For Kelly Domka, music hold the key to connection and safety. An adoptee working through her own family’s fracturing, she found community in Cincinnati through the Queen City Balladeers, where she loves lifting her voice in singing circles.

All it takes is the sound of a wind-up music box to take Keira Ludke back to memories of her grandmother. From listening to musi to making crafts, her time with family helped root her in the idea of an unapologetic love, one that includes, but is not limited to, blood relatives.

Kay Boniface’s European parents settled in New York State, just one county outside of the official Appalachian Region. She recalls growing up on a farm they shared with another family, and her exposure to Appalachian culture through core values and ways of living in community.

Judy Waldren’s love of music comes naturally, from her mother’s piano playing to her own love of folk music. She talks about the history of music in her family and how it shaped her world.

For Jody Knoop, music holds the key to her connection to Appalachia and its culture.

Jennifer Brierley, who is also featured in the Perceptions of Home exhibit, was actually raised around Cincinnati’s East End.  For her, family can be quite emotional at this time. She notes that family is both hard and soft. No matter the struggles, she knows that her family remains strong, and in a lot of ways.

James Owens’ family is from Harlan, Kentucky. He keeps his father’s coal miner’s helmet, covered with stickers and flecked with dents, on a bookshelf. It’s a reminder of the hard work and history that paved the way for his life today as well as his father, who died of Black Lung.

Erinn Sweet grew up not far from Cumberland Falls and now lives in Newport, Kentucky. For her, chewing a stick of Doublemint Spearmint gum transports her to her youth and the adventures she shared with her maternal grandmother, who shaped much of her early years.

Donna Jones was born and raised in Cincinnati, but her roots are firmly planted in Corbin and Harlan, Kentucky. She shares the values that have kept her going through good times and bad, and the ‘no excuses’ approach to life she shares with her wealth of friends in Lower Price Hill and beyond.

Corbin, Kentucky, native Debbie Hershey recalls stories of her father and grandfather and the value of family over material wealth.

Arlene Salyer Oliver shares the story of a little gray rock that carries a lot of family history. Though only about an inch and a half long, it’s an important reminder of the farm that her father grew up on.

Ashley Hopkins has a long, long, deep Appalachian ancestry, and teaches Appalachian studies at Miami University. Hear her talk about how in her family, she was always taught to work together, to fight for common needs, and take care of ourselves and one another.

Camden Gilbert remembers annual family trips to the Appalachian Festival at Old Coney with his Mom and Grandma, where every year they sold apples.

Susan Binder grew up half in Price Hill and half in Los Angeles. But it was in Price Hill that she came to know and love her Appalachian neighbors, their food and especially their music.

Rose Chisenhall lives in West Price Hill today, but Cincinnati’s River Road holds a special place in her heart. Hear her story about the importance of families sticking together.

All four of musician Dale Farmer’s grandparents are from the Appalachian area of Kentucky, and his parents were both born in Ohio. He now lives on land that has been his family since the 1930s and 40s. He recalls extended family gatherings just about every Sunday at his grandparents house—cousins, aunts, uncles, friends. He thought some of the people that came to all of our family events were relatives, but later learned they weren't actually blood relatives. Still, he says, he couldn’t have loved them any more.

Anna Curvin currently lives in Camden, Ohio and is from East Tennessee. When she thinks of family, she thinks of two grandparents on her mom's side. She is named for her grandmother Anna. Hear her stories of recipes gone wrong and family histories that stretch across an ocean.

For Susan Sexton, family is everything. Born in Whitley City, Kentucky, in McQueary County, she now lives in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Though her parents and grandparents are all gone, she still visits cousins to keep the family going. Both of her grandfathers worked in coal mines and died of black lung. Hear her story of strength and survival.