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Berea Artists Named to The Kentucky Crafted Program

Berea artists Mary Ann Woolery-Bussey and Teresa Webb are two of nine artists from across the Commonwealth selected for Kentucky Crafted, the Kentucky Arts Council’s adjudicated program that provides assistance to Kentucky visual and craft artists through marketing and promotional opportunities and arts business training.

A native of Richmond, KY, Mary Ann Woolery-Bussey received her Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Kentucky University in 2009, where she studied painting and metalsmithing. She is the owner and operator of Blue Lick Hollow Farm and Studio, located on a small hobby farm at the edge of Berea’s Appalachian Foothills. Mary Ann is a fiber artist currently working with the eco-dying process to create silk scarves with vivid colors, capturing the patterns and impressions of organic objects. Native leaves and plants collected from around Berea are used to create stunning and unique contact prints. No two scarves are alike, each telling their own story.

Mary Ann is an avid gardener, hiker, and poultry hobbyist. She currently resides in Berea, where she lives with her husband, a host of chickens, five cats, and an energetic dog. Mary Ann draws her inspiration from the farm and mountain culture found in the East Central Kentucky region.

Mary Ann’s scarves can be found at locally Appalachian Fireside Gallery, Berea Arts Council, and Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea, KY, as well as through the Blue Lick Hollow Etsy shop at www.bluelickhollow.com. Her work has been featured in Mary Jane’s Farm Magazine, published by Belvoir Media Group, and exhibits regularly at regional craft and art fairs.

Teresa, a self-taught maker, specializes in crafting soft-bodied memory dolls and animals using an embroidery machine.

She began sewing and crafting only two years ago, when, she states, “my husband bought me a sewing machine for Valentine’s Day and I begin watching online tutorials.”

“Through trial and error - lots of errors! - I began making gifts such as bags and baby items for friends and family,” said Teresa. “People began requesting items, so my daughter Laura and I started an Etsy Store. We named it ‘Worker Bee Sewing Company’ for my love of bees and after my buzzing personality!”

It was only since March that Teresa began making dolls and soft animals. As a former educator, Teresa became passionate about making dolls that are inspired by historical people and fictional characters who demonstrate confidence, talented achievements, or cultural significance. She also makes stuffed memory animals from garments of personal significance.

“Combining sewing and embroidery machine techniques allows me to embellish and personalize designs, giving each unique characteristics that are thoughtfully crafted to be inviting, colorful, soft, and - most importantly - ‘made to bee loved’!”, she explains.

“When I heard I was juried into the Kentucky Crafted Program, I was ecstatic!,” said Teresa. “The business training and marketing opportunities are so important to a new artist like me.”

Mary Ann and Teresa will join more than 360 visual and craft artists in the online Kentucky Crafted Directory. In addition to business training and marketing opportunities, they are eligible to exhibit at the Kentucky Crafted Market, March 15-17th at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena.

You can meet both artists at the Berea Makers Market Holiday Show held at the Russel Acton Folk center, Saturday, November 17th, 2018, 11 AM-5 PM.

Nine New Artists Join Kentucky Crafted Program

Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Kentucky Arts Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tom Musgrave 502-892-3122 tomr.musgrave@ky.gov

Nine New Artists Join Kentucky Crafted Program

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2018) — Lakshmi Sriraman of Lexington built a career as a performer and teacher of classical Indian dancing, but in February 2017 she added another layer to her artistry when she started painting.

Sriraman split her time between dance rehearsal and the canvas, and eventually decided in 2018 to apply for the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted arts marketing program. In September, she was one of nine Kentucky artists juried into the elite program.

Kentucky Crafted is an adjudicated arts marketing assistance program that provides opportunities to Kentucky visual and craft artists through arts business training, networking, sales, exhibit and promotional opportunities. Adjudicated visual and craft artists become eligible to exhibit at The Kentucky Crafted Market, March 15-17, 2019, at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena in Lexington.

“It’s a tremendous validation of an artist to be selected for Kentucky Crafted, especially since I’m a self-starting artist,” Sriraman said. “I literally started painting in February 2017 and I’ve had a lot of feedback from friends who said I should apply. I was hesitant in the beginning, but I said, ‘I’m going to do it.’ The worst that could happen is that I’d get good constructive criticism on how to improve my application in the future.”

Sriraman was already familiar with the arts council’s jurying process, having been adjudicated

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into the Performing Artists Directory in 2013.

“I’m very grateful for the support and infrastructure the Kentucky Arts Council provides to artists here,” she said. “When I see the care the arts council takes with the adjudication process, I realize it’s all there for a reason. The arts council highlights the best in Kentucky art, and it’s a great honor to be included in that list.”

Teresa Webb is another relatively new artist who was juried into Kentucky Crafted. She creates unique dolls in her home-based studio in Berea. She agreed with Sriraman that there’s a validation in carrying the Kentucky Crafted brand.

