The Proximity Gap: Access to Art for Appalachian Students

One thing I’ve learned while teaching “in the trenches” of a state university in rural eastern Kentucky is to capitalize on proximity. Prior to my current position, I spent years teaching art history in a city with multiple museums, and large part of my pedagogical practice relied on using Visual Thinking Strategies in the galleries to introduce students to visual analysis. In Morehead, Kentucky, we are limited in access to painting and sculpture that you find in major cities. Morehead is, however, home to the Kentucky Folk Art Center, which has caused me to highlight contemporary folk art in my teaching and research. The restrictions placed on my time by a 4/4 teaching load and administrative responsibilities serving a population of first-generation students mean that I have published and presented less frequently in my field of medieval art and more often in the areas of folk art and SOTL. This shift has presented career challenges, but ultimately has been rewarding and allows me to be an active member of the arts community in eastern Kentucky instead of the lone medievalist. Rather than remind students of the distance between where we are and where medieval art is, for example, I have them complete assignments that showcase the art in and of the region and focus on its creative value and outreach. When much of the regional identity of Appalachia is focused on isolation, I teach my students to serve as ambassadors of art and culture within the region and beyond.