Women, Art, and Community: A Proposal for a Non-Profit Pottery Program in Appalachia.

Many Appalachian women are creative individuals who enjoy making and sharing quilts, songs, paintings, poetry, and other art. However, many women in rural areas of Central Appalachia lack access to basic resources because of poverty. While many agencies help poor women find shelter, clothing, and food, there are few that help them find their creative voices. I assert that women who are given the tools to practice creative expression can overcome the mental oppression of poverty to become self-assured individuals who benefit their communities. This thesis examines the socioeconomic condition of women in Central Appalachia and the positive impacts of pottery in the lives of women potters in the United States to make the case for a non-profit pottery program in Appalachia. The research covers the time period from the early 1900s to 2008 and employs scholarly journal articles, books, Web sites, and interviews to support the thesis