LENOIR, N.C. – Just a couple of months before opening our doors for business last month, I reached out to Appalachian writers, painters and craftspeople to invite them to bring their ideas and creations to Grassroots Appalachia. The response was kind and enthusiastic as they learned that our location in Lenoir would include an Appalachian Fair Trade Arts & Crafts store, an Art Gallery and a gathering space for music, workshops and other community events.
As we begin our second month in business, I have no doubt there was a need for such a place in our town. The creative people have proven that to be true. So, our location at 458-B Harper Ave has filled up quickly with a wide range of Appalachian-inspired art, books and crafts. More is coming.
Why? Because Appalachia has an abundance of artistic and creative people. In fact, we suffer an embarrasment of riches here in Caldwell County and all of Western North Carolina. Their response to our outreach has simply been overwhelming.
As I reported recently, Caldwell County musicians Bob Kogut and Terry Edwards will be hosting an acoustic Song Circle on Oct. 6 along about 6:30 p.m. The decision by these two outstanding musicians to utilize our space to use their vast musical and creative talents to draw people together for fun and fellowship is so much better than fussing and fighting. That’s why we made having a suitable listening space a first priority.
But, we’re so much more. Back in August, during our Opening week, we did enjoy an incredible array of art and events, which you can read about in the links at the end of this article. As a result of our first month of operations and spreading the word ceaselessly, we’re please to count at least 22 contributing local Artisans for this exhibit (listed below alphabetically). Dozens more contributed to the Opening in August.
Our next Art Exhibit – “The Spirit of Appalachia” – opens on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. It runs through Nov. 14. All of their work will be in the “Spirit of Appalachia” Exhibit because Appalachia is at its strongest when its people pull together for a shared purpose. In this case, the purpose is to explore – and offer – what Appalachian Artisans believe are the conditions favorable for community life.
Painters
- Vannah Aldridge (2 works)
- Lynn Downham (4 works, counting that of Shirley Story)
- Kathy Rosenberger (3 works)
- Tonja Smith (8 works)
- Matthew Strawn (4 works)
Writers
- Alan D. Baker (1 title)
- Michael Barrick (1 title)
- Thomas Blanton (5 titles)
- Karin Seuren Davidson (1 title)
- Tony Deal (3 titles)
- Gretchen Griffith and collaborators (8 titles)
- Lou Perez (1 title)
- Tonja Smith (2 titles – for children)
- Carol Starr (1 title)
- Lucy Wilkes (2 titles)
- Foothills Writers (2 titles)
Craftspeople
- David Anders (Fly-tying)
- Karin Davidson (Shawls, shawl pins, fingerless gloves, Goat Milk soap, pin cushions)
- Amber Shoemake (Jewelry)
- Barbara Volk (Tinctures and Ointment)
Sculpture
- Joe Bigley (4 pieces)
Wood/Metal Work
- Allyn Barrick (4 pieces plus; for sale but also used for display).
Indeed, to help those emerging and established artists make it through these inflationary times, we’re staying with the theme of “The Spirit of Appalachia” for our Christmas market, which will run from Nov. 18 through Dec. 23.
As an Appalachian, you know these folks and many like them. People who get up before the sun rises to get you out of a jam on a frigid February morning. Folks who still say grace before eating the home-cooked meal prepared without a second thought about how many “fat grams” are in the cornbread. We move at our own pace. Slow but steady. Most importantly, we know that if we find ourselves needing a bit of help, we can give a shout to the next holler over and help will soon arrive. That’s the “Spirit of Appalachia.”
It is rooted in these ancient mountains. Hollers are just narrow valleys criss-crossed by creeks and tributaries. It is here the people gathered because of the water. So, it is appropriate that “The Spirit of Appalachia” has a focus on the life-giving properties of water. We have a fly-tying display and ties with more to come. We even have hats with flies in them. Many of the paintings are of rivers. The Yadkin River, with its headwaters just a few miles up the mountain from Lenoir is an inspiration for a Lynn Downham painting, and is grouped with a painting from 1925 that led one visitor to comment, as he pointed at a shade tree along the river, “That’s where I’d stand and cast.”
Art does, indeed, stir the imagination, gives us a deeper appreciation of the value of water, and the relaxing aspects of undisturbed nature.
Many negative things have been written about Appalachia. I’ve spent my life here (with a six-year diversion to Charlotte). I’ve been in the hills and hollows from Pittsburgh to northern Georgia. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. That is not Appalachia’s story though. The story is the people.
Our lives are summed up in one word: Resilient.
I hope you’ll visit visit Grassroots Appalachia. The artists share what inspires them and we believe you’ll be inspired by their talent and enthusiam. That, to my way of thinking, makes for Conditions Favorable for Community Life – our ultimate goal at Grassroots Appalachia.
© Michael M. Barrick, 2026
About Grassroots Appalachia
We believe Appalachia’s greatest resource is her people. Helping to create conditions favorable for community life is why Grassroots Appalachia exists. We work to connect and cultivate Appalachian people and traditions in Lenoir and beyond. We are located at 458-B Harper Avenue in Lenoir, N.C. Our normal business hours are Wednesday thru Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and other times for events.
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