“Make it a Grand Week”- Olivia Lobertini, The Grand on Central

Joanna Underwood chosen as one of 12 artists in a six-state region to receive a food pathways grant

A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- Campbell County resident Joanna Underwood was recognized by South Arts with an Emerging Artist grant for her work in traditional food pathways.

Underwood was chosen as one of 12 artists in a six-state region of Appalachia to participate in the Emerging Traditional Artist Program cohort.

According to South Arts grant officials, “Tradition doesn’t just endure, it leads. We’re thrilled to announce the 2026 Emerging Traditional Artists Program (ETAP) cohort, recognizing a new generation of traditional artists who demonstrate exceptional skill, commitment, and leadership in their art forms.”

This year’s ETAP artists represent Appalachian Regional Commission counties across Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee, “spanning traditions such as music, storytelling, foodways, craft, and material culture.”

Underwood is a traditional food pathways practitioner. She lives on a small farm in Campbell County in East Tennessee where she “plants by the signs”, grows heirloom seeds saved back for over 100 years, forages the woodlands and preserves what nature provides.

She has loved gardening and cooking her whole life and always said that “food was her favorite art form.”

Over the past six years, Joanna Underwood has been learning more about Appalachian Agricultural practices and the expansive heritage that abounds in the region where she lives. She has been learning from her mother-in-law, Jeanette Underwood, who has been passing down food pathways and traditions practiced in these mountains for generations. The Underwoods are regular demonstrators of traditional Appalachian food pathway and agriculture practices at regional festivals, area schools and through local non-profit classes and programs – sharing family recipes, gardening tips and heirloom seeds with all who have an interest.

Joanna said her goal is to learn more about the traditional food pathways and to share her lessons with others, especially area youth who want to start gardening and saving seeds of their own.

She also is apprenticing as an instrument builder and has completed over 30 stringed instruments. She teaches string instrument building classes along with seed saving classes locally in Campbell County.

Each selected artist receives a $5,000 award with limited restrictions to support learning opportunities including training, networking, professional development, and promotion—strengthening both individual practice and community impact.

Beyond funding, ETAP “fosters connection through peer mentorship and no-cost workshops that build relationships across generations of traditional practice.”

Joanna attended a cohort gathering with the other selected artists at the Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, Kentucky, in Knott County, in mid-March, where she showed off some of her food pathway skills by making and serving a traditional Appalachian Apple Stack Cake, and mince meat pie from a 130-year-old recipe. She and other artists attended workshops and shared their artwork over the three-day cohort gathering, showcasing arts, tradition, and culture that is passed from generation to generation.

Launched in 2018, South Arts’ In These Mountains initiative “preserves and perpetuates the traditional arts and culture of Central Appalachian counties of Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Through a series of strategic projects supporting practitioners, arts organizations, and communities, In These Mountains supports the longevity and intergenerational transfer of the cultural traditions that have grown in this unique region.”

The FY26 Emerging Traditional Artists Program (ETAP), is a component of the In These Mountains, Central Appalachian Folk Arts and Culture Initiative. This program recognizes and supports a new generation of traditional artists that have demonstrated a high level of skill in, commitment to, and leadership in their traditional art form. Artists must reside in an Appalachian Regional Commission-designated County. Awards provide financial support to ETAP participants to ensure the continuation of traditional knowledge and artistic skills within their cultural communities.

In addition to cash awards, selected artists will participate in a series of networking and team-building workshops (both online and in-person) with other ETAP awardees, at no cost to themselves, and will be paired with a member of the 2024 ETAP cohort for peer mentorship.

The Emerging Traditional Artists Program advances the purpose of the In These Mountains Initiative to “provide intergenerational opportunities to share, teach, learn, preserve, document, and carry forward the folk and traditional arts and culture of Central Appalachia.” For emerging traditional artists who have demonstrated a commitment to their artform and community and exhibit a high skill level, this award will provide resources for learning opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible.

For more information, visit this website.

A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.

For bookings, email Olivia Lobertini at ohlobertini03@gmail.com. Check on avails HERE. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-05/18/2026-6AM)