Cory Graham: Artist, Designer, Hillbilly; and he has the right to claim that last title.  Yes he has been featured in the Outsider Art Magazine,  and Artist Portfolio Magazine  as well as at the Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery,   and even though there are some who would want him to be the stereotypicaly "hillbilly," respecting where he is from and those around him remains a primary driving force in much of what he does, including the art that he makes.  Yes, he could have been half of the art craze coming out of the hills a while back known as rooster art, but know now that he’s not creating quaint, crafty pieces carved from sticks and stones gathered from his counryside.  Those pieces are beautiful and they are made by beautiful people, but Cory’s work is  different, unexpected, is largely digital, funny, politically charged, sometimes in your face and very much "Avant Appalachian."   You will soon learn that Cory has utter respect for his community, it's history and its capacity to take care of itself, but you will also see just how insightful and witty he is as he shares on topics like bartering, the need to reject Tyler Childers, poverty porn and Hillbilly Ellegy.  There is also some discussion of  knee caps on stick people and you will hear how Cory met Tanya Harding and actually the answer to the question that almost everybody woul ask of her. 

NOTE:  This episode has some explicit language


Cory Graham's Website: http://www.cory-graham.com/
Twitter: @corygraham
Instagram: @corygraham79

Kites and Strings Website: https://www.kitesandstrings.com/
Twitter:   @Kitesandstrings
Instagram:  @Kites_and_strings
Facebook: @kitesandstringspodcast

Referenced in this episode:  Ellen Dissanayake