Appalachian Artisan Center staff working hard to save works damaged in flood

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Published: Aug. 12, 2022 at 5:09 PM EDT

HINDMAN, Ky. (WYMT) - Flood waters broke through the windows at the Appalachian Artisan Center studios, tearing apart just about anything in its path.

“This was the actual water line in the inside and here to here. And yeah it busted out the windows,” Director of Development & Fundraising Tereshia Thomas said while looking at a line six feet high.

The Appalachian Artisan Center was comprised of all types of artwork from instruments to jewelry. Now, a lot of the shop’s tools are ruined.

“All of the stuff that’s in the front here and on this side was back there all piled up. And the weight of all the weight of all the equipment, it was making the floor buckle,” Thomas said pointing from one end of the studio to the other.

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The Artisan Center partners with Hickory Hill Recovery Center for a program that gives clients a chance to work on instruments. Without that, it gives clients at Hickory Hill less to look forward to.

“I think it gave me something to look forward to as far as just getting outside of recovery a little bit and putting my mind into something else constructive and productive,” Jeremy Haney, a luther at the Appalachian Artisan Center and member of the program, said.

Even with all of the destruction, staff at the Appalachian Artisan Center are ready to return.

“That’s one thing, we are going to make a comeback, it’s just going to, like everyone else, it’s just going to take a while and the memory is not gonna fade,” Thomas said.

Thomas also said they plan to move the Luthiery School to another location.

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