“I’m no longer a hobbyist,” she said. “I can finally say I’m a maker.”

Webb is looking forward to joining the community of Kentucky’s finest visual and craft artists, and is interested in expanding her business.

“I would love to be able to contact someone and say, ‘I know you do woodworking, but how can what you’re doing relate to what I’m doing?’ I want to keep learning. It’s a whole new world. I want to learn from others so I can apply those lessons to my craft.”

The new Kentucky Crafted program artists are:

Robert Bridges (Rob Bridges Illustration), Georgetown, painting Margaret Cooney (Cooney Pottery), Elizabethtown, ceramics Michelle Hayden (Michelle Hayden Fine Art), Richmond, sculpture Edward Lawrence (Zedz Press), Frankfort, photography

Sharon Matisoff, Frankfort, painting

David Neace, Nicholasville, painting

Lakshmi Sriraman (Lakshmi’s Studio), Lexington, painting Teresa Webb (Worker Bee Sewing Co.), Berea, fiber art

Mary Ann Woolery-Bussey (Blue Lick Hollow), Berea, fiber art

Applicants to the program must be visual or craft artists who have a well-developed body of work in any medium, full-time residents of Kentucky, and over the age of 18. For more information on the Kentucky Crafted program, contact Dave Blevins at david.blevins@ky.gov or 502-892-3120.

Note to editors: click on images for links to high-resolution photos.

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“Vibrations” by Lakshmi Sriraman of Lexington, one of nine artists recently juried into the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted program.

A custom made doll of artist Frida Kahlo created by Teresa Webb of Berea, one of nine artists recently juried into the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted program.

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'Neighbor helping neighbor'

https://www.richmondregister.com/news/coronavirus/neighbor-helping-neighbor/article_4c79d96d-a2bc-56d8-8282-c85a9db0dd45.html?fbclid=IwAR1KzmilRYZBPLayr24Rfcb-Gwq-veOJ4QRLB_9P50YPocjyJQtq6F_2PQQ

Group makes masks, case total rises to 18

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Contributed photo

Teresa Webb sews masks.

Contributed photo

Madison County Sheriff Mike Coyle wears his mask, made by Mask Madison County group.

Contributed photo

Masks made by Teresa Webb, a member of Mask Madison County.

One new case of the coronavirus was confirmed by the health department Thursday, for a total of 18 known cases in Madison County.

To keep the county numbers low, many people in Madison County are doing their part to be a good neighbor, including several local women who have formed the group, Mask Madison County, which connects health care workers, first responders and community members with homemade masks.

One member, Sandy Rowlette, said it is something she and the other volunteers do to help bring some comfort and perhaps safety to those in the community.

The group began, she said, when Leesha McIntosh, whom Rowlette has known for years, posted on Facebook needing help with making masks.

Rowlette and McIntosh were soon joined by Kathy Bryant, Teresa Webb, Winnie Commare and the Flying Needles Quilting Group from Glades Christian Church with a mission to provide masks to anyone in Madison County that need them.

Now, the group has made more than 3,000 masks so far with 500 requested by people in the community.

Rowlette said masks were going first to health care workers, first responders and those in failing health, but that anyone who wanted or needed a bright and colorful patterned cloth mask could get one.

All free of charge, Rowlette said making the masks is a way for the women to use their God-given talents to bring comfort and safety to those around them.

She said the way to request and receive a mask or several is very easy and can be done so through the group's Facebook page, @Maskmadison.

They ask if you would like to place an order for hand-sewn, decorated masks, to send an individual message to the Mask Madison group of how many are needed. Rowlette asked that people not do requests through posts on the page, but again through a personalized message, which helps the group's request list stay organized.

Once the order is ready, a team member will give a designated place for the masks to be picked up safely out of several different locations.

And they don't plan to stop production anytime soon.

"We plan to go until we don't have to anymore, or until we use all of our stock fabric," she said. "Between (McIntosh) and I, we have so much fabric."

Already, McIntosh has used around 150 yards of fabric according to Rowlette, which they are happy to do.

However, in order to keep their hands sewing, those that would like to donate can.

"(Our group) is so blessed that if I mention on Facebook what we need, the community has come together — they may not be able to sew — but they provide the means to keep going, and that is a blessing, neighbor helping neighbor," Rowlette said.

While the masks are not N95 rated, the group is making the cloth masks in accordance with the recommendations given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This will give a little bit of comfort and safety to people (who) need it. We know masks are difficult to come by," she said.

Already, Rowlette can not tell the amount of organizations Mask Madison County has donated to.

"We have given masks to the sheriff's department, the EMT service in town, doctor's offices — we have even been contacted by individuals out at the Army depot," she said. "… We are going anywhere that we are needed in Madison County."

The Mask Madison County group is accepting donations of cotton fabric, lightweight fusible interfacing, quarter-inch elastic and ziplock sandwich bags.

To order masks, do so through the group's Facebook page through a message at facebook.com/Maskmadison/.

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