Hindman, Kentucky

Appalachian Artisan Center & School of Luthiery

Problem

Youth leave because they don't see pathways to creative or skilled work at home. Local craftspeople, artists, and makers struggle to find successors.

Solution

The Appalachian Artisan Center (AAC, founded 1999) in Hindman runs studios in luthiery, blacksmithing, ceramics and fibers; Doug Naselroad founded its Appalachian School of Luthiery in 2012. Its Culture of Recovery program (launched with a $475,000 ArtPlace grant, 2017/2018) brings Knott County Drug Court and Hickory Hill Recovery Center clients into the studios; about 150 people had taken part by January 2020. The AAC's Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Company, started 2019 with Appalachian Regional Commission money, hires from the program (two of six full-time staff in 2020 were former apprentices); the July 2022 flood destroyed the shop and it reopened in late 2022.

Patterns used: Creative Apprenticeships

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