Amanda Fickey is a first year student interested in Economic, Cultural and Historic Geography. She has completed a BA in History from the University of Kentucky and an MA in Folk Studies (with a concentration in Historic Preservation and Oral History) from Western Kentucky University. Before entering the Geography department, Amanda served as the Arts and Culture Outreach Coordinator at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY. Building on this experience, Amanda has been working to examine the economy of Eastern Kentucky and the significant role of arts and crafts production within the region. She is also interested in the extraction of resources throughout Appalachia and examining alternative industries for the future of the area, i.e. Eco-tourism, heritage initiatives etc.

To learn more about the arts and crafts community in Eastern Kentucky, feel free to contact Amanda at Amanda.fickey@uky.edu or visit the following sites:

Appalachian Artisan Center
http://www.artisancenter.net/

David Appalachian Crafts
http://davidapp.007gb.com/index.html

Kentucky Appalachian Craft Council
http://www.centertech.com/arts/about/index.php  

Kentucky Arts Council
http://artscouncil.ky.gov/

Kentucky Artisan Center
http://www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov/
 
Red Bird Mission Crafts
http://www.rbmission.org/Ministries/communityo.html

Sheltowee Artisans
http://www.sheltoweeart.com/