In summer 2022, Sean ’25 was interning at Appalashop, a media, arts and education center in Whitesburg, Ky., when his community was hit by a flood. As a result, Appalshop was forcibly closed only one day before the intern filmmakers’ projects were set to wrap up.
Scrambling, Sean, the Appalshop team, and other interns saved the films, loaded up and took the crew from Letcher County to Lexington for a screening at the Kentucky Theatre. When the flood happened, Sean started seeing his community in a new light.
“The people I live around don’t always have the same ideas, but we still help everyone, and we still volunteer,” Sean said. “I want to show the side of Appalachia you never really see.”
Speaking about the harmful stereotypes most people have about the region, he emphasizes the important role documentary media plays in how a culture is represented.
“If you’ve ever heard of the film Stranger with a Camera, a Canadian filmmaker was shot and killed while filming families in the 1960s—it happened five minutes from where I grew up,” Sean explained. “The reaction from the Appalachian community came off as heartless. They weren’t heartless; it was more about being tired of people coming in and portraying us however they wanted.” Sean recognized the impact this had and wanted to help flip the script.
Sean carried this mindset with him as he packed his bags for Berea College that fall. He began an independent major in applied film and media and a labor position with Marketing and Communications, where he studied alongside filmmaker Justin Skeens. Skeens became a strong mentor for Sean through their shared interest: a commitment to presenting Appalachia with dignity, focusing on the region’s vibrancy, resilience and breadth.
This kindred commitment to push back against narratives that cemented Appalachia as stagnant and outdated opened Sean up to a world of opportunity. He worked on a documentary with other Bereans that highlighted a Black History Museum in Ashland, Kentucky. The piece garnered Sean a regional Emmy award. Following this work, he migrated from being on the photography team in marketing to exclusively photographing Student Craft. Through the dedication and detail Sean puts in his work, he was offered a new position crafted for him to mentor other film students and take more creative liberties.
Being at Berea has allowed me to develop my skill set in filmmaking. I’m able to document in a way that does the subject justice.
Sean Hall ’25
Sean’s tools, capabilities and comfortability have expanded, becoming more fine-tuned within the storytelling process. “Being at Berea has allowed me to develop my skill set in filmmaking. I’m able to document in a way that does the subject justice,” he says, highlighting the importance of making documentaries for the people they’re about, rather than the greater “other.”
Now, as the lead photographer for Student Craft, he searches for the story woven within the minute details. “It’s in the artist’s hands. It’s in the way they do all the little things we don’t even think about,” Sean explained, in reference to his latest project, “Nora: A Craft Story.”
“With Nora, it’s the henna on her hands while she sculpts on the wheel, it’s the way she does everything so slowly and intentionally, it’s the way she peels back the tarp off the clay,” Sean said.
The film opens on Nora ’25 entering the clay-dusted door of the studio with “Welcome to Berea Ceramics,” painted in blue. Inside, she fills her water bucket, places four lumps of red clay at her station and begins to tell her story.
This project is showcased as a Berea College Student Craft Film, produced and directed by Sean, two other students and Student Craft leader, Aaron Beale. It follows Nora along her process of making ceramic tagines, demonstrating how she blends her family’s Moroccan culture with certain Western influences.
There’s a careful eye that goes into the nuance of doing a cultural story. Sean shows how he works to find this balance through his current work position and his beginnings with Appalshop.
Photos by Sean Hall ʼ25
Student Craft’s reputation for blending traditional Appalachian craft with students’ diversified influences and ideas became the perfect melting pot for Sean to develop himself as an artist. He explains that it’s sometimes difficult to associate oneself with the identity of being an artist. There is such an internal critique and desire to better each piece, and finding a stopping point can sometimes feel like an injustice to the work. Sometimes, an artist has to step back and let the art exist as itself.
“There are a lot of artists, like me, who are very shy,” Sean said. “It’s really hard to look at your art and say ‘I’m an artist. I’m a creative person. I make cool stuff,’ and Aaron is always reminding me that we are not just documenting Craft, we are part of Craft. That we are creators and Craft makers in our own right.”
When talking about his roots, Sean doesn’t view Appalachia as a place to “escape from,” but rather a place to celebrate and pay homage to through his work. He thanks his grandmother (who he calls Gran) for instilling creative diligence in him from a young age—even if she didn’t know it.
“I’ve seen her make so many quilts—some take years,” Sean remembers. “It’s hard work. I don’t think she thinks she’s an artist. But I know she is.”
Sean glows with appreciation for his grandparents. “My grandparents have been so good to me,” he said. “They have supported me in every way. Growing up in Cumberland and Harlan (Ky.) wasn’t easy. I’ve dealt with homelessness and loved ones grappling with addiction, but my grandparents have always been there. My grandma is my best friend and the best person ever.”
His grandparents’ unwavering encouragement has helped focus him. Supporting a career in the arts isn’t always common in Appalachian families, but Sean laughs that his Gran displays his Emmy by her TV stand and never shies away from telling everyone about him.
As he works on his senior capstone project, he plans to incorporate one of his Gran’s quilts into a curated scene of an Appalachian living room. Through this final undergraduate project, Sean continues to develop a storytelling style that is full-bodied in rich visuals and narrative. Nevertheless, he credits his growth to the opportunities, connections and creative freedom he’s gained through studying at Berea.
