Hand Crafted Weekend Showcases Skills from Near and Far
Kathy Clayton
The Ashland Beacon
Appalachia, including our corner of Eastern Kentucky, has long been known for the amazing work of our artisans in many different media. The Hand Crafted Weekend, held April 15-16, in the Jesse Stuart Lodge at Greenbo Lake State Park, showcased many of these cultural works.
Artisans from around northeast Kentucky sold their wares and demonstrated their art as members of the community strolled through the exhibits. Visitors were encouraged to vote for their favorite quilt, and there were several “make and take” crafts for children to try.
“We wanted to focus on the craftsman demonstrating his skill, so this event is different from a vendor fair where they would be mainly selling their items,” said Anne Stephens, Community Arts agent with the Greenup County Extension Office. “We wanted people to experience the process of artistic creation. It’s not often that you get to see that process, and this is a really special event because of that.”
She said this year was the first Hand Crafted Weekend, but that it had grown out of the Greenup County Quilt Guild’s annual quilt show. “That event was postponed during the Covid years, so we took the opportunity to include even more handcrafted items.”
Two alpacas greeted the public as they entered the lodge, as their owner, Kevin Toney, sat at a loom, weaving strands of wool made from their fur into a poncho. Toney is owner of Silver Run Ranch Alpacas in Catlettsburg.
Further inside the great room lobby of the lodge, John Ryster of Carter County concentrated on carving a horse head scroll at the top of a fiddle, specially ordered by a customer. “My fiddles are getting to be known for their oddity, like this horse head. I like to carve different things in them.” Ryster explained that he prefers to use native wood such as red maple, spruce or cherry.
“People have been building fiddles here for a long time,” he said. “We’re always looking for more native woods to use for our fiddles.”
A pottery wheel was set up in one corner, where Jessica Evans of the University of Kentucky Arts Extension office worked on a vase as onlookers watched her skilled hands smooth and form the clay. A table set up by Jill Robertson of Appalachia’s Daughter in Hindman, KY, displayed jewelry made from stones and recycled copper and silver. “Each of these pieces is individual and unique,” she said. “And, we can do custom pieces.”
Other artisans demonstrated basketweaving, knitting and crocheting, wood carving, and cross stitch. And of course, the beautiful hand-made quilts drew many attendees to the basement area, where they were hung on display racks for viewing.
“We have about 73 quilts hanging for display and at least 70 smaller quilted items displayed on tables,” said Barb Rister of the Greenup County Quilt Guild. Rister was handing out forms that people could vote for their favorite quilt. There were also forms handed out by the extension office. Visitors could fill out their favorite part of the day’s activities, then turn it in for a drawing for a gift basket.
“We’re really pleased with the turn out so far,” said Stephens. “We hope this helps showcase the immense talent we have in this area, and we hope to do it again. We thought that Greenbo would be a great place for this. People could come out, eat at the delicious buffet, and browse through all the crafts on display.”
For more information on local artisans, visit the Greenup Arts Facebook page.