Help us smile. Support Preservation Alliance of West Virginia in a new way: do your online shopping on smile.amazon.com. It’s easy to register; simple search for Preservation Alliance of West Virginia with our EIN number: 31-1028713. All your other Amazon.com account settings will remain the same. When you have selected us you will see it listed at the top-middle of the webpage as “Supporting: Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.” All your purchases through smile.amazon.com will donate 0.5% to PAWV! Anymore questions see: http://smile.amazon.com/about. Make sure you smile today.
By Malina, Preserve WV AmeriCorps In my last post I explained how I, a newly minted PAWV Preserve WV AmeriCorps member, was able to travel to Japan to interview a woodworker about his life, his craft, and his American friend, Janell Landis. As I knew very little Japanese going in, and my project partner, Paula, is a historian of Japan and has studied the language for nearly eight years, I decided to let her do the talking and relegated myself to equipment duty and appreciative observer of the sites. Skipping over the nitty-gritty travel details, I will say only that my first, and most lasting, impression of Japan was how clean everything was. On the train ride north from Tokyo it was nearly impossible to distinguish the old buildings from the new, not just because of a combination of government-led housing construction and modernist concrete architectural design, but because there was no trace of dirt on building walls from pollution and many structures seemed freshly painted—it was all so clean. Walking around the city of Sendai, and later Akiu, I remarked to my personal translator and cultural guide, Paula, that there was so little litter. And she replied that it always amazed her that, despite the fact that there are very few public garbage cans, littering is very frowned upon in Japanese society. People just carry their trash with them over the course of the day and throw it away at home or work. This was by far the most noticeable difference to me in terms of urban spaces, which I have spent a lot of time thinking about since my tenure at Main Street Fairmont. The mountains of the Tohoku region where Sendai sits are surprisingly reminiscent of Appalachia. We were fortunate to come at a time of the year when everything was green and the weather was sunny and mild. As is evident above, I found the built environment of Japan to be fascinating, especially the small town of Akiu which had, in addition to the traditional Japanese inn where we stayed, several high-rise apartment buildings in a town of roughly four concentrated blocks. However, architecture was not the cultural resource we had come to document.
Oral History is an energy-intensive process for interviewer and subject. We interviewed Hiroi-sensei for a total of 6 hours over two days. The rest of the time we spent at his home was taken up by exploring the work on sale in his shop, touring the other shops nearby, and meeting some of the people in Akiu who spend their time helping to preserve the artisan traditions of Japan. Hiroi-sensei lives in a planned neighborhood specially designed to house artisan masters and help them sell their art for a living. Each artisan lives in a small house with an adjoining shop. Other kinds of traditional Japanese artisans live and work in this ‘craft village’ as well. We were able to patronize two kokeshi doll makers, a woodworker, a furniture maker, a fabric artist, and others. The village also included an information center with some of the artisans’ work on display and free tea and coffee for visitors. On our last day at the Akiu Craft Park we were able to sit down and talk with a young couple who volunteer their time at the information center and manage the Akiu Craft Park Facebook page. The young man, Takahashi-san, works at the local TV station and produced several short documentaries about the artisans in Akiu, including Hiroi-sensei. These young people are working consciously to promote Akiu, Sendai, and the larger Tohoku region as a viable tourist destination for Japanese people. The Japanese economy is significantly boosted by domestic tourism, but since the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that hit Sendai in 2011, many Japanese people have been avoiding travel to the region. By educating the public on the availability of traditional crafts in Akiu, the community there hopes to foster an atmosphere of preservation. In his own way, Hiroi-sensei is also a preservationist, his family has passed down the particular way of making edo-goma, and he is passing it down to apprentices, like Janell and the two young people he is currently teaching, Maida-san and Misa-san. His process and materials are the same as those his father used and therefore, that process and the artworks he creates can be a similar window into history as any historical work of art or architecture. His process is interpretation while at the same time his art can be interpreted: though not historical themselves, they are artifacts ofhistory. We hope that, through our own efforts and those of Takahashi-san and others like him, traditional artisans like Hiroi-sensei and his neighbors will continue to practice their work and enrich Japanese culture for generations to come. By Malina, Preserve WV AmeriCorps In my two terms of AmeriCorps, one of the most exciting aspects of the program, for me, has been meeting new people who are taking on meaningful projects and networking with them. There are so many venues for AmeriCorps members to help each other with their projects and initiatives. Simply being in such a cooperative atmosphere can rub off on your other networks as well, and like-minded advocates and go-getters can be found in the most surprising places. Before I began my service with PAWV’s Preserve WV program, I had started working with Paula R. Curtis on Carving Community: The Landis and Hiroi Collection as a favor to friend, and as a fun side project during my job search. When we started the project, we had no idea how far it would take us. Paula is an incredibly impressive and smart person who was my sister’s roommate in college and is currently a PhD candidate in History at the University of Michigan and a Fulbright scholar. She runs a widely read blog entitled “What Can I Do with a BA in Japanese Studies?” That blog was the way a woman named Jane Heald first got in contact with Paula on behalf of her neighbor, Janell Landis. Janell is a former missionary who spent over thirty years living in Japan and teaching English at a women’s university in the region of Sendai. In 1981, after she had already been in Japan for nearly three decades, Janell met a local artisan who makes edo-goma(traditional spinning-tops) and began learning his craft. Janell gets such joy from these little wooden art-pieces that she has amassed a collection of nearly two hundred distinct tops. At 87, she began to think of the future of these precious items and wanted to find a museum to which she could donate them. She turned to Jane and Jane, after a simple Google search, turned to Paula. Paula was so intrigued by Janell’s story that she turned to me. As a graduate student in Public History, I gained some experience with oral history. Thus, Paula’s idea was to interview Janell as a kind of PR for the collection. We toyed with the idea of writing a journal article with the information from the interview, but decided that the publishing process would likely take too long and there could be no assurance that we would be printed at all. I turned to my advisor from graduate school who gave us the idea of an online “exhibit” website of our findings in the interview. The project never would have begun without the incredible network of each person involved.
