Mode of Program Participation

Community Organizing and Educational Programming

Participation Type

Panel

Session Title

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models

Session Abstract or Summary

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models Rather than looking back to a gilded age and rather than devoting energy to what should have been, five social entrepreneurship and community groups in the West Virginia coalfields and coal adjacent SWVA/SWV counties reinvent what is possible for this increasingly rural swath of Appalachia. Princeton, WV's RiffRaff Arts Collective creates, connects, and collaborates. The coalfield-located farmer cooperative McDowell County Farms (Kimball, WV) farms, gathers, and teaches. Sustainable Williamson (Williamson, WV) mentors, models, and mobilizes. Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge Plateau (Grayson/Carroll/Floyd Counties, VA) sows, manages, and builds. Treetop Creative Co-op (Hinton, WV) imagines, relates, and repurposes. These groups provide five different models for reinvigoration of Appalachia. In conversation with rural and Science and Technology Studies researcher Crystal Cook Marshall, they discuss their beginnings, their trials and tribulations, their processes, and their successes. As convener, Cook Marshall situates their context in the emerging Central Appalachian economic sectors of sustainable agriculture, creative communities, and health/recreation, and connects their potential for creating work that can't be displaced by technology and identity that is not energy sector bound.

About the Presenter

Crystal Cook Marshall, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityFollow
Lori McKinney, RiffRaff Arts Collective/Creative Your StateFollow
Jerry Moles, Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge PlateauFollow
Dwight Emrich, Treetop Creative Co-opFollow
Sky Edwards, McDowell County FarmsFollow
Darrin McCormick, Williamson Health and Wellness CenterFollow

Presentation #1 Title

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models

Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models Rather than looking back to a gilded age and rather than devoting energy to what should have been, five social entrepreneurship and community groups in the West Virginia coalfields and coal adjacent SWVA/SWV counties reinvent what is possible for this increasingly rural swath of Appalachia. Princeton, WV's RiffRaff Arts Collective creates, connects, and collaborates. The coalfield-located farmer cooperative McDowell County Farms (Kimball, WV) farms, gathers, and teaches. Sustainable Williamson (Williamson, WV) mentors, models, and mobilizes. Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge Plateau (Grayson/Carroll/Floyd Counties, VA) sows, manages, and builds. Treetop Creative Co-op (Hinton, WV) imagines, relates, and repurposes. These groups provide five different models for reinvigoration of Appalachia. In conversation with rural and Science and Technology Studies researcher Crystal Cook Marshall, they discuss their beginnings, their trials and tribulations, their processes, and their successes. As convener, Cook Marshall situates their context in the emerging Central Appalachian economic sectors of sustainable agriculture, creative communities, and health/recreation, and connects their potential for creating work that can't be displaced by technology and identity that is not energy sector bound.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1

A National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow and Fulbright alumna, Crystal Cook Marshall is a PhD candidate at Virginia Tech with a focus on hinterland community and economic development. Her case study has included qualitative interviews and participant observations in southern West Virginia, southwest Virginia, central West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and in Washington, DC. Her survey, focus group work, and participant research also include I-77 North Carolina. Data sets are drawn primarily from a fifty-county set of rural counties stretching from Montgomery County, VA to McCreary County, KY. Theoretical considerations are drawn primarily from science and technology studies in society, rural studies, urban geography, regional studies, Appalachian studies, philosophy of technology, policy studies, discard studies, risk studies, and sociology.

Originally from West Virginia, Cook Marshall is Barnard College, Columbia University alumna. She anticipates defending her dissertation spring 2017 and has master’s degrees from the New School (pedagogy) and from Antioch University of Los Angeles (writing). Before returning to Appalachia, she worked as an educator, writer, and nonprofit executive. Additionally, she and her husband farm in North Carolina.

Presentation #2 Title

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models

Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary

Rather than looking back to a gilded age and rather than devoting energy to what should have been, five social entrepreneurship and community groups in the West Virginia coalfields and coal adjacent SWVA/SWV counties reinvent what is possible for this increasingly rural swath of Appalachia. Princeton, WV's RiffRaff Arts Collective creates, connects, and collaborates. The coalfield-located farmer cooperative McDowell County Farms (Kimball, WV) farms, gathers, and teaches. Sustainable Williamson (Williamson, WV) mentors, models, and mobilizes. Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge Plateau (Grayson/Carroll/Floyd Counties, VA) sows, manages, and builds. Treetop Creative Co-op (Hinton, WV) imagines, relates, and repurposes. These groups provide five different models for reinvigoration of Appalachia. In conversation with rural and Science and Technology Studies researcher Crystal Cook Marshall, they discuss their beginnings, their trials and tribulations, their processes, and their successes. As convener, Cook Marshall situates their context in the emerging Central Appalachian economic sectors of sustainable agriculture, creative communities, and health/recreation, and connects their potential for creating work that can't be displaced by technology and identity that is not energy sector bound.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2

