MEET THE BOARD
Drumroll, please! We have a wonderful, collaborative board of 10 community members. Jen Otey - Jeff Goodson - Aurora Lucas - Amanda Slaughter Erin Simons - Jessica DeHart - Morty Gordon - Carley Stidham Tina Russell - Dustin Booth
Introducing Jen Otey, Chair
Jen Otey is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Forge Appalachia and the owner of Rose Cottage School of Art and MOONbow ARTworks. Jen is also the Outdoor Recreation Development Manager for Friends of Southwest Virginia, a nonprofit that centers its focus on creative economy. She is Inspired by the environment of the place where she lives. What she sees, feels, & experiences with the land & the indigenous flora & fauna found there, are reflected in what she makes. The subjects in her paintings and pottery are often the physical and sometimes spiritual reflections recalled from her time spent in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Her work is connected to her rural Appalachian heritage. Growing up here, she learned from her parents and grandparents the importance of stewarding the land, by hunting, gathering, and growing their food. This deep connection to basic resources is something that is ingrained in the mountain culture and way of life. Her strong ties to the earth and its creatures, as well as how important it is to protect, conserve, and nurture these wild places and creatures and our heritage for future generations are evident in her artwork and the work she is doing in the realm of outdoor recreation development.
Meet Jeff Goodson, our Vice Chair
Meet Jeff Goodson, Vice Chair of Forge Appalachia, and the man behind the original vision for our nonprofit. A native of the Appalachian Mountains, Jeff Goodson is most at home when he’s working with his hands. As a young child he was extremely introverted and found solace in making things. Growing up poor, he learned that if you wanted to have anything you made it yourself. He would sit quietly and pay close attention to the elders that he respected. He watched them carve, blacksmith, repair tools and build just about anything from scratch. His wife bought him a small table top lathe for Christmas one year and his passion came to life. Now working on a much larger lathe he creates from the love of wood. The wood speaks to Jeff in ways that allows him to work in relationship with it and create what the wood wants to be. He holds deep respect for the old ways and makes a conscious effort to create from that space.
Amanda Lee, 2nd Vice Chair
Meet our 2nd Vice Chair, Amanda Lee, SWVA native, and artist behind A Lady's Slipper Studio. Years ago, Amanda began creating as a resin artist, and has had her work featured in Virginia Living, as well as published in Jewelry Affaire and GreenCraft magazines. For the past few years, Amanda has concentrated in silver and stone as a self-taught metalsmith. This year, she became a juried artisan with 'Round The Mountain with her silverwork jewelry. She draws her inspiration from the mountains she lives in, and her biggest passion is roaming the hills and hollers of our region in search of native wildflowers to photograph. She also uses her collection of botanical photography to create fanciful cyanotype prints. Amanda's latest creative endeavor has been learning about and creating Appalachian ribbed baskets. She loves the people, history, folklore, and traditions of our region so deeply, and truly believes there's no better place on earth than Appalachia.
Jessica DeHart, Secretary
Today, we meet our Forge Appalachia Board Secretary, Jessica DeHart of Jesco's Craft Attic. Jessica is as creative and talented as they come. From acting, to fiber arts, to jewelry fashioned from colorful vintage tins or buttons, Jessica is a Jess of all trades. If you know Jessica, you know she always has a spark in her eye, and the ability to look at the usual, and see or turn it into something beautifully unusual. She is a passionate supporter of the arts and our community, volunteering countless hours and lending her creative and administrative expertise to many local events and organizations.
Erin Simons, Treasurer
Erin Simons of Laurel Ridge Studios is a Contemporary Appalachian Craftswoman and Educator from SWVA. Inspired by her surroundings, she takes simple subjects and elevates them into functional pieces of art. Her brooms include everything from the wood in her backyard and deer sheds found by her son, to the addition of dyed broom corn. She puts her own artistic spin on traditional crafts.
When someone encounters my work, I hope that they will be filled with joy and wonder, as well as a sense of the ingenuity and creativity of the Appalachian culture that I am so deeply committed to. When they look at a broom, they will no longer see a mundane household object, but a functional and beautiful piece of art.
Morty Gordon, board member
Meet Forge Appalachia board member, Morty Gordon, of Snudgillustrated Pop Arts. Inspired by the comic books of his youth, Morty uses pen and ink to create much of his artwork, which is inspired by pop culture and focuses on sports, entertainment history and current events. Snudgillustrated Pop Arts has been the recipient of some top prizes at the Chautauqua Festival's annual Art and Photography show, including Best in Show. His work has been displayed in galleries in Roanoke and in local festivals!
Dustin Booth, board member
Meet one of our newest board members!
Jean Morris, board member
Jean Morris is a retired French professor. In addition to teaching French language and culture, she has taught art history and led study tours to artistic and architectural destinations throughout Europe. Teaching English for two years in southern France, she was inspired by the artists and artisans of the mountainous region of Provence. Her passion for those artistic traditions made for a seamless transition to the arts and folkways of the ridges and valleys of Southwestern Virginia. Jean lives in a rebuilt 1870's log cabin in Bland County, where she enjoys forest walks, foraging, and practicing her Romance language skills.
Miriam Beckwith, board member
Miriam is an assemblage artist who enjoys hunting for antique objects to repurpose in thoughtful ways. She also works with paper, pencil, pen, and watercolor to create images centering on the flora and fauna from the world around her... and sometimes fantasy worlds.
She is the author of Tsula Man, a mystical YA folk tale that takes place deep in the Appalachian Mountains. Tsula Man is her debut novel, and she plans on continuing to write magical stories for both children and adults to enjoy.
She and her husband recently purchased land in Wythe County, where they are building a log cabin and small campground. She hopes to create a haven for people to come experience art, nature, and find healing.
Tina Russell, board member
Meet Forge Appalachia board member, Tina Russell owner of Early Bird Press & Produce. Tina grew up in Wytheville and has family here and in Bland, VA. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech in Industrial Design. She loves to garden, travel, explore the woods, draw and design. She loves spending time with her family, friends and wonderful spouse Andrew.
Tina became a Master Gardener in 2010 and immediately loved learning from so many people and resources. Tina has a long history of loving to garden just like her grandparents and great grandparents before her. Gardening is a great way to be active and outside, two of her favorite things.
Tina has also learned a lot from traveling and seeing that there are so many ways to live! It takes leaving town to see what a special area you come from, but also the wonderful things other cultures have to offer. It's so great to discover the things that we mutually celebrate.
Tina's earliest Appalachian memories include seeing her great grandmother churn butter on the front porch and watching her family fix things with what they already have on hand. She appreciates the general hard working spirit of Appalachian people but also understands that it sometimes comes from a place of necessity and overcoming limitations. Some of her favorite examples of Appalachian art are a function of a person trying to solve a problem in a beautiful way. Preserving by teaching the arts and skills of the area's traditions is very important to all of us at Forge Appalachia. Hope you'll take one of our awesome workshops and get to know and love our mission as much as we do!
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