GATLINBURG -- May 20, 2002 - The Board of Governors of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts has elected three new members and one returning member to a four-year term. The new Board of Governor members are Geoffrey Wolpert of Sevierville, Tenn., Patricia Pyle of Little Rock, Ark., Susan Knowles of Pikeville, Tenn., and returning for her second term is Anne Ward Burton of Santa Fe, NM. "I am thrilled to welcome the new perspectives, resources and skills of the new and returning members," said Mary Ann Hruska of Walnut Creek Calif., who is Chairman of the Board.
Director of Arrowmont David Willard is also very excited about the selection of new members and the broad range of expertise each will offer to guide Arrowmont"s future. "I am particularly pleased that Geoffrey Wolpert is our first non-Pi Phi to be elected to the Board. Geoffrey"s long standing commitment to the community, not only as a business owner, but through his work as Founder and President of the Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation, will be a great asset to maintaining Arrowmont as an integral part of the cultural life of the region," said Willard. In addition to his involvement with the Gateway Foundation, Wolpert is owner and CEO of The Park Grill and The Peddler Restaurants in Gatlinburg, and was recipient of both the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award and Gatlinburg's Rotary Club Vocational Service Award in 2000.
Returning for her second four-year term, Anne Ward Burton of Santa Fe, NM, is very active in the arts. Burton a Pi Beta Phi, IA Gamma "58, is a professional artist who exhibits her drawings and paintings internationally. She owns LoHo Gallery in Louisville, Ky., and assumes responsibilities as director, curator and purchaser for several art galleries throughout the United States and in Brazil. Burton is also a published writer and art instructor.
Susan Knowles of Pikeville, Tenn., has 20 years of experience in museums and the professional art community in Tennessee. A Pi Beta Phi TN Beta "71, Knowles has an M.A. degree in Art History from Vanderbilt University. At S. W. Knowles and Associates, she is exhibit coordinator, writer and publicist for "Arts in the Airport," an ongoing exhibit series for the Nashville International Airport. She is curator for many exhibitions throughout Tennessee and a published art writer for Art Papers, CitySearch and New Art Examiner to name a few.
Patricia Pyle of Little Rock, Ark., is a Pi Beta Phi AR Alpha "72, of the University of Arkansas, and will bring to the Board years of financial expertise. She is employed by Stephen's, Inc., a top ten investment house in the United States. Pyle has served her community in many capacities" serving on Boards of the YMCA, Riverfest (a local art festival), and as a volunteer at the Arkansas Arts Center and Friends of Contemporary Craft.
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is the operating name of the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School established in 1912. Committed to its mission of "enriching lives through art," Arrowmont is an internationally renowned visual arts complex and is accredited by the University of Tennessee.
www.arrowmont.org