Lori McKinney and Robert Blankenship started the RiffRaff Arts Collective in 2006 to pump soul into Mercer Street in Princeton,WV to use the power of music and the arts to bring about change. At that time, only a handful of resident businesses remained on Mercer Street—a thrift store, a decrepit diner, a pawn shop, and a bar, to name a few. Most of the other storefronts were empty and the city had little to no interest in turning around what was once a vibrant thoroughfare. In Lori’s words regarding the RiffRaff:

We’re giving people powerful human experiences and showing them that life can be colorful and meaningful. Our events are like oases of creativity and inspiration, our public works of art change people’s perception of what is possible, our community garden brings people together and offers a chance to work towards a collective and fruitful goal, our music gives people hope, our art galleries showcase the diverse expressions of our community members, and our presence lets people know that there are people in the world who still believe in good. The dynamic of our downtown is like microcosm of the planet, and it’s our own little corner of the world to heal. Our positive energy is multiplying fast and causing waves of change throughout the region.

Presentation #3 Title

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models

Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary

Rather than looking back to a gilded age and rather than devoting energy to what should have been, five social entrepreneurship and community groups in the West Virginia coalfields and coal adjacent SWVA/SWV counties reinvent what is possible for this increasingly rural swath of Appalachia. Princeton, WV's RiffRaff Arts Collective creates, connects, and collaborates. The coalfield-located farmer cooperative McDowell County Farms (Kimball, WV) farms, gathers, and teaches. Sustainable Williamson (Williamson, WV) mentors, models, and mobilizes. Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge Plateau (Grayson/Carroll/Floyd Counties, VA) sows, manages, and builds. Treetop Creative Co-op (Hinton, WV) imagines, relates, and repurposes. These groups provide five different models for reinvigoration of Appalachia. In conversation with rural and Science and Technology Studies researcher Crystal Cook Marshall, they discuss their beginnings, their trials and tribulations, their processes, and their successes. As convener, Cook Marshall situates their context in the emerging Central Appalachian economic sectors of sustainable agriculture, creative communities, and health/recreation, and connects their potential for creating work that can't be displaced by technology and identity that is not energy sector bound.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3

Moles works with three southwest Virginia counties to develop collaborative and cooperative projects along the Blue Ridge Plateau, the highest region of the state. Born in Bluefield, WV Moles has a PhD in Anthropology from Stanford. He has been involved in agricultural organizing and mediation in California, Sri Lanka, and here in Appalachia. He is the co-founder of Grayson LandCare, a participant group of LandCare International.

Presentation #4 Title

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models

Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary

Rather than looking back to a gilded age and rather than devoting energy to what should have been, five social entrepreneurship and community groups in the West Virginia coalfields and coal adjacent SWVA/SWV counties reinvent what is possible for this increasingly rural swath of Appalachia. Princeton, WV's RiffRaff Arts Collective creates, connects, and collaborates. The coalfield-located farmer cooperative McDowell County Farms (Kimball, WV) farms, gathers, and teaches. Sustainable Williamson (Williamson, WV) mentors, models, and mobilizes. Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge Plateau (Grayson/Carroll/Floyd Counties, VA) sows, manages, and builds. Treetop Creative Co-op (Hinton, WV) imagines, relates, and repurposes. These groups provide five different models for reinvigoration of Appalachia. In conversation with rural and Science and Technology Studies researcher Crystal Cook Marshall, they discuss their beginnings, their trials and tribulations, their processes, and their successes. As convener, Cook Marshall situates their context in the emerging Central Appalachian economic sectors of sustainable agriculture, creative communities, and health/recreation, and connects their potential for creating work that can't be displaced by technology and identity that is not energy sector bound.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4

Dwight Emrich was born and raised in the New York City area and has been a Hinton, West Virginia resident since 1977. A master clock repairman, he commuted between NYC and Hinton on the wonderful Cardinal train for many years. A master craftsperson, he has maintained and remodeled a cluster of turn-of-the-century homes in Hinton with a vision toward creating an artisan community in the mountains. He has named this potential cooperative Treetop Creative Co-opdue to the high on the hill location of the homes. He is also a creative re-purposer with a big stash of materials, which are always in use and transition. He is a gentle-spirited optimist and looks forward to making Treetop Creative Co-op an active, vibrant intentional community contributing to Hinton's and the New River Valley's economic turnaround. Dwight is also a very active civic participant in Hinton:

• President of Board of Trustees of the (Campbell) Flannagan Murrell House Museum,

