18 Feb Press Release: ‘Round the Mountain Artisan Network Awarded Virginia Humanities Grant to Elevate Southwest Virginia Artisans 

ABINGDON, Va. (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026) — ‘Round the Mountain Artisan Network has received a $15,000 grant from Virginia Humanities to launch Crafting Community: Artisan Storytelling & Heritage Training in Southwest Virginia, a project designed to share the voices of regional makers while preserving and passing along the traditions that define the region.

Approved by the Virginia Humanities Board of Directors, the award supports a humanities-driven initiative that will help artisans translate lived experience into powerful stories, strengthen the transfer of traditional knowledge, and deepen connections between communities and their cultural heritage.

“We are deeply grateful to Virginia Humanities for this important investment in the people and traditions of Southwest Virginia,” said Kimberly Davis, Executive Director of Round the Mountain Artisan Network. “Our artisans are culture bearers, entrepreneurs, and storytellers whose knowledge connects generations and strengthens community identity. This grant allows us to elevate those voices, document lived experiences, and provide meaningful heritage training that ensures these traditions are not only preserved, but actively shared and sustained for the future.”

Through workshops, training sessions, and community engagement activities, the project will support artisans in developing the skills and confidence to tell their own stories while creating new opportunities for residents and visitors to better understand the history, craftsmanship, and cultural influences that shape Southwest Virginia.

The initiative continues ‘Round the Mountain’s mission to celebrate creativity, strengthen economic opportunity for makers, and safeguard traditional arts by keeping them visible, valued, and relevant in today’s world.

Virginia Humanities, the Commonwealth’s state humanities council, connects people to the ideas that shape their lives through grants, public programs, and educational initiatives across Virginia.

For more information about Crafting Community: Artisan Storytelling & Heritage Training in Southwest Virginia or other programs supporting artisans and traditional culture, visit roundthemountain.org or follow ‘Round the Mountain Artisan Network on social media.

‘Round the Mountain Artisan Network supports artisans and traditional craft across Southwest Virginia by strengthening economic opportunity, preserving cultural heritage, and connecting makers to markets and audiences through education, storytelling, and collaboration.