ARTIST STATEMENT

There are many stereotypes regarding Appalachia and its people. Said stereotypes always happen to be from those who have never even set foot in the area. Even from those like me who have grown up here our entire lives, we are taught to be ashamed of it. We are told we need to make it out of those mountains, out of those hollers, and never turn back. We are told to be ashamed of where we came from, and to forget it if we can. 

I remember when I first moved here, trying to make new friends. I was told how funny I talked, I was asked if I had electricity or running water where I lived, I was even asked if my parents knew how to read. I always knew outsiders may possess stereotypes about us, but now that I am living elsewhere, I've experienced these things first hand. My first day living here was the first day I learned to be ashamed of everything that made me, me.

This exhibit aims to honor and immortalize the people and places that I come from. They will no longer be some buried, ashamed-of memory, that I hope one day to forget. When viewing these works, see a beautiful place, with loving, hardworking people. I especially hope those who come from these mountains see these pieces. I hope these mountains remind you of where you came from. I hope these houses remind you of home. I hope you can see your papaw, uncle, or father, who loved to farm or worked in the mines. I hope you can see your mamaw, aunt, or mother, who loved to garden and to sew. I hope you feel the utmost pride if this is where you came from. For those who didn't, I hope you can see the beauty in this place, and I hope one day you take the time to visit.