Appalshop
Appalshop is a media, arts, and education center located in Whitesburg, Kentucky, in the heart of the southern Appalachian region of the United States.
History
Appalshop was founded in 1969 as the Appalachian Film Workshop, a project of the United States government's war on poverty. The organization was one of ten Community Film Workshops started by a partnership between the federal Office of Economic Opportunity and the American Film Institute. In 1974 they incorporated into a nonprofit company, under the name Appalshop, and established itself as a hub of filmmaking in 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. The name was officially changed to reflect changing business structure and goals.Appalshop also produces theater, music, bluegrass recordings, as well as photography, multimedia, and books.
Since 1985, Appalshop has also operated WMMT-FM, a radio station located in Whitesburg, Kentucky which serves much of central Appalachia with music and programming relevant to the region and its culture. WMMT also broadcasts live on the web.
During the 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky, Appalshop and its archives were heavily damaged by water, sediment, and humidity. The center has since been working to recover its archives, with help from Iron Mountain. As of August 2023, the organization has managed to recover 13,500 items, including rare performances and interviews, an interview with leaders of the Eastern band of Cherokee, and materials relating to Black Appalachians. Some items, especially audiovisual resources, are being digitized into an expanded online library. However, employees estimate that about 15 to 20 percent of the archives have been lost forever. The damage to the building was extensive enough that a new building in Jenkins, which sits above the floodplain, had to be purchased. The organization plans to renovate the new building to meet their needs, while also respecting its history as a hospital and home. During the interim, the organization retrofitted an RV to serve as a mobile radio station.