"Gathering of Artisans 2012" (www.gatheirngofartisans.wordpress.com ) is the third annual internationally attended  weekend held at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in picturesque Black Mountain, NC September 27-30, 2012 featuring fifty hands-on workshops by master artists in Fine Art, Fine Craft, Prophetic Art, Performing Arts, Media and Artist Development. Attendees come from across the region, the nation and as far away as Scotland and Australia.

Matt Tommey, (www.matttommey.com) who is the Founder and Executive Directior of Asheville based, The Worship Studio, is the visionary behind the third annual event and will also be one of the keynote speakers. Tommey, who is an award winning basket maker and member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, is also the Worship Pastor of King of Glory Church in Asheville, and the author of the noted book, Unlocking the Heart of the Artist. Tommey is an internationally recognized leader in the burgeoning Christian arts movement. He and fellow Fine Artist Pattie Ann Hale have recently opened a Gallery/Studio/Teaching facility in the Rivers Arts District of Asheville called River Oaks. River Oaks recently drew an estimated two hundred enthusiastic people from the community, and as far away as Atlanta to their Grand Opening.

Keynote speakers will include Michael Sherrill, (www.michaelsherrill.net) whose primary influences came from the North Carolina folk pottery tradition and the community surrounding Penland School of Crafts and the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. He is a frequent instructor at Penland and has taught at craft schools and workshops across the country. In 2002, Michael was a featured presenter and lecturer at the U.S. Clay exhibition of the Smithsonian's Renwick Museum of American Craft. In 2003, Michael was honored as Artist of the Year by the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, North Carolina. As part of the International Ceramics Symposium/WOCEF, Michael is one of ten artists invited to build outdoor sculptures to be placed permanently at the International Ceramic Museum in Inchon, South Korea, in the summer of 2004.

Other keynote speakers include Pattie Ann Hale, (www.pattieannhale.com) and multi-instrumentalist, poet and songwriter Stephen Roach (www.stephenroachmusic.com). Fifty workshops, with numerous presenters featuring a wide spectrum of the creative arts from songwriting, screenwriting,  photography, dance, painting to basketmaking are planned. Emerging artists can develop their skills with master artists amid the beauty of the mountains and historic YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly.

Noted worship leader, Jonathan David Helser (www.jonathanhelser.com)  will be leading the participants in worship, in what is usually a very colorful panorama of dancers, banners, musicians, and painters.

Tommey, who is both commited to personal wholeness and artistic skill, emphasizes that "Gatheirng of Artisans 2012" is not just a "sit and listen" kind of gathering, but a time to actively engage in creativity, and development of skill.

Bullet points from the website of the event include:

• Actually being creative, not just sitting around listening to people talk about it
• Hands-on workshops that let you learn from the best of the best
• Free-time and optional activities that let you choose how you want to spend your day
• One-on-one and small group interaction with master artists and Christian leaders
• Shared meals that foster opportunities to get to know other artists
• Dynamic worship experiences where your creative expression is encouraged
• Sharing real tools you can take home and use to keep the creativity going

Registration for the weekend event ranges from $352 to $557 per person which includes meals and lodging packages. Evening sessions at 7:30 pm are free and open to the public. The YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly is located at 84 Blue Ridge Circle, Black Mountain, NC 28711.