Shuttle Car

David "Blue" Lamm, American, born 1958

Shuttle Car, 1977

David Lamm is a self-taught American painter from West Virginia who seeks to use art as way to demonstrate the concerns for the people working in coal mining. In Shuttle Car, Lamm paints a coal miner shuttling coal in a box labeled as “joy” against a deep, ominous black background. The box is covered in coal dust and contrasts the qualities and sentiment that would typically be assigned to a box filled of “joy.” It seems as if Lamm is commenting on the commonly inaccurate presentation of the coal mining industry to the public—although disguised as a great source of energy and jobs, the coal industry wreaks havoc on the environment and creates health problems for the people who live in these areas. Label by Maeve Marsh

Untitled

Justin Renteria, American

Untitled, 2018

While this piece is not a direct photograph of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia, it certainly resembles one. Images of the impact of mountaintop removal share striking similarities to this artistic interpretation of a mining area, devoid of color, splattered with thick oil, seemingly encroaching on the lush surrounding forests. The impact of coal mining in Appalachia is not dissimilar to this physical landscape. As increased environmental degradation has occurred, these energy industries not only strip natural environments of their resources, they strip the land of its color, both figuratively and literally. Not only are mountain tops and forests turned into dreary wastelands, the surrounding communities are stripped of their cultural connections to the lands that they have inhabited for generations, and non-human animal habitats and ecosystems are decimated. The beauty of the nature of the landscapes and the beauty of the human and non-human animals that reside within them are quickly being destroyed by the expansion of these industries. The priority of the industry is exclusively economic growth and development. All other considerations are rendered irrelevant to the progress of the American economy, regardless of the amount of “color” that is stripped from these regions in the process.  Label by Gwyneth McCrae

The Owners

Teresa Robinette, American

The Owners, 2017

This piece depicts a man and a woman sitting in front of what is assumed to be their home. The painting radiates a sense of eerie tension. Though the bottom of the painting contains beautiful flowers, the grass appears yellow and dead and a large black cloud looms from behind the stark white house. This piece likely alludes to the predicament of individuals living in areas of Appalachia where coal is prevalent. The couple pictured appears tired and worn down, though they seem relatively young, and a black dust coats their home in the background. The painting itself contains organic compounds from the Appalachian Mountains. The black areas are crafted from broken down charcoal and coal, creating an interesting dichotomy as one sees coal within the painting causing damage and despair, while the coal on the canvas is used as a means of creating. Label by Grace Moser

Toxic Pond

Shannon Elizabeth Bell, American

Toxic Pond, 2008

Shannon Elizabeth Bell provided women in communities in Southern West Virginia with digital cameras and requested that they tell the story of their communities. This project is titled “The Southern West Virginia Photovoice Project” and highlights the impact of mountaintop coal removal through photographs with written narratives. This photograph was taken by the activist Carolyn from a community where the surrounding mountains are covered with large mountaintop removal mining operations. Carolyn’s piece, “Toxic Pond?” displays and  narrates slow violence from hidden coal related pollution within the community. Carolyn’s narrative that is accompanied with the photo reveals the constant unease that permeates throughout the community regarding environmental justice in the form of coal-related environmental problems. Label by Elsa Rall