The Save Arrowmont! blog was started to raise awareness and share information about the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (AKA: The Pi Beta Phi Settlement School, founded in 1912) and their struggle for preservation.
The blog is run by a loose-knit conglomeration of concerned citizens, community leaders, former staff, artists, writers, reporters, grandmothers, teachers, you, whoever has an affinity and concern for Arrowmont and its future in the arts & crafts community and the heritage of the Smoky Mountains.
What has led to the dire situation Arrowmont is in? Most, including the Pi Phi Grand Council and thus the Arrowmont board, seem to blame the poor leadership at Arrowmont of the last 7-8 years. While that may be the case, those who know better are cognizant that the poor leadership buck doesn’t stop solely at the office doors of the Arrowmont campus. It began elsewhere…as the Italians say: a fish rots from the head down. What can be done? Well, we aren’t truly certain. It’s a David and Goliath situation against the almighty dollar and a BIG MYSTERY DEVELOPER who has (allegedly) purchased/owns/developed adjacent land and is hiding behind a confidentiality agreement.
So, here we start to organize and make our voices heard and disseminate information.
Have something to share? Contact us: savearrowmont at gmail dot com
Twitter addict? Twitter us at http://twitter.com/savearrowmont
Addendum: One thing most everyone can agree upon: if Gatlinburg continues hurtling toward cheese-o-rama commercialism without thoughtful consideration, it will (if it hasn’t already) make Las Vegas seem like a cultural mecca. The only difference between the two is that Las Vegas has never traded on its perceived heritage (well, outside of Sinatra and Elvis); they don’t pretend to be anything other than a gambling town. Conversely, Gatlinburg (and to be fair, its immediate neighbors) trade on its mountain heritage (bears, cabins, hillbillies, oh my!) to entice tourists; however, what is offered to visitors is not even a good replica or replacement. It definitely isn’t representative of its White Oak Flats heritage. It’s empty commercial calories fed to the local leadership by commercial developers. It can be had A N Y W H E R E, and it certainly isn’t half as interesting as any of the lesser Chinatowns found across the United States.