CFM-FMH.org

• Member of the Hinton WV Tree Board
• Citizen Volunteer in Hinton since 1977
• Former President of the Three Rivers Arts Council
• Former member of the Hinton Historical Landmarks Commission (Hinton listed on national Register of Historic Places since 1984)
• Member of the Hinton West Virginia Blueprint Communities program

Presentation #5 Title

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models

Presentation #5 Abstract or Summary

Rather than looking back to a gilded age and rather than devoting energy to what should have been, five social entrepreneurship and community groups in the West Virginia coalfields and coal adjacent SWVA/SWV counties reinvent what is possible for this increasingly rural swath of Appalachia. Princeton, WV's RiffRaff Arts Collective creates, connects, and collaborates. The coalfield-located farmer cooperative McDowell County Farms (Kimball, WV) farms, gathers, and teaches. Sustainable Williamson (Williamson, WV) mentors, models, and mobilizes. Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge Plateau (Grayson/Carroll/Floyd Counties, VA) sows, manages, and builds. Treetop Creative Co-op (Hinton, WV) imagines, relates, and repurposes. These groups provide five different models for reinvigoration of Appalachia. In conversation with rural and Science and Technology Studies researcher Crystal Cook Marshall, they discuss their beginnings, their trials and tribulations, their processes, and their successes. As convener, Cook Marshall situates their context in the emerging Central Appalachian economic sectors of sustainable agriculture, creative communities, and health/recreation, and connects their potential for creating work that can't be displaced by technology and identity that is not energy sector bound.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #5

Two time decorated Vietnam Marine Corps Veteran turned longstanding organic farmer Sylvester (Sky) Edwards is providing the model for potential turnaround of this region of Appalachia’s hinterlands. With Vallscreek, WV native Jason Tartt, he runs a cooperative farm enterprise in the heart of the WV coalfields. Their 311-acre farm turns a profit. In addition to "Appalachian Farming" wild harvested products such as mushrooms, herbs, nuts, maple syrup, and pawpaws, Edwards and Tartt produce a market garden, goats, and poultry.

In addition, Tartt and Edwards have:

• Collaborated with WVU Extension to give Appalachian Farming lectures at SAFE for abused families.

• Founded Iron Sharpening Iron in 2015, a youth program designed to empower young people and to encourage a sense of community building, socially, economically and spiritually.

• Collaborated with teachers at Mt. View High School to mentor high school students in farming and farming business.

• Collaborated with the Commission on Aging to provide a farmers market to the elderly throughout McDowell County. ”

• Working currently with a Mennonite organization to mentor 20-30, 18-22 year olds on agriculture and organization in Appalachian Farming

• Testified before the WV Legislature and received a standing ovation for the support for home-based canning as a means of intermediary income and passing a law allowing for home-based canning sales

Veterans and Farming

Last but not least, with their own military experience, Tartt and Edwards also are reaching out to veterans’ groups and the regional National Guard centers to mentor veterans interested in pursuing Appalachian Farming. This region has a higher than average portion of veterans and other ex-military. To these ends, Tartt and Edwards’ model provides a means by which veteran can return to their hinterland areas of origin in Appalachia and make a living.

Presentation #6 Title

Reinventing Appalachia: Five Community and Social Entrepreneurship Models

Presentation #6 Abstract or Summary

Rather than looking back to a gilded age and rather than devoting energy to what should have been, five social entrepreneurship and community groups in the West Virginia coalfields and coal adjacent SWVA/SWV counties reinvent what is possible for this increasingly rural swath of Appalachia. Princeton, WV's RiffRaff Arts Collective creates, connects, and collaborates. The coalfield-located farmer cooperative McDowell County Farms (Kimball, WV) farms, gathers, and teaches. Sustainable Williamson (Williamson, WV) mentors, models, and mobilizes. Grayson LandCare/Blue Ridge Plateau (Grayson/Carroll/Floyd Counties, VA) sows, manages, and builds. Treetop Creative Co-op (Hinton, WV) imagines, relates, and repurposes. These groups provide five different models for reinvigoration of Appalachia. In conversation with rural and Science and Technology Studies researcher Crystal Cook Marshall, they discuss their beginnings, their trials and tribulations, their processes, and their successes. As convener, Cook Marshall situates their context in the emerging Central Appalachian economic sectors of sustainable agriculture, creative communities, and health/recreation, and connects their potential for creating work that can't be displaced by technology and identity that is not energy sector bound.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #6

Executive Assistant/Community Liaison at Williamson Health & Wellness Center, Inc. Founding Board Member of the Williamson Health & Wellness Center, Inc, a nonprofit organization that currently administers funding for the Mingo County Diabetes Coalition and operates a federally qualified health clinic based in Williamson providing education and outreach for healthy life choices and increased access to health care providers.