Appalshop
Encyclopedia
Whitesburg, Kentucky
Whitesburg is a city in Letcher County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,139 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Letcher County.-Culture:...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, in the heart of the southern Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
n region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Founded in 1969 as a project of the United States government's War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
, Appalshop established itself as the primary hub of filmmaking in and about Appalachia, and since that time has produced more than one hundred films, covering such subjects as coal mining, the environment, traditional culture, and the economy.
Appalshop also produces theater, music, and spoken-word recordings (released on its June Appal Recordings
June Appal Recordings
June Appal Recordings was established by Appalshop to record and distribute music of and from Central Appalachia. Artists with June Appal releases include Buell Kazee, Morgan Sexton, Lee Sexton, Carla Gover, Nimrod Workman and others. Over the last thirty years, June Appal has released more than...
label), as well as photography, multimedia, and books.
WMMT (FM)
-Internet:The radio station is also available on the internet, from their website at...
(Mountain Community Radio), a radio station located in Whitesburg, Kentucky
Whitesburg, Kentucky
Whitesburg is a city in Letcher County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,139 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Letcher County.-Culture:...
which serves much of central Appalachia (including portions of Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina) with music and programming relevant to the region and its culture. WMMT also broadcasts live on the web.
As stated on its website, Appalshop's goals are:
- To document, disseminate, and revitalize the lasting traditions and contemporary creativity of Appalachia;
- To tell stories the commercial cultural industries don’t tell, challenging stereotypes with Appalachian voices and visions;
- To support communities’ efforts to achieve justice and equity and solve their own problems in their own ways;
- To celebrate cultural diversity as a positive social value; and
- To participate in regional, national, and global dialogue toward these ends.