Due to scheduling conflicts, the originally scheduled talk on June 2 will no longer take place. The exhibit which has been on view at the Museum since March was recently refreshed with new photographs. This event will give guests the chance to view this fascinating exhibition and enjoy a gallery talk by Dudenbostel and Jester who delighted visitors at the exhibition opening with tales of their off-road adventures and look forward to returning to share more stories.
The exhibit will be on view through June 30. The gallery talk and reception on June 23, 1 p.m., is free to members and $5 for non-museum members. The talk will be followed by refreshments in the lobby.
The award-winning exhibition is on loan from the Museum of East Tennessee History, operated by the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville (www.east TNhistory.org). The exhibition was made possible through a grant from the Gene and Florence Monday Foundation and is sponsored by Cooke’s Food Store.
With camera and recorder in hand, photographer Don Dudenbostel and field recordist Tom Jester spent several years documenting the people, places, and practices of Appalachia, capturing aspects of Appalachian life infrequently practiced but which are still associated with the region.
The exhibit explores the stereotypes people often have of Appalachia. “The photographs and field recordings offer rare access to people and places that many Appalachians have heard of but relatively few have chosen to visit or participate in,” noted Adam H. Alfrey, the exhibition’s curator from the Museum of East Tennessee History in Knoxville.
The exhibit represents three years of work by Dudenbostel and Jester, plus 40 years of work done by Dudenbostel on his own to document Appalachian images. Dudenbostel says, “In our work, we want the people of Appalachia to be seen as they want to be seen: As proud, independent survivors who are living the way they do by choice. As rural Appalachia is consumed by development and the larger society around it, the remnants of this proud old culture are being ignored by the media, by the government, by just about everybody.”
A catalog and CD of recordings featured in the exhibition is available for purchase at the Museum Center at Five Point’s Museum Store.
To enhance the exhibition the Museum Center is offering a series of education programs and events to accompany the exhibit.
June 9: Appalachian Wildwoods Ramble in Fletcher Park; 1 to 3 p.m., $5 for museum members, $8 for non-museum members. Elliott will be the group’s guide as attendees roam the wilds of Fletcher Park. Meet in Fletcher Park (directions will be provided for those registering). Reservations and prepayment are required by June 6 by calling Tracy at 339-5745.
June 9: An Evening of Appalachian Woodslore and Wildwoods Wisdom with Doug Elliot; 7 p.m. This evening of Appalachian lore is co-sponsored by the Cleveland Public Library and the Cleveland Storytelling Guild. This event will be held at the Community Room of the Cleveland Public Library. Thanks to a generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Denny Mobbs and Jordon Fabricating, Inc. this event is free to the general public.
June 23: Stories of Vanishing Appalachia Part 2 and closing reception; 1 p.m., free for museum members, $5 for non-museum members. Join Dudenbostel and Jester for this fun and informative walk-through of the exhibit, “Vanishing Appalachia.”
The Museum Center at Five Points preserves and interprets the history and culture of the Ocoee District of Southeast Tennessee. The museum hosts exhibits and education programs. Visit www.MuseumCenter.org.
