Craftsman of the Cumberlands: Tradition & Creativity

Michael Owen Jones's study of chairmaking in southeastern Kentucky focuses on rural woodworker Chester Cornett. Cornett found a sense of security, stability, and self-esteem in the structures of his chairs and the virtuosity of their design. Considering other area craftsmen for comparison, Jones explores why people value aesthetic qualities as well as utilitarian ones in the making of everyday objects. He looks deeper still into the nature of the creative process and the traditions that influence it.