In April, a small, thoughtful group of artists, cultural workers, organizers, and cross-sector partners gathered in the beautiful backdrop of Estill County to imagine how artists can be embedded in preparedness, mitigation, and long-term resilience in partnership with local leaders, technical experts, and institutions. The idea was to support a response grounded in real relationships, community, and equitable access to resources. The agenda included sharing current mitigation and recovery efforts happening across the region; exploring how creative practitioners can plug into or strengthen those efforts; identifying gaps, opportunities, and partnership models; and outlining what an ongoing artist-led emergency response network might look like.
That was the plan. But what really happened in those two days, and what should happen next? The CAReNet team, which operates under a decentralized leadership model, will share successes, challenges, and next steps while bringing session participants into its vision of empowering artists in relief and recovery efforts to foster strong, connected communities ready to face what comes next.
