Spring 2007
Faculty Travel: Kevin Isgett
Last summer I spent a week in the hills of Tennessee studying at Arrowmont School of
Arts and Crafts. Surprisingly, the mountain lodge style campus is located in the heart of Gatlinburg, the
neon lit Myrtle Beach of the mountains. I studied Experimental Basketry with John Garrett.
John’s fiber work is well known and has been featured in many national craft publications
over the last two decades. It was a privilege to meet him in person and to be able to see his
working methods. The week proved to be an enlightening experience. John Garrett primarily
works with metal in creating his fiber works. During the course of the week, we experimented
with a variety of materials, from torn t-shirts, to wire and plastic deer fencing. John was very
generous in sharing some of his trademark techniques, where many teachers would have been
very protective of their techniques. We experimented with twisted wire as well as hardware
cloth laced with strips of aluminum flashing. John also shared ways to patinate the metals to
achieve different looks. We also spent time pop riveting aluminum sheeting to make vessel
forms.
One of the highlights of the week was the opportunity each night to see slides of the visiting art faculty members from around the country. John’s slides were a mini retrospective of his career. It was amazing to see the breadth of his work and his ability to keep his work fresh. One teacher who taught collage and painting gave new insight into her thought process during art making. There were furniture designers from RIT, wood turners, glass artists, jewelry makers, ceramicists, fiber artists, printmakers, and a host of new MFA students from around the country. It made for an extremely creative atmosphere. Along with seeing the slides, all classrooms were open for you to see firsthand what else was going on artistically throughout the week.
Studying for a week at Arrowmont was an intense creative experience. It was a lot more work than I imagined it would be: being creative all day, everyday can be quite draining. Besides the inspiration of meeting so many artists from other parts of the country, the library of art books was extensive and the gourmet food was exceptional. I can’t wait to do it again.