2019 Weekend Intensive: Knott County

It's always so hard to say goodbye to our beloved cohort members departing the program. The final RUX Community Intensive invited us to Knott County for our second and final visit to this Appalachian community. This beautiful intensive focused on the interconnectivity and revitalization of people and place.

RUXers communed at the Hindman Settlement School and explored the alternative, regenerative efforts that bridge industry, culture, and the power of recovery. By celebrating local culture and social traditions with community members, our cohort learned from folks contributing to the Appalachian Artisan Center, the Hindman Settlement School, Troublesome Creek Guitar Factory, Good for your Heart Farms, and community members from Redfox and Carr Creek.

Efforts to showcase the viability of the local economy and the outcomes of unique and intentional collaborations were displayed through the intriguing presentation of the future plans for the Carr Creek Community Center.

To end the season, we gathered RUX members in assembly to discuss the future of RUX and our collective vision for Kentucky. RUX staff and facilitators empowered RUXers to boldly dream of new ways to engage Kentucky's creativity.

From the cohort:“My most memorable moment was the black lung panel. It's an issue I am disconnected from -- I live in Louisville, far from the coal fields on either side of the state. However, I have tried to educate myself on this issue through the years. It cannot be overstated how much more visceral the issue becomes when hearing directly from impacted people instead of reading about it or hearing from their representatives in the media.”

Check out this video reflecting on the Knott County weekend!

The Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange gathered in Knott County from September 27-29, 2019. The Knott County RUX was facilitated in partnership with the Hindman Settlement School, with support from the Bank of Hindman. RUX is supported by Art of the Rural, Appalshop, local sponsors, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and McKnight Foundation.