Annual Report of Gifts 2008-2009 - Luzerne County Community ...

9
Anthracite Miners
and Their Hollowed Ground
LCCC’s Schulman Gallery
Hosts Coal Miner Art Exhibit
Luzerne County Community College recently hosted "Anthracite Miners
and Their Hollowed Ground" art exhibit in the College's Schulman Gallery
located in the Campus Center.
The exhibit consisted of 300 hand crafted hexagon-shaped paintings with a
story behind each one. Sue Hand, the artist, studied mining and the dangers men
faced in the mines across the Wyoming Valley. In her creations she wanted to
show appreciation and the dangers these men went through.
Hand began the paintings in 2000 and completed her artwork in 2007. When
she was completed, she had three hundred pieces that told the stories of the dangers,
violence, and daily life miners experienced on a normal day at work. The
exhibit shows the story of the region’s mining history.
Each piece was hand crafted
and carefully put together. The art
pieces consist of notes and scraps
of old newspapers with pictures
from the mining period. Real
objects were added to the pieces to
give it a more lively presentation
such as coal, dirt, and rusted nails.
Hand sold her paintings to Jim
Burke, former producer for
Paramount Pictures. Burke is currently
producing the play “The Molly Maguires” for Broadway.
On opening night of the exhibit, a reception echoed the ethnic and historical
essence of the pieces. The Consul General of Ireland, Niall Burgess, attended
the event. In addition, a group of Irish dancers provided entertainment and a bag
piper, led the speakers to the podium. Members of the Eckley Village came to
support the artwork in their historical costumes.
Throughout the exhibit’s showing, the College held additional events to showcase
the spirit of the paintings. The 1970 film, "The Molly Maguires," was shown
in the College's Campus Center. The film, starring Sean Connery and Richard
Harris, was filmed in nearby Eckley. Jim Burke provided gallery talks to describe
the pieces in detail. Guest speaker, 89-year-old retired miner Bill Hastie, lead a
discussion on retired miners to inform staff and students what it was like during
the mining days.
Sue Hand also held gallery talks throughout the month in the Schulman
Gallery. William Kashatus, assistant professor of history at LCCC, presented
"Speaking Easy: An Immigrant's Search for the American Dream."
In addition, different historical sessions were held to give members
of the community an appreciation and insight on miner life.
Sue Hand
Niall Burgess
Roxanne Schulman