PENTACULUM

Pentaculum is an invitational short-term residency at Arrowmont designed to provide artists with unfettered time and space to work alongside peers, friends and colleagues. Held annually in early January and mid-May, working artists in ceramics, fibers, metals, 2D, wood & sculpture, and writing spend a week at Arrowmont to work on independent projects. Pentaculum offers an intimate atmosphere for personal artistic growth and the opportunity to strengthen and build meaningful relationships within the art and craft field. Participants experience a retreat at Arrowmont to invigorate their studio practice and deepen their connections to the craft community.

Pentaculum grew from Ceramic Surface Forum, an event founded by former Arrowmont Artist-in-Residence, instructor and staff member, Jason Burnett. Ceramic Surface Forum was an invitational retreat that brought together 15-20 ceramic artists to the Arrowmont clay studio during the first week in January in 2012. From there, the event grew into four additional visual art medias — which informed the new name, Pentaculum. In 2019, the first Spring Pentaculum was added to the annual winter event. Today, Pentaculum has grown to include more than five visual art disciplines as well as a retreat experience for writers.

At this time, the Pentaculum experience is by invitation only from one of the Pentaculum coordinators. If you are interested in the opportunity or have questions, please contact Kelly Hider, Arrowmont’s Director of National Programs at khider@arrowmont.org.

If you would like to be considered for participation in a Pentaculum program, please apply at the following link: arrowmont.slideroom.com

Winter Pentaculum Coordinators

Spring Pentaculum Coordinators

In Words

In 2018, Pentaculum writer Suzi Banks Baum began a series of blog posts for Arrowmont describing the Pentaculum experience. 2018–2019 Artist-in-Residence Sasha Baskin, and Pentaculum writers Anne Martens and Carolyn Servid have also written blog posts about their experience. See all of the Pentaculum blogs below:

Creative Superpowers at Arrowmont’s 2023 Spring Pentaculum  ·  Anne Martens
Gratification at Arrowmont’s 2022 Spring Pentaculum  ·  Carolyn Servid
A Generous Legacy: Five Studio Coordinators for the Winter Pentaculum  ·  Suzi Banks Baum
The Language of Makers: Sounds Made in Solitude and in Community  ·  Suzi Banks Baum
The Pentaculum Experience – Reflections by Sasha Baskin  ·  Sasha Baskin
Pentaculum: Where Artists Overlap  ·  Suzi Banks Baum
(Some of) What We Do at Pentaculum  ·  Suzi Banks Baum
Why Writers and Why Here?  ·  Suzi Banks Baum
How We Are Sustained: The Artists of Pentaculum 2018  ·  Suzi Banks Baum

IN IMAGES