“Please Pass the Bottle Bill!"

Crystal Carter, American

“Please Pass the Bottle Bill!”, 2008

This is one photo taken as part of Shannon Elizabeth Bell’s Photovoice project in West Virginia from 2008 to 2009. By participating in the photovoice project Carter took many photos like this one and accompanied them with stories to highlight why the photo was taken and the significance to Carter (or other photographers). In the case of this photo(story), Carter highlights an environmental issue affecting rural West Virginia that does not necessarily flow from the coal industry: plastic bottle pollution in surface waters. Carter identifies the harm to wildlife this pollution can do in the photostory accompanying this image, though the microplastics breaking off of these bottles can lead to similar health concerns to coal itself. Label by Frank Kennedy

This photograph was taken as a part of Shannon Bell’s Photovoice series, a feminist ethnographic study meant to show the reality of environmental injustices in coal mining communities across West Virginia. Participants were provided a camera and asked to take pictures of anything they wanted to reveal within their communities. This photograph shows plastic bottles washed up after a heavy rainfall, advocating for the passing of a bottle deposit legislature. Not all artwork needs to be aesthetic or artistically composed to tell a story or enact change. Giving marginalized individuals the voice to tell their own stories through an art medium such as photography empowers advocation for environmental justice. Label by Bayleigh Albert

Buffalo Creek Memorial

Kevin Ledo, Canadian, born 1978

Buffalo Creek Memorial, 2014

Kevin Ledo’s mural acts as a memorial to honor the lives and properties lost in the 1972 Buffalo Creek disaster. The flood, as depicted in the left side of the mural, destroyed many houses and properties and was a result of slurry formed by the waste and chemicals of the coal mining industry. The dark colors portray the filth of the contaminated water that flowed through the community, countering the idea presented by the coal industry that coal is a clean energy source. Ledo also depicted most of the sky as being dark, hinting at the air pollution generated by both mountaintop removal practices and the burning of coal. The woman in the foreground holding onto a child portrays how the coal industry, and ongoing disasters created by them, are negatively impacting generations of people in the Appalachian communities. Finally, the white dove in the top left corner is a symbol of peace, which I interpret as the painter’s call for justice towards the people who are suffering at the hands of the coal industry. Label by Lindsey Smith

Loyalties

Unknown

Loyalties, 2017

In Fighting King Coal, a photo included in the Photovoice exhibit from Community B portrayed two opposing bumper stickers on the backs of cars. One read, “I love Coal,” and the other read, “I love Mountains.” The title of this photo and it’s caption is, “Loyalties.” I found this to be a valuable photo in the way that it represents the social divide over coal mining. The word loyalty when applied to the sticker that says “I love Coal” depicts the vital role that coal played in building the foundations of the economy in this region. With that, many people embrace and celebrate coal mining as a part of their culture. This raises challenges when trying to form activists groups and spread awareness because not only are these ideas deeply ingrained making it hard for some people to see the truth of the situation, but it also deters the people who may want to become more active but feel as though they will be going against their community in doing so. Label by Jordan Stofko