Way Makers

💫 Get to Know the AppalCore 💫 🔖 What’s your name + where are you from? 🐘 My name is Kiran Singh Sirah. I’m a proud immigrant, a new American and new Appalachian, and part of a thrice migrant community that stems from roots in England, Scotland, border towns of Uganda and Kenya, and the rural villages of Punjab, in Northern India. I’ve made home, for the past 15 years, in Johnson City, Tennessee. 🔖 How long have you been involved with Waymakers Collective? 🐘 I got involved a few years ago. I’ve attended all three convenings and led storytelling trainings for its members. Last year I became a voting member, and this year is my first year serving as an AppalCore member. 🔖 What do you do for work + play? 🐘 I lead “Storytelling: A Gift of Hope”. It’s a methods project that harnesses the art and practice of storytelling to create intimate healing and justice spaces to build dialogue, agency, and change for communities, on their own terms. The initiative builds on decades of lived, researched, and tested approaches that leverage stories as humanity’s birthright to build a socially just present and future world. I also passionately believe in the power of human creativity, and mentor youth and peace activists, artists and poets to become the story of change they wish to see in the world. For play: I cook! I make Punjabi and Appalachian fusion home cooking! Every season I make a massive batch of homemade curry sauce and experiment with different ingredients, cook for friends, host food and storytelling + poetry front porch gatherings. 🔖 Tell us something interesting about you or a little known fact… 🐘 Years ago, I looked after three Asian elephants - and took them for daily walks, brushed their teeth and gave them daily baths. And then, in 2014, I won a “Mr Biscuit” southern biscuit contest, by beatboxing and balancing a biscuit on my head. << continued in comments >>

📣 We are offering two info sessions on our brand new Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund — one virtually + one in-person! 📣 💻🎧 Thursday, May 21: 10:00am EST via Zoom 👥💬 Thursday, June 18: 5:00pm EST in Big Stone Gap, VA ✨ Register online to get the meeting details ✨ 🔗: appalachianvisionaryartistsfund.org

Waymakers! 💚💜 We’re grateful for your support of the work we’re doing in Central Appalachia — and for sharing your art, voice, and presence with us! Read our latest newsletter for some news, updates, dates to mark on your calendar, and information on our new Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund... 👀 Peep the 🔗 in our bio to read + subscribe — if you haven’t already! 💫

I’m presenting at AFTACON 2026! I will be on a panel with the theme Rural Coalition Building as Strategy, Not Survival. I am so excited to be part of this gathering of artists, administrators, and advocates from across the country. AFTACON 2026 is presented by Americans for the Arts. See you in Albuquerque this June! #AFTACON #ArtsAdvocacy

💫 Get to Know the AppalCore 💫 〰️ What’s your name + where are you from? 🌿 Malcolm Davis; born and raised Kentuckian from Berea! 〰️ How long have you been involved with Waymakers Collective? 🌿 I received a Waymakers Collective Radical Rest Grant in 2023 and ran for AppalCore in 2025! 〰️ What do you do for work + play? 🌿 I’m the founder of the Affrilachian Arts Institute where I perform my one-man show, “The Slave”, “Monk Estill”, and uplift Black Appalachian history! For play, I train MMA, explore the outdoors in all four seasons, and sing along to country music! 〰️ Tell us something interesting about you or a little known fact… 🌿 My father is a Waymaker and member of the AppalCore, as well! I also practice the same living history performance tradition that he has been developing since I was born — “Family Tradition”, Hank Williams, Jr. 〰️ Are there any upcoming exhibits, shows, events that you’re involved with/ passionate about that you’d love people to know about? 🌿 I’ll be presenting and uplifting Rural Youth Leaders at the PRI Rural Summit in Buffalo, NY this month, so I’m excited to showcase the work these youth have done! ✨✨✨ Keep up with Malcolm here on Instagram [and TikTok, too!] at @affrilachiancowboy . 🤠 You can also follow Affrilachian Arts here on the ‘gram at @affrilachianartsinstitute !

Our AppalCore member, Margo, is the Artist-in-Residence at the 2026 Appalachia Funders Network Annual Gathering! 🧵🪡🧶✂️ If you’re at the convening, be sure to come say hello + make a quilt square!

DEADLINE TO APPLY EXTENDED TO MAY 6TH! Monuments Across Appalachian Places and Highlander Research and Education Center invite you to participate in an online Commemorate Workshop on May 12, 2026. Applications to participate are due on May 1, 2026. Link to application and more information in our bio. This Commemorate Workshop is co-hosted by Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia (MAAV) and @highlandercenter with support from @waymakersco @appalachian_studies_at_vt @crmdsvt @vt_liberalarts @mellonfoundation

📣 We are hiring a Grants + Funding Manager! 📣 This contract position will be responsible for: ✨ Grants Administration and Program Operations ✨ Strategic Funding Development ➡️ Details on how to submit your application can be found at waymakerscollective.org/hiring or tap the 🔗 in our bio! 🔖 If you are interested in applying + joining our team, all required materials must be submitted via email to [email protected] by April 24, 2026.

— Five Years of The Waymakers Collective: Reflection — We know these are uncertain times. But uncertainty has never stopped artists from imagining what comes next. To paraphrase the wisdom of Audre Lorde, the art we create, the dances we carry forward, the cultural traditions we protect, and the stories we tell are not luxuries. They are essential tools that allow us to imagine new possibilities for our communities and for the future of Appalachia itself. That work continues. And we are honored to do it alongside all of you. << seven in a series of seven as written by our Executive Director, Joe Tolbert Jr. >> 💚💚💚

— Five Years of The Waymakers Collective: Gratitude — As I reflect on these past five years, I am filled with gratitude. The Waymakers Collective would not exist without the trust and support of our voting members, our broader community, and the philanthropic partners who believe in the cultural power of this region. << six in a series of seven as written by our Executive Director, Joe Tolbert Jr. >>

— Five Years of The Waymakers Collective: Artist Opportunities — Artists who had planned to apply to the Creative Arts Liberation Fund are warmly encouraged to apply to the Appalachian Futures Fund when it opens later this year. We look forward to returning to the Creative Arts Liberation Fund again in 2027. Even as we make these adjustments, we are also opening the door to new possibilities. This year, we are proud to launch the Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund, created through a partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program. This fund will support artists and cultural workers in Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia whose work extends beyond the studio and engages the broader community through imagination, storytelling, and cultural practice. << five in a series of seven as written by our Executive Director, Joe Tolbert Jr. >>

— Five Years of The Waymakers Collective: Funding Cycle Update — With that in mind, the AppalCore, the democratically elected steering committee and representatives of our voting membership, has made the decision to restructure our funding cycles. Moving forward, we will alternate between the Creative Arts Liberation Fund and our general Appalachian Futures Fund. This shift is not a retreat from our commitment to supporting queer artists in the region. That commitment remains firm. Rather, it reflects our effort to steward the resources currently available to maximize our reach across our broader community. For many artists and cultural workers throughout Central Appalachia, the conditions of sustaining a creative practice have become increasingly precarious. Our responsibility is to respond to that reality with care, clarity, and intention. << four in a series of seven as written by our Executive Director, Joe Tolbert Jr. >>