Appalshop is one of the world’s leading regional media arts center, located in Whitesburg, Ky. They have been producing films, music, and lots more for decades. Everyone in Appalachia should see their great films and learn about what they have been doing - for people in WV and all of the region. I have visited them once, and they have visited Charleston many times. Mimi Pickering was almost a resident , making her film “Chemical Valley” about the WV links to the Bhopal Disaster several years ago. Many Appalshop films have been made in WV, most famously Pickering’s two films on the Buffalo Creek Disaster.  Here is their press release about their two new leaders.

 NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 26, 2007Appalshop appoints two new key leaders WHITESBURG, KY: Appalshop, the acclaimed 38 year-old community media center in
Whitesburg, KY has announced the hiring of Art Menius as Director and Beth Bingman as
Managing Director. Both began work in July. Together they will provide core leadership for the venerable worker managed non-profit. “As chair of the Appalshop board, I have watched our organization grow and evolve into an acknowledged leader in the community-based media field,” said Judi Jennings, Appalshop chair and executive director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women. “Thousands of non-profits have come and gone over those 38 years. It is exciting to bring Beth and Art on board as we position Appalshop for many more years of service to the communities of Appalachia.”

“I learned about Appalshop soon after its founding and I have always been impressed with what Appalshop does. I’ve seen films, attended plays and concerts, listened to June Appal recordings and to WMMT, and had all kinds of fun at the Seedtime on the
Cumberland festivals,” Bingman said. “Last year I was asked to write a report on the many ways Appalshop is involved in helping people learn from each other and learn about our region. Working on this report deepened my respect for the breadth and depth of Appalshop’s work. Now I have an exciting opportunity to work with the Appalshop staff to help make this work even stronger.”

Bingman, who completed her PhD in 1995 at the University of Tennessee in
Knoxville with a dissertation on women’s learning in Appalachian community organizations, comes to Appalshop after serving as Associate Director at the Center for Literacy Studies at UTK. Her work there included research, evaluation, curriculum development, and design of professional development. Beth continues to be associated with the Center as a Senior Research Associate. Her involvement in community and regional activism includes service on the boards of the Dungannon (VA)
Development Commission, the Appalachian Peace Education Center, the Appalachian
Community Fund, Literacy South, and the Highlander Research and Education
Center.

Menius joins Appalshop following as decade with MerleFest, the highly successful Americana festival produced by Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC, where he was Marketing and Sponsorship Director. Menius, who earned an M.A. in History from the UNC-Chapel Hill, previously served as the first Executive Director of the International Bluegrass Music Association (1985-1990) and the initial manager of the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance, the Folk Alliance (1991-1996). He has served on the boards of those organizations as well as the Americana Music Association, the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, the Swannanoa Gathering, and the Old-Time Music Group.

“I learned about Appalshop initially from June Appal Recordings,” Menius reported. “Later I became aware of Appalshop’s Roadside Theater and extraordinary documentary films, while my work at IBMA, Folk Alliance, and MerleFest kept me in touch with its unique community radio station WMMT-FM 88.7 since its inception in 1985. Appalshop is at a certain age where we need to take refocus on our mission and long range planning so that Appalshop can maintain its flagship position for many decades to come. That makes it a very exciting time to join this talented team.”

A community-based arts and education center in the coalfields of southeastern
Kentucky, Appalshop has earned an international reputation for ground breaking work in using media, culture, and education for grassroots community development. Appalshop’s projects and activities include Appalshop Films, community radio WMMT-FM 88.7, Roadside Theater, an exceptional touring ensemble company, June Appal Recordings, the Community Media Institute, and the Appalachian Media Institute (AMI), a nationally-recognized youth media program.

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For more information please contact Art Menius at 

(606) 633-0108 (ph)
(336) 984-0319 (mobile)
art@appalshop.org

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