Sarah Hoskins, American, born 1965
Black Coal Miner Memorial, 2017
This photograph of The Black Coal Miner Memorial in Lynch, Kentucky, depicts the centrality of the figure of the black coal miner to Lynch. The memorial consists of the image of the black coal miner alongside various ephemera associated with the occupation of mining. This constellation of images is explained via the gold placard on the left. These placards are a particularly interesting element of the memorial in that while memorials are often didactic, that learning is typically interpretive, not explanatory (this memorial is telling you how to interact with/feel about it). Furthermore, this memorial exists on the side of the Lynch Public Colored School demonstrating that while black coal miners have been integral to Lynch’s economy and community, they are not worthy of memorializing or commemorating in traditionally conceived of forms of commemoration, such as monuments in more highly trafficked areas thus allowing for more public engagement and memory/meaning-making. Label by Jay Jolles