Appalachian Futurism is rooted in equitable justice, creative cooperation, and sustainable stewardship.
Waymakers Collective Land Acknowledgement
The service area of the Waymakers Collective is located within the unceded ancestral homelands of many Indigenous nations including the Osage, Miami, Shawnee, Cherokee, Yuchi, Catawba, Micocsukee, Coushatta, and many others. Appalachia is, was, and will always be an Indigenous home. We acknowledge the past, present, and future belonging of Indigenous people here.
We acknowledge the absences created by relocation from this land and we hold those who have been removed from Appalachia as needed, kindred, and essential to this place. We are committed to honoring and resourcing bright Indigenous futures in Appalachia.
We acknowledge the history of enslavement on this land and the stolen labor that has built our region. We are committed to honoring and resourcing bright Black futures in Appalachia.
We acknowledge large portions of U.S. based philanthropic wealth was stolen from Appalachian land and people through extraction and we endeavor to return that wealth to its rightful place.
We acknowledge and celebrate the spirit of collectivity that is indigenous to Appalachia. We know the Cherokee principle of detsadatliyvsedi (pronounced day-ja-da-tl-ee-yuh-say-dee) asks that we struggle to hold on to one another. We choose this struggle to hold one another in art, culture, and community.
About
Appalachian resilience and adaptability create a future that serves our people and our planet.
We are the Waymakers Collective, radical grantmakers in the heart of Appalachia, from the hollers to the cities. We are reaching the artists that are holding us all together; the people that traditional philanthropy doesn’t see, and doesn’t value. Our spirit of hospitality, tight family, and community connections give us the strength to organize, break the rules, and fight for what we believe.
The outcomes of our decisions, how our funds are held and distributed should not recreate the broken wheel of extractive philanthropy:
Change takes time and we’re here for it.
Communities contain multitudes.
We work through complexity, simply.
No ‘one-size fits all' to practicing equity.
Vision
We strive to sustain creative practice, land, livelihoods, and dialogue across neighborhoods and disciplines. We envision an Appalachia that supports the joy, imagination, and hopes of our artists, activists, and culture bearers.
We sustain community organizations led by Black, Indigenous and People of Color, young people, LGBTQ folks, non-English speakers, new immigrants, and those unlikely to get mainstream funding.
Our goals are to:
Push against philanthropy’s business as usual.
Invest in communities led by people of color.
Preserve, amplify, and encourage artist’s work.
Build relations and share power in Appalachia.
The future of Creative Placemaking in Appalachia must reclaim the power of our diversity and unique traditions. The realities of our region need to be considered.
For us that means supporting artists, creativity, and cultural expression. It means supporting just, equitable, and sustainable communities. Creative Placemaking here must always and in all ways, be about healing, joy, and wholeness.
