Ellen Pitts, from Jonesborough, constructs beautiful stained-glass artwork. She also paints two-dimensional artwork, creates American Indian theme fine crafts, wind catchers, gourd art as well as writes and illustrates children’s books. Ellen is also known for creating origami cranes, boxes and many other folded paper pieces of art. Ellen enjoys talking about and demonstrating how to make origami cranes, which require about 75 steps. She is able to teach many other folded creations out of paper to the delight of her students. 

Ellen has helped with Tanasi for many years being a part of the planning for the “Tanasi Saturday” in 2009. She teaches art to children and how to make many kinds of origami objects, leading up to learning to fold the cranes at ETSU’s University School. She was a former member of NETA.