publications (1885-2003) includes magazines, invitations, brochures, itineraries, and books. The books are both related to Arrowmont and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Series XI: Registration (1945-2002) documents registration for community classes. There are address lists, class rolls, grade sheets, and course listings.
Series XII: Audio Collection (1971-1999) has taped interviews, recordings of Board of Governor meetings, and oral histories.
Series XIII: Photographs (1913-2001) contains thousands of images of life, events, and the campus at Arrowmont.
Series XIV: Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1897-2003) contains a variety of booklets, books, brochures, clippings, and photos from the region.
Series XV: Scrapbooks, Journals, and Mementos (1909-1999) has loose and bound scrapbooks about the history of Arrowmont. Also included in this series are oversize photographs and newspapers.
Dates
- 1793-2003
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite, and a minimum of 24 hours is needed to retrieve these items for use. Researchers interested in consulting any of the collections are advised to contact Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact Special Collections.
Extent
52.75 Linear Feet (57 boxes)
Overview
This collection houses a variety of materials documenting the history, activities, and legacy of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Tennessee's oldest craft school. The collection includes photographs, publications, correspondence, business records, and more.
Biographical / Historical
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts initially started in June 1912 as the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Through the 1920s and 1930s, the settlement school served as the only outside medical and educational resource to the Gatlinburg area. As more students enrolled in the school, the campus expanded to include dormitories, clinics, and schoolhouses. Through the settlement school, the Gatlinburg area organized their first agriculture co-op and published the town's first newspaper, The Gatlinburg News.
In 1926, Pi Beta Phi and the University of Tennessee established Arrowcraft. The new institution focused on the production and selling of local crafts, as well as maintaining the school. The first craft classes occurred in the summer of 1945. Through the decades the complex hosted hundreds of artisans and thousands of students. Eventually, Sevier County took on the management of the settlement school, allowing the fraternity to shift focus solely to arts and crafts. In late 1968, Arrowcraft disbanded and became Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts which continues to host classes and programs in varying art mediums.
Arrangement
The collection consists of 57 boxes. The material is arranged into 15 series based on topic and format. The collection was first processed while under the care of Arrowmont and that original organization, including naming, was kept in tact wherever possible.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository