A PBS News Hour new occasional series, American Creators, recently featured the longstanding work of Appalshop in Letcher County, Kentucky. The segment focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and economic development that Appalshop encourages, such as the work of Gwen Johnson at Hemphill Community Center where the community owns what they make. Appalshop supported Johnson in starting up a catering company to help fund the community center’s work after other funding dried up. Johnson said of Appalshop during the segment: “They’re friends who kind of stepped up to the plate and began to think outside the box, and sometimes they think bigger than some of us have ever been allowed to think.” Watch the PBS segment below.
