Craft Marketing Program
Fran Redmon, Director of Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, Receives Special Recognition Award From the Craft Organization Development Association

Fran Redmon, director of Kentucky Craft Marketing Program (KCMP), a program of the Kentucky Arts Council, will receive the Craft Organization Development Association’s (CODA) special recognition award for “Outstanding Service, Creative Thinking, and Leadership,” given to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the craft field. Redmon will receive this award as part of the international leadership conference held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 14-17, 2007 as part of Canadian “Craft Year 2007.”

CODA’s managing director, Linda Van Trump said, “I am delighted that we can give Fran this special recognition as a small token of our appreciation for helping CODA to grow into the strong, vibrant, national organization that it is today. Her leadership skills, accompanied by straight-forwardness, humor, honesty, caring, and an ability to bring people together make her a very special person.  CODA is among the many organizations and individuals who have benefited from her vast expertise and the support of the Kentucky Craft Marketing, which has been instrumental in the development of craft over the past three decades.”

           Fran Redmon directs the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, the purpose of which is to develop the state's craft industry, support and empower Kentucky artisans and craftspeople, create an economically viable environment for craft entrepreneurs, preserve the state's craft traditions, stimulate and support product development, and generate public awareness, public support and public/private partnerships. The program provides assistance to Kentucky residents, individuals or groups wanting to develop as craft professionals through economic opportunities and training; to other outside entities (e.g., craft retailers, craft and art organizations, community and government agencies); and the general public. The craft industry in Kentucky contributes 252 million dollars in annual sales, and is recognized as a model for its craft programs and its role in the $14 billion national craft industry.

In 28 years with Kentucky state government, Fran Redmon has worked under seven Governors, including Governor John Y. Brown. First Lady Phyllis George Brown initiated the KCMP following a series of national and international department store promotions that focused on the state’s crafts.  Over the years, Fran Redmon successfully spearheaded numerous initiatives that have gained international recognition for the program and established it as a model. Among these are the award winning annual wholesale/retail show, Kentucky Crafted: The Market, the Product Development Initiative and the Kentucky Collection™. The KCMP has maintained a continual presence at the New York International Gift Fair since 1985. Redmond and her colleagues have consulted with numerous national and international representatives in implementing programs at Tamarack, West Virginia; Handmade in America, North Carolina; Armenia; Argentina and Canada; and most recently, the states of Montana, Louisiana, Alaska, Georgia, and New Mexico.

“Fran Redmon has done an outstanding job developing and leading the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program.  Kentucky's craft artists have had the benefit of business and marketing training, as well as opportunities to market their work and promote their businesses.  Fran's leadership has ensured that the program, and Kentucky Crafted: The Market, are seen as models for craft programs across the nation,” said Lori Meadows, Executive Director of the Kentucky Arts Council. 

Kentucky Craft Marketing, a program of the Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet, produces the Market. For more information, call 888-KYCRAFT (592-7238), local (502) 564-3757, or visit our web site at: www.kycraft.ky.gov.

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Since 1981,Kentucky Craft Marketing’s purpose is to develop the state's craft industry, support and empower Kentucky artisans and craftspeople, create an economically viable environment for craft entrepreneurs, preserve the state's craft traditions, stimulate and support product development, and generate public awareness, public support and public/private partnerships.

The Program provides assistance to Kentucky residents, individuals, or groups wanting to develop as craft professionals through economic opportunities and training, to other outside entities (e.g., craft retailers, craft and art organizations, community and government agencies), and the general public. The craft industry in Kentucky contributes 252 million dollars in annual sales and Kentucky is recognized as a model state for its craft programs and its role in the $14 billion national craft industry.