Randy Ancil Campbell was born in Lackey and raised in Mousie of Knott County, Kentucky. He has BA in Education from the University of Kentucky, MA in education from Morehead State University, Juris Doctorate from Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University. He has practiced law from 1980-2020 in Hindman Kentucky and played a prevalent role in the Knott County Drug Court. He has been the Commonwealth Attorney of the 36th Judicial Circuit from 1988-2000 and is an AV rated attorney by Martindale Hubbell. He has been the executive director of Appalachian Artisan Center since June, 2019. He has great interest in music and plays a bass guitar. He is an avid collector of banjos, guitars and dulcimers. His passion in music, love for the arts and Appalachia, leads him to direct the center with knowledge and wisdom of Hindman's history as a native Knott-countian.
Artistic Director & Culture of Recovery Coordinator:
Madison Renee Anderson is a multidisciplinary artist from Paintsville, Kentucky. She is a 2020 graduate of Morehead State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Art & Design, and completed a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. While in college, she was able to explore with her art and eventually settle into a focus in both ink/watercolor drawing, and photography. Outside of visual arts, it was arts entrepreneurship and arts administration that she discovered would be the career path she wanted to pursue.
Renee is an exhibiting artist with awards in drawing, photography, and painting. She is published in the 2021 installment of MSU's literary and art magazine, Inscape. She has worked on several public art projects, including a collaborative mural in Morehead's Don Greenhill Park titled, Winged Animals of Kentucky. She completed two portions of the mural: the big brown bat, and the lettering design. She has had work on display in MSU's Golding-Yang Art Gallery, Rowan County Arts Center, Gateway Regional Arts Center, and at the Appalachian Artisan Center. In 2023, she will be having a solo photography exhibition at the Gateway Regional Arts Center in Mt. Sterling, KY.
Gallery Store Manager:
Lisa Burke is a native Floyd/Knott-countian. She attended East Kentucky Beauty College and Morehead State University. She has 25 plus years in procurement and inventory control. She has worked at Pikeville Medical Center, as a surgical purchasing agent. While Lisa comes from a medical background, she brings her skills and knowledge, applying them to the AAC gallery store. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the gallery store - including but not limited to, greeting guests, procuring and displaying art, maintaining item masterlist and inventory.
Financial Manager:
Cheryl is the AAC's financial manager who oversees our record keeping and grant management. Prior to the AAC, Cheryl worked as an office manager and a substitute teacher. She also volunteered on the Neon Area Days Committee. She has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Conservation and Management from the University of Kentucky.
Troublesome Creek String Instrument Company/ Master Luthier:
Master Luthier Doug Naselroad joined the Appalachian Artisan Center to found the Appalachian School of Luthiery in Hindman, Kentucky in 2012. In 2016, the school's Hindman Dulcimer Project won the prestigious Governor's Award in the Arts for Folk Heritage.
Recipient of the 2017 Homer Ledford award, Doug was named a South Arts Fellow in 2019, and coauthored the Culture of Recovery (COR) program funded by ArtPlace America. Once a month, he hosts the Knott Downtown Radio Hour on Appalshop's WMMT.
Doug currently serves as Director of the Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Company at the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman, a nonprofit manufacturing company that employs people in recovery.
Master in Residence/Blacksmith:
Dan Estep was born in Perry County, KY. He began his career in metalwork in 1982 after being laid off from his trade as a welder in the mines. He is one of the original members of the Southeast Kentucky Blacksmith Association and of the AAC in Hindman, KY. He is also a member of the Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil Association, Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, and a juried member of Kentucky Crafted. Dan is a traditional ironworker – a toolmaker and bladesmith. In 2011, he began devoting more time to his company, Wren Forge Ironworks, and since 2016 has instructed workshops and coordinated special projects for the AAC at the Kentucky School of Craft studio in Hindman, KY. He was lead Instructor for an NEA "Our Town" Grant award - SPARK Knott County – (2016-2017) and currently serves as AAC's Master Blacksmith with the "Culture of Recovery" Program.
*Photo Credit: Malcolm J. Wilson
Master in Residence/Ceramics:
Richard Kirk Banks is a multidisciplinary studio artist working in Hindman, KY. A Whitesburg,
KY native, Kirk is a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall and the University of Virginia's College
at Wise with an emphasis in fine/studio art. He practices primarily in three media: ceramic arts,
printmaking, and painting. Kirk's pieces from each medium are characterized by bold, saturated
colors, simple patterns, and lively functionality. His ceramic work is generally functional and
wheel thrown. He teaches clients weekly through Culture of Recovery and Family Fun Arts Exploration. His print work includes serigraphs and monotype/monoprint on paper, while his paintings are made with acrylic, oil, and pastels on canvas or panel.
Appalachian School of Luthiery Director:
Originally working from Mt. Sterling, Paul Williams is a seasoned luthier and is the director of the Appalachian School of Luthiery. After his career in the U.S.Navy and long-time employment with the Lexington Federal Medical Center, he has made his mark as a versatile luthier of stringed instruments ranging from dulcimers to guitars. He is known for using native Kentucky wood for one-of-a-kind instruments, focusing on the specialized sound each wood makes. While continuing to make his own instruments at the School of Luthiery, he teaches clients weekly from the Culture of Recovery program, sharing the mission to make a positive impact towards the addiction recovery efforts of this region.