Every year when I was a kid, my family and I took the drive from Florida to Missouri during the holidays. That 18 hour road trip was forever engrained in my head as an annual marathon of potty breaks every 2 hours, staring at the tv screen in the back of our mini van and the occasional pit stop to pick up a quick bite before we get back on the road. One city in particular we always seemed to pass through, Paducah Kentucky. I remember stopping here for food every other year, or maybe I just remember the odd name and the location we seemed to always get gasoline prior to crossing the state border (Gasoline was always more expensive in Illinois) In every case I never once would have imagined this city to be one I would be writing about in the future about its cultural craft that is apparently world famous. Two years ago I managed to drive through this city (The last time I drove through here was probably 10 years ago) and something caught my eye.
If you look very closely you can see this inscribed on the side of this water tower:
So at the time of me seeing this I was well into my discovery of the UNESCO world heritage sites so when I see �UNESCO CREATIVE CITY� inscribed on the side of a water tower in this small town that I never thought twice about driving through as a kid for 10+ years you better believe I was in shock and also slight disbelief that this city was an UNESCO site of some sort. So naturally I did some research and found out that
�Paducah joined Santa Fe (New Mexico), Aswan (Egypt), Kanazawa (Japan), Icheon (South Korea), Hangzhou (China) and Fabriano (Italy), as Cities of Crafts & Folk Art in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on November 20, 2013. The designation was the culmination of a five-year application process led by the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) to leverage the destination�s assets to impact local economic, social and cultural development.� [1]
At this point my mind is blown. Not only do I now have to venture out and see all 1052 World Heritage sites (at the time of this writing) but also now I need to go out and explore all 116 UNESCO creative cities! Each provides a unique form of intangible art and culture to the world for everyone to appreciate.
To much of my excitement Paducah is just a 5 hour drive form where I live! So naturally I felt the need to talk about Paducah�s unique craft that is world renown.� The fact that this tiny city provides as much of a unique cultural craft as larger more established historical cities around the world left me impressed that�s for sure.
What is Paducah known for?
Quilting.
I never would have guessed that one.
This is why I love GoUNESCO.
During its 2011 presentation in Seoul, South Korea, The mayor Bill Paxton and members of the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau had to submit its case to UNESCO members to become part of the creative city network. �The presentation demonstrated how Paducah was currently engaging in dialogue and sharing creative concepts with many cities within and beyond the network�predominately through programs provided by the National Quilt Museum, American Quilter�s Society, Paducah School of Art, and the Paducah Artist in Residence Program. The Museum exhibits embody the broad spectrum of quiltmaking by showcasing time-honored traditional designs and methods while simultaneously acknowledging and encouraging the art quilt movement that began in the mid-1970s.� [2]
If you�re ever driving through the area and you see an UNESCO sign, be sure to stop by. Even if it�s in a small city you never thought twice about while growing up, I can assure you there is a reason UNESCO deemed it significant to preserve for future generations.
Sources:
[1] – Mazzone, Darlene. “Paducah: A UNESCO Creative City.”�Home. Paducah Life, Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2016. [2] – “UNESCO Creative City | Paducah.”�UNESCO Creative City | Paducah. Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2016. [3] -�Museum, The National Quilt. “Approved Photos.” The National Quilt Museum. Amanda Ball, 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.