Workshops & Residencies
Expand your skills and resume.
Expand Your Practice
Workshops and residencies are invaluable opportunities for artists seeking to learn new skills and broaden their portfolio. The School of Art provides funding and support to help students pursue these transformative learning opportunities across the region and around the globe.
Knoxville’s location in the heart of Appalachia places it within close reach of some of the most respected craft schools and artist residency programs in the country. Just over an hour from campus, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg offers workshops in both traditional Appalachian craft and contemporary studio practices; a few hours away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Penland School of Craft hosts world-class artists and provides immersive, hands-on learning in a variety of media.
Beyond Appalachia, School of Art students have secured residencies and taken workshops at centers including Anderson Ranch in Colorado, Chulitna Lodge in Alaska, Arteles Creative Center in Finland, and many others.
Workshop Opportunities Near Knoxville
The School of Art maintains relationships with several renowned craft schools located in Tennessee and North Carolina:
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
A institution offering a variety of workshops and residencies while protecting and preserving Appalachian arts and crafts.
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee’s largest craft institution and a nationally recognized hub for hands-on learning, gallery exhibitions, academic degree program and public arts programming.
Penland School of Craft
A national center for craft offering workshops in paper, clay, drawing, glass, metals, photography, printmaking, textiles, and wood.
Current students interested in taking a workshop should discuss opportunities with their faculty advisor.
Residencies
Current students can consider some of the following resources when looking for residencies:
Res Artis
An international network of arts residency operators that comprises 650+ vetted members in over 80 countries.
Artist Communities Alliance
A leading association and comprehensive directory for hundreds of residency programs across the U.S. and world.
Rivet
A search platform designed to help you find national and international opportunities to advance your creative practice.
For students wanting more information about artist residencies, be sure to reach out to your faculty advisor to discuss opportunities in your field.
Funding Your Training
The School of Art supports eligible undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing educational and professional opportunities through scholarships and grants.
Undergraduate Funding Opportunities
Graduate Funding Opportunities
Student Experiences
Sara Caoile, BFA in Studio Art (’25)
This [workshop] experience was very valuable to me because it gave me a glimpse of the arts community and opportunities outside of academics. It was also valuable to hear different artists’ journeys throughout their life [and] career.”
Shelby Reed, MFA in Studio Art
The experience of the residency was amazing. Three weeks of undisturbed studio time in a new environment led to several breakthroughs in the studio.”
Read more about Shelby’s residency experience at the Vermont Studio Center
Lindsay Skvarek, MFA in Studio Art
My time at Penland was wonderful. As a mostly self taught-sewer it was amazing to get a lot of formal instruction both on stuff I was familiar with (Working with scrap fabrics) and stuff that was new to me (crating garments from patters and modifying paper patterns).”
Read more about Lindsay’s workshop experience at the Penland School of Craft
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