Appalachian Center for Craft
Artist in Residence Program
The Appalachian Center for Craft's Artist in Residence Program (AIR) allows emerging professional artists to live and work in its immersive studio environment. The AIR program is a one-year appointment, renewable for up to an additional year. Each studio (clay, fibers, glass, metals, wood, and exhibitions) has an Artist in Residence with a BFA, MFA or professional equivalent. AIRs are integral to the educational programs of the Craft Center, providing additional artistic perspectives, expertise and experiences to our students.
See Current Artists in Residence »
Applying for Artist in Residence
The Center for Craft employs a competitive application process to fill these positions. Positions open up at different times throughout the year and are posted to the Tennessee Tech University jobs page as they become available. Applications can only be accepted through the Tennessee Tech jobs web page. Please refer to jobs@tntech.edu for the latest open positions. For more information, please email craftcenter@tntech.edu, call 931-372-3051, or request to be added to our email newsletter list, so that we can send you our latest monthly news.
- Artist in Residence Functions
TERM OF THE RESIDENCY: One year appointment, with option to renew for one more year at the discretion of ACC faculty.
QUALIFICATIONS: An MFA degree from an accredited institution is usually preferred, but BFA degree holders and those with equivalent experience may apply.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Oversight of and general maintenance of studio supplies and equipment. The resident will work 20 hours per week. Tasks include managing studio needs, ordering materials, and ensuring smooth operation of programs. Specifics of managing the studio will be discussed with the artist in residence in advance of agreeing to a contract.
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT: Occasional teaching opportunities may be available during faculty absence, if the candidate possess an MFA degree. Resident may have the opportunity to teach workshops and academic classes, but this is not guaranteed and varies by studio concentration. The resident must produce a significant body of studio work while showing a high level of technical expertise and aesthetic merit. In consultation with the department head, expectations of the AIR’s studio work will be reviewed after arrival.
COMPENSATION: 20 hours per week. One year appointment. Residence in Craft Center housing is a required condition of studio residencies. Single occupancy bedroom with private bath (whether married or single, cooking and lounge facilities are shared with other residents), individual studio space and 24 hour studio access are provided. A small stipend annually is provided, Also, opportunities for additional employment through workshop and outreach programs may be available. Benefits include the accumulation of annual and sick leave on a prorated basis equal to the percentage of employment, and thirteen (13) pro-rated University holidays. Other benefits include pro-rated retirement, optional 401k, and educational benefits.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: All applicants must apply online at Jobs@Tntech.edu and are required to electronically upload a resume and provide contact information for three references. Official transcripts required upon hire. Tennessee Tech University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex, disability, age (40 and over), status as a protected veteran, genetic information or any other category protected by federal or state law. Inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies should be directed to equity@tntech.edu.
Current Residents
CLAY ›
Sarah Davey
sdavey@tntech.edu
Sarah Davey is a contemporary ceramic figure sculptor from Lancaster, PA. She earned her BFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2005 and her MFA, in Ceramics from the School of Art and Art History at the University of Florida in 2019. Sarah’s work explores personal mythology within her ceramic figures to discuss our connection to the environment and physical manifestations of chaotic, internalized spaces. Black and white surfaces layered with acrid greens create a dark and surreal, moody current that runs through her narrative work. Sarah has presented her work in group and solo shows nationally and internationally, NCECA, art fairs, Urban Nation Contemporary Museum and Paradigm Gallery + Studio in Philadelphia. Sarah is presently the exhibition’s artist in residence at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee.
FIBERS ›
Sally Garner
scgarner@tntech.edu
Sally C. Garner is a textile artist and arts educator currently exploring the various opposing forces between nature and humanity through site-specific installation, sculptural basketry and traditional weaving. Within this work, Sally aims to examine our relationship to the environment and our effects on the balances in our ecosystem through the symbolic manipulation of weaving. Sally has shown her work nationally and internationally, in group and solo exhibitions. Her work has received awards from Fiber Art Now, the National Basketry Organization, and Surface Design Association. Sally earned her MFA in textiles at Georgia State University in 2023, where she was awarded the Ernest G. Welch Fellowship, and her BFA in sculpture at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2013.
GLASS ›
Fae Palentyn
apalentyn@tntech.edu
Fae Palentyn is a glass artist and sculptor, specializing in bubble entrapment. They received both a BS and MS in Mathematics from Tennessee Technological University in 2013 and 2015 respectively. While pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a focus on Mechanics of Materials, Fae decided to follow a different career path and began blowing glass instead. Fae's work explores duality and impermanence. By utilizing intentionally created negative spaces, Fae shows that it is both the presence and absence of things that make them beautiful.
METALS ›
Eleanor Rose
emeineke@tntech.edu
Eleanor Ingrid Rose is a craft based sculpture artist, metalsmith, and toolmaker. She has a BFA from Pratt Institute and an MFA from UW-Madison. She frequently works alongside Stacy Motte in their collaborative project Ladies Who... Eleanor has been making tools, to make tools, to make art for over a decade which has led her to specialize in casting, machining, and a chaotic variety of skills within other craft media.
WOOD ›
Stacy Motte
smotte@tntech.edu
Stacy Motte is a sculptor who uses traditional craft techniques to make furniture and jewelry that behave in unexpected ways. She received a dual BFA from California College of the Arts in Furniture Design and Photography and an MFA from University of Wisconsin, Madison with a focus in Wood. She spent the last two years as a resident artist at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she worked with Eleanor Ingrid Rose on their ongoing collaborative project, Ladies Who Wood. Stacy is currently the Wood Resident at the Appalachian Center for Craft.
EXHIBITIONS ›
Emma Loy
eloy@tntech.edu
Emma Loy is a 2D artist from East Tennessee. She is a researcher of keepsakes, specifically the passing down of token objects between women of a lineage. Working primarily in oil and graphite, she transforms domestic objects into elements of fiction and nonfiction, storytelling and story concealing. She graduated from the University of Tennessee where she earned a BFA in studio art for painting and drawing. Since graduating, Emma has enjoyed teaching middle and high school visual arts.
