(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on May 25, 2014)
**For full disclosure, I am affiliated with Raging Rapid Art Gallery in particular, but support all venues for art in Eastern Kentucky.**
Appalachia has a long, rich, and unique tradition in all of the arts. But until recently the culture was a survivalist culture where art took a back seat to manual labor and the need to eat and exist. Historically a very poor region of America where the abundant local resources are mined and stripped to benefit others and the land and its people are exploited, Appalachia is beginning to shake off the oppression of King Coal to an extent and rise out of the dust of the coal pile.
As always, the recent recession hit Central Appalachia harder than the rest of the U.S. The rest of the nation has begun a slow and precarious recovery, but not so in Central Appalachia. More and more coal jobs are becoming mechanized and that means more layoffs and even fewer jobs than in 2008. Therefore, the region is looking to diversify its economy at last just to survive. Many towns have more empty buildings than occupied ones. This has made property values drop but has opened up opportunities for the ingenuity of local entrepreneurs and others to shift the economic and cultural ground for the first time in over 150 years. The focus to rebuild and reinvigorate Central Appalachia is mostly concentrated on capitalizing on its abundant potential as a tourism designation. One of the major directions this new initiative is taking is to provide venues for local artists of all stripes to step out of their living rooms and local family circles and actually practice their arts in viable ways.
Toward that end, local artist Trent Hylton renovated his grandparents' old Western Auto shop that had been completely empty of any business since the 1990s into Raging Rapid Art Gallery.
Elkhorn City, KY. has been a fairly major tourist attraction for years since it is the gateway to "the Grand Canyon of the South" a.k.a. the Breaks Interstate Park, is part of the Trail of the Lonesome Pine, and hosts annual events such as the Apple Blossom Festival in May and whitewater rafting on the world-famous rapids of the Russell Fork River in October. It is also home to the Artists Collaborative Theater. But it was missing something vital, something Trent supplied when he opened "The Gallery", as it is affectionately called, in May 2013 at 155 West Russell Street. On its Facebook Page, it is described as an art gallery/artist hangout/idea factory and that is an apt description.
What Trent has created is a rustic homespun space and a relaxed inclusive atmosphere where just about anything can happen at any time. More than just a traditional art gallery, it is also a place for poetry readings, musical performances, hooping, and tricks with fire. Things there generally happen rather spontaneously, but there are also planned events throughout the year. The biggest of these is the annual "Keep Elkhorn Weird" event held on Memorial Day weekend. This is often a three day event at which its participants and attendees come in costume and features all that the Gallery has to offer: poetry, music, and local art. In 2014, the Gallery hosted world-renowned mixed media artist Abdala Faye who donated two of his paintings to be auctioned off for the benefit of Elkhorn City's further development. The Gallery is a place to be yourself, to brainstorm ideas, collaborate, and be creative in any and all ways possible. Artists are encouraged to sign the floor. Most of those associated with it are volunteers; it is truly a labor of love and not at all your usual art gallery experience.
In the nearby county seat of Pikeville, KY., similar initiatives are being taken with a different slant. Pikeville is also a long-standing tourist destination due to its historic downtown area, its connection to the Hatfield & McCoy Feud and President James A. Garfield, its annual Hillbilly Days festival, and its Cut-Through Project, but it is also looking to capitalize on that. Recently, the city unveiled plans to turn Second Street (which is currently mostly lawyers offices and empty buildings) into an Arts and Culture District.
Among one of the first attractions to open in this new district: The Arts House. The Arts House is home to the Pikeville Artists Cooperative and is directed by the Pikeville Main Street Program. Located at 123 Second Street, it is a combination studio/gallery/shop space where paying members of the Cooperative create, show, and sell their art. At this time, most of its practicing artists are not Appalachian natives; many of these artists recently moved into the Pikeville area. Its stated mission is to "foster and feature the work of Central Appalachia's finest artists in every medium", meaning every medium of visual art. Both the Cooperative's contract and the space within the building itself is meant to inspire the reputation of elitism (keep in mind that I use that term with its local connotations; Central Appalachia has its own idea of what elitism constitutes) . Obviously a more polished and professional space than Raging Rapid Art Gallery, it is also more exclusive.
The art that can be found there is impressive. Jill Valenzuela and her husband (whose day job is plastic surgeon at the local hospital) have the most art in the space at this time. She works with looming, fabrics, and metal. But the work that I was most drawn to was New Jersey native/recent Pikeville resident Tatsiana Harbacheuskaya and her cityscapes from around the world drizzled in bright colors that delighted the Van Gogh lover in me.
The Arts House held an Open House/Business After Hours event in conjunction with the ribbon cutting ceremony on May 15, 2014. It was a stunning night where the charm of the old stately house that was renovated to hold the studio/gallery/shop space was in full evidence. Refreshments were served in a little kitchen in the back. The turn out was fantastic as the space quickly became crowded by locals eager to celebrate the new opportunities that venues like this represent. It was all very typical of what one would expect at a gallery opening and a wonderful evening for the city and Central Appalachia.
If you come to Eastern Kentucky, I recommend a visit to both these venues since they offer completely different experiences and together represent the whole of the state of art in Appalachia at this crucial point in its history. Come celebrate the best of local talent and ingenuity as Appalachia rises out of the coal pile and learns to value its unique culture at last!
Learn more about Raging Rapid Art Gallery.
Learn more about The Arts House.
Legal Disclosure: the author has a business relationship to a person, company, product, or service mentioned in that message. http://cmp.ly/4
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