Learn to Creatively Express Yourself in the Smoky Mountains Arts & Crafts Scene

There are those who fervently believe the road to happiness is paved with shiny new mobile phones, Sony PlayStations and high-definition plasma TVs. The citizens of Gatlinburg, Tennessee haven't yet receive this memo.

In a very town where old-fashioned letter writing, emailing one's neighbors and taking long, meditative walks would be the order of the day, Gatlinburg offers another rarity to your materialistic nation. Here you'll find a community of do-it-yourself crafts and arts artisans. In Gatlinburg, the locals will happily tell you just how DIY stands for Dream It Yourself.

These dreams occur among an eight-mile stretch of road within Gatlinburg known endearingly because Great Smoky Mountains Arts & Crafts Community. It does not take largest group of independent artisans in North America. Established in 1937, it's here that arts and crafts enthusiasts, advocates and aficionados get to experience, first-hand, the hands-on procedure for cultivating fine art. Forget about DirecTV, wireless Internet and downloading MP3s. The eclectic members on this vibrant community like whittling, painting, sewing, weaving, carving and just about every other form of crafting.
In an area heavily prided for its gorgeous natural landscapes, Gatlinburg takes equal pride in producing antiquities easily. Whether it's candles, baskets, brooms, quilts, pottery, jewelry, dolls, ceramics stained glass, fine photography or silversmiths, the truly amazing Smoky Mountains Arts & Crafts Community is a massive one-stop shop. If you value exploring, discovering and buying you can do so at will with no pesky commission-driven sales clerk watching your every move. Virtually all year round, the Community holds informal workshops for children and adults of every age group. The only requirement: a zestful curiosity and interest for creative expression.
After you have visited a wide range of enchanting shops it's time for food, drink and relaxation. All can be had within the vast, quaint confines with the Great Smoky Mountains Arts & Crafts Community. An enjoyable multitude of restaurants, cafes, tearooms, candy shops and soda fountains are at your fingertips of the surrounding businesses.
For all those requiring a more academic procedure for fine art creation, you're cordially invited to wait The Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. Arrowmont, a visible arts education center for adults and youngsters, is the Oxford University for aspiring artisans. In addition to weekend seminars, Arrowmont offers one- and two-week workshops for novices and advanced craftsmen (and women), along with weekly classes for local residents.
You receive a first-class fine/visual art education, on Arrowmont's pristine and historic 14-acre campus. Workshop and sophistication topics are as varied as a vegetable garden within the English countryside. Subjects include ceramics, fiber, metals, jewelry, painting, drawing, photography, warm glass, woodworking, books/paper and mixed media. Workshops are ready to accept those 18 a few years older, with class sizes no greater than 12 students. Arrowmont's attraction lies in its old school adage: creativity and hard work are never mutually exclusive.
A similarly prestigious feature in Arrowmont's pedigreed portfolio is its esteemed Artist in Residence program. Together with offering 160 rotating workshop artists and instructors of national and international acclaim, the 11 month residency affords visiting artisans a monthly salary shared housing with private bedrooms and meals, an individual studio and, at term's end, the opportunity to showcase their are employed in Arrowmont's acclaimed Artist Outfitters Store.
Visit Gatlinburg now and you'll find that, when it comes to arts and crafts, ingenuity is both a state of mind and a state of play.
Bennie McCann is Reservations Manager of Volunteer Log cabin renatls specializing in Smoky Mountain rental cabins in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. Visit them today at http://www.volunteercabinrentals.com to book cabins for weddings, vacations, reunions and other special events. © 2011, All Rights Reserved

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Find cozy and enchanting great Gatlinburg cabins online. Marshia is a journey writer for Gatlinburg Publishing - visit the website for additional affordable Gatlinburg cabins and to find pet friendly lodging, places to get married, discount hotel suites and other vacation fun.

Author (cabinman887@gmail.com). Submitted on Sun, 12 Jun 2011 Time: 7:23 PM

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