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This Side of the Mountain by Sidney Saylor Fair Happy Anniversary Appalshop In June of this year friends from low and high places will be swarming into the small town of Whitesburg, Kentucky , to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of Appalshop, an arts and education center. For two decades, Appalshop has produced work in a wide range of media which celebrates the culture and voices the concerns of people living in the Appalachian Mountains. Appalshop's location, longevity, and scope of work make it unique among cultural institutions in this country. The National Endowment for the Arts has called Appalshop one of "the nation's most important arts groups." Appalshop began in 1969 when architect Bill Richards came to the mountains with U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) funds to set up a media training center in Whitesburg. The workshop was sponsored by the American Film Institute as part of a special War on Poverty project to establish media training centers in minority communities. The Institute, believing that there would be an expansion of the television and film industry in the 1970s, wanted to give people in disadvantaged areas a chance to participate in the field. Ten centers were established, including those in inner-city Chicago, Puerto Rico, and on Indian reservations. The one at Whitesburg was the Appalachian minority center. However, it soon became evident that training young people for film and television careers elsewhere was not feasible in the mountains, and serious consideration had to be given to alternative projects . The most positive approach seemed to be one of nelping create jobs in the area. Thus Appalshop changed focus and became a training and creating organization for and about mountain people. Appalshop has blossomed from a little storefront operation with a few cameras to a multi-faceted media arts center that consists of films, television, theater productions, recordings, photography, and radio. Consider for a moment the variety of the advertised Appalshop programs: Appalshop Films produces films and videotapes for homes and educational use which document the culture and the social issues of Appalachia and rural America. Roadside Theater, a traveling ensemble company, draws upon the rich history and culture of Appalachia to develop original plays which tour nationally and internationally . The Headwaters Television series of video programs explore the current concerns and the traditions of the region, and are broadcast to more than a million homes in Kentucky, central Appalachia, and other public television audiences. June Appal Recordings produces and distributes recordings which feature the music and voices of Appalachia which range from traditional mountain masters to contemporary regional composers and musicians . WMMT-FM, a noncommercial community radio station heard seven days a week in a S-state area, offers a wide spectrum of programming in the arts and public affairs. Appalshop originated as a training program for young people in film and television production. Today, Appalshop continues in the tradition of media arts training through outreach programs, fellowships, and a pilot media institute program. Through artist residencies, radio and television broadcasts, study materials for films and plays, and other educational initiatives, Appalshop maintains its commitment to fostering understanding about the region and an appreciation for learning in general. The Appalshop Center houses all of Appalshop's programs, including offices, production facilities, and classrooms. The center maintains a regular schedule of public events in its art gallery and 150-seat theater. AU of us connected with Appalachian Heritage are pleased to extend our congratulations and best wishes to Appalshop in this twentieth birthday celebration . ...

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