Berea: The Folk Arts Capital of Kentucky
Berea sits at the edge of the Bluegrass and the foothills of Appalachia in Madison County, about 40 miles south of Lexington along Interstate 75. The city was founded in 1855 by the abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay and the Reverend John G. Fee as an interracial, antislavery community. This founding mission carried into the establishment of Berea College in 1855, which became the first interracial and coeducational college in the South.
Berea College operates under a unique model: every student receives a full-tuition scholarship, and all students work at least 10 hours per week in college-operated programs. The college's crafts program, which includes weaving, woodworking, ceramics, and broom-making, produces goods sold through the college's Log House Craft Gallery and has helped establish Berea's identity as an artisan community.
The broader Berea arts scene extends beyond the college. Old Town Artisan Village and the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, located at the I-75 interchange, showcase work from craftspeople across the state. Tourism built around arts, crafts, and Appalachian culture is a meaningful part of the local economy.
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Berea sits at the edge of the Bluegrass and the foothills of Appalachia in Madison County, about 40 miles south of Lexington along Interstate 75. The city was founded in 1855 by the abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay and the Reverend John G. Fee as an interracial, antislavery community. This founding mission carried into the establishment of Berea College in 1855, which became the first interracial and coeducational college in the South.
Berea College operates under a unique model: every student receives a full-tuition scholarship, and all students work at least 10 hours per week in college-operated programs. The college's crafts program, which includes weaving, woodworking, ceramics, and broom-making, produces goods sold through the college's Log House Craft Gallery and has helped establish Berea's identity as an artisan community.
The broader Berea arts scene extends beyond the college. Old Town Artisan Village and the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, located at the I-75 interchange, showcase work from craftspeople across the state. Tourism built around arts, crafts, and Appalachian culture is a meaningful part of the local economy.
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