The purpose of the Craft Luminary Project is to document and preserve through video history interviews the personal stories of individuals who have made significant contributions to Kentucky’s craft movement and impacted Kentucky craft history. KCHEA continued and expanded the interview project developed by the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen's (KGAC) oral history committee. The KGAC interviews became the basis for KCHEA's efforts and interviews are continually being added to the over 40 that were initially conducted.

In FY 2010, work on the Craft Luminary Project included development of guidelines and an application form and the establishment of a committee that reviews oral history recommendations for the board. In follow up to a 2009 Oral History Commission Grant, transcriptions of the interviews were completed and edited in the past year that will be maintained at the Kentucky History Center.

KCHEA added four video histories in FY 2010 which were conducted with several Eastern Kentucky folk artists: Minnie Adkins, Tim Lewis, Ronald Cooper and Calvin Cooper.  Assistance for the interviews was provided by the Kentucky Folk Art Center, Morehead, Kentucky. Although open to suggestions of persons to interview, at this time funding and health of the individual determine priorities."

In 2011 KCHEA received a $3,000 matching grant from LexArts to support video oral histories of Kentucky instrument makers. The project focused on 17 individuals who have been influential in the crafting of stringed instruments and who are a special part of Kentucky’s heritage. During the personal on-site studio interviews, Luthiers discussed how they learned the trade and explained the artistry of building a string instrument. In addition to the makers' individual stories, the use of video will also document the processes of creating and playing the instruments. More Info here. 

In 2013, KCHEA directly funded and completed interviews with it's own founding board president, Susan Goldstein and board member Nancy Atcher. Additional Kentucky artists interviews were conducted with two Louisville fiber artists, Mary-Stuart Reichard and Anne Barnes Bird. Also, the outgoing director of David Applachian Crafts, Ruth Ann Iwanski; woodworker, Terry Ratliff of Martin; and Ed Brinkman, an original Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen member involved with the Guild Train project were interviewed.

As part of a 2016 LexArts Program grant, Interviews have been conducted with Leona Waddell, as basketmaker from Cecilia; Basket Collector, Dr. James Middleton; Quilter Rebekka Seigel of Owenton; Tim Hall, a duck carver from Ravenna, and Basketmaker, Jennifer Zurick of Berea.

CRAFT LUMINARY RESOURCES:

• LIST OF CRAFT LUMINARY INTERVIEWS, or (PDF VERSION)

• SAMPLING OF CRAFT ORAL HISTORY VIDEO INTERVIEWS 

• KCHEA YOUTUBE CHANNEL

• KCHEA ONLINE DIGITAL COLLECTION, KENTUCKY ORAL HISTORY COMMISSION