Participation Type
Poster
Session Title
(Poster) Family, Gender, and Community: Music, Dance and Coal
Session Abstract or Summary
This poster session will focus on the confluence of family, gender, the arts and the mining industry in Appalachia.
The Appalachian community has evolved throughout time because of influences, both subtle and brazen; tendencies, both natural and man-made; and forces, both internal and external. The confluence of various ethnic backgrounds, cultures, religions, traditions, and the surrounding natural environment, has contributed to creating a diverse, fascinating region of the United States. This poster session will focus on the following areas: Native American pottery, Appalachian music, Appalachian dance, and the coal mining industry, and how they have contributed to the molding of family life and community in Appalachia.
Helen McDaniel's poster will show how Native American Amanda Swimmer began her career in pottery and then how she inspired others with her work. Jessica Rayman's poster will focus on the history of Appalachian music and its relationship to Appalachian culture. Kyla Neill's study will focus on how dance influenced communities in the Appalachian region with an emphasis on West Virginia. Caitlyn Hanrahan's focus will be on how the mining industry transformed communities through gender roles and traditional family structures. Andra Knecht will moderate or convene the session of these four people who are student in her Appalachian History course at Georgia Gwinnet College.
Presentation #1 Title
Amanda Swimmer: Pottery and Inspiration
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This poster will show how Native American Amanda Swimmer began a career in pottery and from there inspired others. Helen McDaniel is a junior at Georgia Gwinnett College, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Helen is enrolled in the General Business program. Helen enrolled in an upper level Appalachia history class as an elective and became interested in the culture of women in Appalachia. In her studies, she learned about Amanda Swimmer, a self-taught potter and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokees. Helen began to research Swimmer and found Swimmer's life to be fascinating and she wanted to share that information with others. Helen will focus on the pottery of Swimmer. She will show in detail how Swimmer began her career in pottery and enhanced her career in the craft, and how she inspired others with her work. After receiving her degree in General Business in August of 2016, Helen plans to pursue a second Bachelor's degree in United States history and perhaps teach history.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Helen McDaniel is a junior, majoring in General Business, at Georgia Gwinnett College. After she graduates, she plans to immediately re-enroll in college to pursue a degree in American history, and she would like to write a book on some aspect of American history.
Presentation #2 Title
Community and Influence in the Twentieth Century: Music and the Outside World
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Jessica Rayman's research will focus on the history of Appalachian music, from the rediscovery of old world ballads in the early twentieth century through the rise in its popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. Appalachian music also was influenced by the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s. Beyond that, the popular music of the 1990s added influence, and even yet to the present day. I would like to emphasize the importance of the music to Appalachian culture. I would specifically focus on family and community settings. For my poster, I plan to highlight the major roles of both male and female artists in Appalachian music history, and how specific songs have changed over time in both the sound quality and the lyrical content to match the fluctuating attitudes in and toward popular music. This stresses the importance of the community and the greater effects of exposure to mainstream America.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Jessica Rayman is a history student at Georgia Gwinnett College, where she is the vice-president of the Alpha Omicron Gamma chapter of Phi Alpha Theta. Her concentration for her BA in History is Western Civilization, and she plans to pursue an MA in Archival Studies with a concentration in preserving and digitizing historical materials.
Presentation #3 Title
Through Good Times and Bad, Dance Keeps Communities Together
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Throughout the Appalachian region there is a tradition that has remained prominent in many communities spread all long the mountains. This century-old tradition has been given the name, flatfooting. Flatfooting is a rhythmic, close-to-the-ground dance that was derived from Celtic clogging, river dance, tap, and the traditional African-American juba. Since flatfooting's first performance it has been passed down from generation to generation. For some it was an escape from the daily routine; to others it was a way to get attention in a traditionally large southern household; and for most it was a gift that just kept their feet moving to the popular bluegrass music of the region. Flatfooting has gained momentum all throughout the region through dance classes, movies, and the followers of music. No matter what the situation, the tradition remains a meaningful one in Appalachia. Flatfooting was something that kept families and communities close together during the good and bad times. This study focuses on how dance has influenced communities in the Appalachian region, emphasizing West Virginia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Kyla Neill is majoring in history at Georgia Gwinnett College, concentrating in Western Civilization, but her passions include history of the U.S. South and art history. After graduation, she plans to pursue an MA in pubic history, specifically historical preservation and restoration. She is an active junior member of the Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Presentation #4 Title
Impact on Community: Coal Has Come to Town
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
The coal mining industry created a new type of community within West Virginia's Appalachian region. The rise of new towns based on the wage labor of the coal mining industry was a contrast to the established small, isolated, agrarian communities already in existence in the area. Agrarian communities were made up of close families that were tightly bound together and isolated from outside influences. When the coal mining industry took off in West Virginia a new type of community was established. Coal mining required a larger labor base. Mining communities were made up of clusters of people, many of them immigrants and transplanted eastern miners. Many came from different religious and cultural backgrounds, including different music and other aspects. They had diverse languages and customs. Yet they shared one common experience, the mines. The existence of the coal mines alone did not cause the unique aspects of the mining towns; it was the dangerous nature of the job and the company practices as well. This poster will examine these new industrial labor towns and compare and contrast them to the traditional, agrarian Appalachian communities. It will also examine in greater detail the factors that played a vital role in the creation of these mining communities, and the use of unionization within these towns to revolt against these suppressive companies.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Caitlyn Hanrahan is a History major at Georgia Gwinnett College. Her Fall 2014 curriculum includes "Coal Mining in the 1920s in Appalachia." Her focus on how the mining industry transformed communities through gender roles and traditional family structures. Caitlyn's overall study is U.S. History. She plans to graduate in Fall 2015 with a degree in Liberal Arts.
Amanda Swimmer: Pottery and Inspiration
This poster will show how Native American Amanda Swimmer began a career in pottery and from there inspired others. Helen McDaniel is a junior at Georgia Gwinnett College, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Helen is enrolled in the General Business program. Helen enrolled in an upper level Appalachia history class as an elective and became interested in the culture of women in Appalachia. In her studies, she learned about Amanda Swimmer, a self-taught potter and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokees. Helen began to research Swimmer and found Swimmer's life to be fascinating and she wanted to share that information with others. Helen will focus on the pottery of Swimmer. She will show in detail how Swimmer began her career in pottery and enhanced her career in the craft, and how she inspired others with her work. After receiving her degree in General Business in August of 2016, Helen plans to pursue a second Bachelor's degree in United States history and perhaps teach history.
