Clear Creek Creative holds the art, cultural and community organizing, facilitation and leadership work of Carrie Brunk and Bob Martin. Our home is on Clear Creek in the Kentucky foothills of Appalachia where we steward woodlands & gardens, mountain springs & rustic off-grid solar-powered community gathering grounds in service of transformative personal and societal change.

Young people from rural communities across the U.S. and tribal nations gathered at Children’s Defense Fund’s Alex Haley Farm on Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee) lands to empower young people in visioning the communities, economies and resources they need to live well and have a choice-filled life in the places they call home. Read about Clear Creek Creative’s current work with a Youth Collaborator team, Partners for Rural Impact, Liberation in a Generation and Native Americans in Philanthropy to build a rural youth fellowship & stewards network set to launch in fall 2025. (photo by Erica Chambers)

Students from Bellarmine University, Spalding University, the University of the Cumberlands and University of Louisville recently participated in Bridging the Gap KY with the support of Partners for Rural Impact. To learn more, check out this article published in Teen Vogue, The KY Lantern and the Hechinger Report. (photo by Malcolm Davis)

The seventh cohort of the Ridgeway Transformative Leadership Experience is currently underway and Alumni Summer Camp is happening June 29-July 3, 2025! People from a wide range of sectors, experiences and perspectives participate in Ridgeway, all sharing a common commitment to a brighter future for Kentucky & Appalachia. Find out more at ridgewayleadership.net (Photo by Samantha Dodson-Skinner)

Ezell: Ballad of a Land Man has toured to nine communities across the U.S. Read more about Ezell’s origin, evolution, collaborators, supporters & more here. Check out this great article about Ezell’s premier published in Scalawag. (Photo by Erica Chambers)

Clear Creek Creative presented two solo feminist performances by visiting artist Tannis Kowalchuk and local artist Nicole Garneau at Rebel Rebel Studio & Lounge last fall. The evening was part of an artistic residency and cultural exchange with the Farm Arts Collective that supported by the Network of Ensemble Theaters. (Promo Design by Nicole Garneau)

Bob had the beautiful opportunity to serve as an artist-in-residence and director of Wendy’s Neverland, a collaborative performance project between Timeslips and Signature Healthcare facilities throughout Kentucky. Learn more in this article from American Theatre. (Photo by Angie McAllister)

Check out the rest of the site for more information about our work to create, facilitate, produce, present and host at Clear Creek and beyond. Contact us if you’d like to be in touch.

Banner photo at page header by Melisa Cardona.