Boone Tavern Gets a Makeover
Built in 1909, this timeless hotel is the heart of the Berea College Square. For over a century, it has served as both a working hotel and a living symbol of Berea’s values: sustainability, education, dignity in labor, and Appalachian hospitality.
Like many important campus features, it was created by Berea College students. The hotel’s brick-and-wood foundation was laid by students of the Woodwork Department, carrying on the long tradition of student involvement in College projects.
Every Berea student works to enhance their education, and the students at Student Craft are no exception. Student Craft’s weaving, ceramics, woodcraft, and broomcraft departments all contributed to this project. After months of designing, testing, and finishing, carefully hand-crafted items such as dining tables and broomcorn displays are now ready for visitors to enjoy.
Items made by our Craft students, including some of the pieces on display at Crafted, are available for purchase through the Student Craft Catalogue.
According to Chef Kyle Klatka, about 95% of the new menu at Crafted is different from the previous one, now focusing on Southern comfort foods, like fried chicken and chicken and dumplings, with a Kentucky flair.
One thing that hasn’t changed? The spoonbread. Delivered with new, hand-crafted ceramic butter dishes slated to arrive in late-December, our complementary spoonbread service is always sure to leave guests smiling.
Watch How the Space is Transformed
Artisans in Action
Iris Gibson ’25 came to Berea in Fall 2021. Iris was entrusted with the design, testing, and production of the vases—all by herself. She created 50 small vases to display tufts of broomcorn on each new dining table throughout the restaurant. The vases were made using a pottery wheel, left distinctively unglazed on the outsides to showcase the raw clay texture and rich, chocolatey color.
Over the past four years, Iris has learned various craft techniques through her labor position in the Ceramics studio, including how to reconcile stylistic individuality and a client’s specific needs. “I made each vase uniquely shaped to give each one individual character and interest while also maintaining a cohesive design language that binds them together as a set,” says Iris. Though she has made many impressive contributions to the Student Craft Catalogue over her career at Berea, this project was an opportunity for Iris to truly blossom as a creative individual.
“Working on this project allowed me to flex the skills, knowledge, and expertise that I have absorbed over the past four years in this position, and I am very proud of the fifty vases I made,” says Iris.
Diliara ’26 has been part of Student Craft since her second year at Berea. She worked with her supervisor, Philip Wiggs, to create two large wall displays, one made of white porcelain tiles and the other a contrasting parallel of deep brown. Against the striking grain of the wood flooring and the distinct hues displayed among the walls, the bright and dark monotone of these pieces sets them apart from the others. Each consists of 24 tiles laid in a 6×4 layout, with both pieces featuring a beautiful floral pattern that bursts from the surface. “It’s the project I’m most proud of, and I consider it the main milestone in my career to date,” Diliara remarks. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to help create a piece that will be seen for years, maybe even decades.”
Citing personal and academic achievements such as newfound maturity, real responsibility, structure, and balance, Diliara says, “Being part of something creative and purposeful has made my life more meaningful. Through my labor position, I’ve had the chance to connect with a lot of inspiring people who’ve had a real impact on me.”
