Art in Healing From Crises: A Conversation with Shelley McKechnie

Inside this episode with your host, Mitch Hampton:

It feels as if all of us who live in Western North Carolina were affected in so many various ways by the Hurricane Helene in 2024.

Pulling back into the largest focus it is a truth that some of the best works of art in history were created from and forged in the most difficult of circumstances. I was most impressed by all of the artwork collected in our guest Shelley McKechnie's wonderful volume on the experience.

To me it is a form of artwork of sorts to collaborate with the many people in the volume and to make decisions as to what will be included in such a book. Now a year later than that storm, and during which so many people have been so helpful and healing during this period, I found my conversation with her an indispensable one for our podcast.

Link to this magnificent book: www.hawcreekpress.com

More about Shelley McKechnie and her wonderful work:

Shelley McKechnie’s career sits at the intersection of the arts, business, and community development.

She's run three companies, held leadership positions in others, led a global nonprofit organization, and worked as a photojournalist and editor.

She has written more than 100 by-lined articles for national magazines and edited and published Stronger than the Storm: Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, a regional bestseller which landed on several categories of national "best new release" lists on Amazon.

In partnership with a Gambian community organization, she started and ran an entrepreneurship program for teen girls in West Africa that's now led by program graduates.

Shelley holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA in English from Cornell University. In 2015 she was selected for the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, a joint initiative of four presidential libraries providing intense 6-month training and mentorship for established civic change-makers, and lifelong membership in an active and growing alumni association.

She enjoys long-distance bike riding and is working to expand the greenway network in North Carolina. She lives in the mountains of Asheville, NC.

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