Occasionally the perfect convergence of talent, passion, and opportunity align and the world gets changed through the collision.

One such cosmic union has existed at Cookeville High School for the last 30 years in the life and work of art instructor and 2024 Influential Person, Mitchell White. 

From his work in the classroom to the stunning, visionary Cookeville prom dreamscapes he created for decades, Mitchell has transformed innumerable lives through a deep commitment to the craft, a zeal that revealed itself in childhood. 

“I guess I showed some promise artistically when I was young,” he stated. “So my parents, as most parents do, were looking for something that their child is interested in, and a direction to guide them. My brother was also artistically inclined, and he’s a little bit older, so he got art lessons first and had a lot of materials and supplies, and then he kind of aged out of it, or found something new. But, it stuck with me. So, mom and dad put me into lessons when I was 10 or 11 years old. I was lucky to find that passion early in life.”

On the road to becoming a staple of the area art scene, White reflected, “I began as a business major at Tennessee Tech, which did not go well at all. I remember thinking, I’ve got to figure this out. I started selling paintings when I was in high school, so I knew that people liked my work. This gave me confidence in myself and my abilities. I had gotten into the art program at Tennessee Tech and painting was my thing and art education was my degree. As soon as I graduated I got the position at Cookeville High School. I’ve been there for 30 years as a teacher, but oddly enough, I think I’ve always considered myself an artist who happens to be a teacher, not the other way around.” 

Even artists possessing tremendous raw talent and ambition need guides and influences to lend direction to their development as creators. Mitchell reflects on his individual style and the personal and professional guideposts that helped shape his approach.  

“My Biggest painting influence in school was a woman named Chris Koczwara, who taught at Tennessee Tech for many years. Her paintings are still all over the Upper Cumberland. She and I just hit it off from day one, and she really impacted my education at Tech and my time there. By the time I started teaching, I had traveled in college overseas, and that also really impacted me. I have parents who traveled a lot, as did my grandparents. I learned early that travel was an invaluable form of education, so I started taking student tours overseas after the first year I taught when I was in my mid-20s. I saw a lot of really famous works of art early on in my life because I was taking educational trips to all of the major cities in Europe where all of these big museums are. These were full of really famous painters that I had studied when I was in school, and that really impacted me, maybe as much or more so than any teaching that I had, because I figured out that if I was going to learn to be a good painter, I would to need to learn from the best.” He continued, “In Cookeville, Tennessee, or Livingston, Tennessee, that’s kind of tough to do because there aren’t many painters around. So I just started copying all the great works from these incredible artists that I would see. It taught me a lot stylistically, as far as what I do now. I like light. I like painting the effects of light, which is impressionistic at the end of the day and I like contrast. I like bold, intense light and bold and intense shadows.”

Among Mr. White’s many notable contributions to the community, few have received more acclaim than the other-worldly Cookeville High School prom displays he dreamt and brought to life for more than 20 years. When asked, Mitchell recalls that his work as a freelancer informed his approach and led to a long-term involvement with the event.

“The principal at the time knew that I had been involved in some event work outside of school, and approached me about taking over prom. And, to back up a little bit to some extent, my after-school gig when I was in high school was arranging flowers. In a lot of ways, it’s the same thing as organizing the visual direction of an event, because it’s about colors and shapes and lines, so the two just go hand in hand.” White elaborated, “So, because of my experience arranging, that part of events came very easy to me and people seemed to like what I did. I started doing a lot of wedding work on my own, and it was a good revenue stream at that time of my life. And because of that experience, prom landed in my lap. Like weddings and events, it was about taking the space and changing it. I had a decent budget to work with, so it was up to me to make something cool happen. And I did, but I had a lot of help. It was not just me. I can’t take all the credit by any means. And a lot of students and teachers were extremely helpful.”

Despite the demanding schedule life as an educator requires, along with his more than 10-year involvement as co-proprietor of the Clark House in Livingston, Mitchell has and continues to remain an active, professional artist. When asked about his recent work and what’s to come, he stated, “Currently, I’m doing a lot of work from the local area in and around Livingston. I’ve had two shows of work, one in 2021 which was called ‘Our Town,’ which was all about Livingston. And then I had another one last November, which was about winter in the Upper Cumberland. I think people respond to what they know, and oddly enough, I kind of fell in love with my hometown during the pandemic. I was home every day and was able to walk and go out and see Livingston in a way that I’ve never seen it before, and really Cookeville too. My goal is to eventually do with Cookeville what I’ve done with Livingston because Cookeville is my adopted hometown. It’s where I work. I spend as much or more time in Cookeville now than I do in Livingston. I know so many people here, so many parents, so many former students who are now business owners and involved in the community, and I’m fortunate to be able to work with them.”

The life of a teacher is often isolating, with long, thankless hours. With this in mind, I asked Mitchell what it meant to be recognized as an Influential Person by the people of Cookeville. 

“To be nominated as an Influential Person is a huge honor for me. When Chelsea contacted me, I was kind of stunned. I had never entertained or even thought about it. I mean, this is a huge honor. When I thought about becoming an art teacher, I thought that having an impact on students might happen, but I thought that it might be secondary. I was so enamored in and enraptured with painting and my enthusiasm about it, I thought, if somebody ends up getting something positive out of that, that’s fine, if they don’t, that’s ok too. But I think if you pursue your passion, it bleeds out and over into other aspects of your life, and people see it and respond to it. I said earlier I am an artist who happens to teach, but ultimately, teaching is the thing that I think I’ll be remembered for at the end of the day, and that’s wonderful.”

We have no doubt that Mitchell White will be remembered for his art, his contribution to the lives of countless students, and his incredible heart. Cookeville Lifestyle Magazine is delighted to celebrate the life and art of one of the kindest, most inspiring men this community has ever known, Mitchell White. 

– written by Andrew Buckner, photos by Abby Weeden