The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Wyoming Report

April 17, 2008

Artisans Trail to be organized

VISTA volunteer wants to coordinate effort in county

By Mary Catherine Brooks

Artists — including painters, quilters, wood-crafters, jewelry, needlework, among numerous others — throughout the area are being encouraged to become part of the Artisans Trail, now being organized by Josh Fangmeier, an AmeriCorps VISTA member working for the Rural Appalachian Improvement League (RAIL) in Mullens.

“Most of the artists in this area do it as a hobby or a family tradition,” Fangmeier noted.

They do not think of themselves as artists and Fangmeier wants to change that thinking.

“We also want them to understand that there are actually people out there who are willing to buy (their creations),” he emphasized.

“(Tourists) come here and want to learn more about the communities, and they want to go home with a piece of that culture in hand,” he noted.

“Our focus is to identify and coordinate the artisans first in Wyoming County and, second, develop a trail through southern West Virginia,” Fangmeier said.

“The project has the potential to recognize the traditional art and craft work done by people in the region as well as bring in tourists who would be interested in learning more about this unique culture,” he explained.

The driving trails would be similar to those in Kentucky and North Carolina, he noted.

Funding comes from a grant through West Virginia State University.

A comprehensive list of artists, and their creations, will be compiled community by community in Wyoming County, Fangmeier said. Then, the project will expand to identify artists in adjacent counties.

Eventually the trail will include artists and craftsmen from Wyoming, McDowell, Mercer, Summers, Fayette, Nicholas, and Raleigh counties, he said.

As the project moves forward, some of the artists may wish to open their workshops, or homes, to do demonstrations and sell their wares to tourists driving along the trail.

Additionally, the participating artists will be taught, through classes, to sell their creations on the Web as well as through local consignment outlets designed specifically for this purpose, such as the TBAI in McDowell County. Scholarships are available to pay for the class costs, he explained.

Travel Beautiful Appalachia Incorporated (TBAI), located in the old Ashland Company Store in Ashland, is a non-profit organization promoting economic development opportunities to the people of McDowell, Wyoming, and Mercer counties.

Inevitably there will be some overlapping with other tourist trails, such as the Coal Heritage Highway, Fangmeier said.

“There are so many places of interest,” he said. “The Artisans Trail will feature the beacons of culture and people will want to see these other places.

“It is an economic stimulus,” he emphasized.

Craftsmen and other artists who are interested in becoming part of the project are encouraged to contact Josh Fangmeier at 294-6188 or by e-mail at jfangmeier@railwv. org.

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