In October, Paula and I travelled to Janell’s home in Tennessee and conducted the interview over three days. There was much to discuss including her life in the US during World War II, her decision to become a missionary, her training, her life in Japan, how she met her sensei and what his work meant to her. She demonstrated the workings of the tops and introduced us to some of the people in her community who had also spent time in Japan. She asked us if we would be willing to travel with her to Japan when she planned to visit for the last time in May. We were evasive: how could we afford to? But the idea was planted in our minds, and it opened up the possibility of filling in the gaps of the narrative we started. If we could interview her sensei, Hiroi Michiaki, we could understand his intent in creating each piece and his history with his only American and first female pupil. Thus, instead of transcribing the interview we had and posting the video we had taken in Tennessee, we devoted our time to writing grants and promoting a successful Kickstarter campaign aimed at buying the AV equipment we would need to take with us. With a generous grant from Paula’s department at Michigan and a little more money from the Kickstarter than our original goal, we both joined Janell in her journey from Nashville to Sendai, Japan. This was a project that started with nothing: an email from a retired woman on behalf of her friend that resulted in an international journey and a museum home for Janell’s collection. Thanks to another member of Paula’s University network, the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, Florida will be adding Hiroi’s tops to their collection of traditional Japanese art works. Janell is overjoyed that people from all over the country will be able to view and appreciate the work of her teacher and friend. In Part 2, I will discuss my impressions of Japan, our interview with Hiroi-sensei, and some surprising preservation work going on in the town of Akiu, Japan.
In April 2014, Alex became the AmeriCorps VISTA for Preservation Alliance of West Virginia. Her goal is to assist West Virginian communities to utilize state and national resources to better protect, preserve, and reuse historic sites across the state.
Alex will be serving at the PAWV office at the Darden House in Elkins. She has been tasked with projects including an economic impact study of WV’s Development Grant, helping heritage tourism initiatives in central WV, and assisting with grant applications. You can contact Alex at vista@pawv.org or stop in during regular office hours to see her. The National Coal Heritage Area (NCHA) is one of only 48 nationally designated heritage areas in the entire United States. The mission of the National Coal Heritage Area is to preserve, protect, and interpret lands, structures, and communities associated with the coal mining heritage of southern West Virginia. The NCHA encompasses 12 counties in southern West Virginia: Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Logan,McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Lincoln and Wyoming and the Paint Creek and Cabin Creek watersheds in Kanawha County.
For more information on NCHA or the grant requirements, contact cbailey@coalheritage.org. The NCHA has released information on available grants that must meet the following criteria: Interpretive Themes
Eligible Organizations Organizations eligible for grant awards are legally established non-profit organizations and institutions (recognized by the IRS), and public and governmental organizations including county and municipal governments, state agencies, economic development authorities, and educational institutions, including public and private not-for-profit schools. Projects must be implemented within the National Coal Heritage Area. Grant Range Projects will range in costs from $2,000 to $100,000. Applicant organizations must provide 50% of the project cost and may request grants ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 with the remainder provided in documented matching funds. Submission of Grant Applications Completed grant applications must be received in the office of the National Coal Heritage Area Authority by 5:00 PM, May 15, 2014. Applications may be mailed to the Authority at National Coal Heritage Area Authority, PO Box 15, Oak Hill, WV 25901 or hand delivered to the Authority office at 100 Kelly Avenue in Oak Hill. Faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted. Two complete copies of the application, with a cover letter signed by the Executive Director or an officer of the corporation indicating institutional support for the project, are required. Please secure applications with a clip and do not staple or bind in any manner. Eligible Categories Interpretation and Heritage Programming: (grant awards range from $1,000 – $25,000) Projects must create or further develop interpretive opportunities related to coal heritage within the National Coal Heritage Area incorporating at least one of the interpretive themes. Examples of eligible project are interpretive brochures and guides, performances and performance spaces, interpretive exhibits, creation of public art exhibits and development of interpretive signs and brochures for walking/biking trails. Can include community or school based heritage education projects. Designs for printed materials, signage design and interpretive plans must be approved by the National Coal Heritage Area Authority before printing or fabrication of signs begins. Exterior interpretive signage must use the graphic design template currently in use by the National Coal Heritage Area. Historical markers will be allowed under this category, but must be a part of the Division of Culture and History’s historical marker program and must include adequate space for a minimum of two vehicles to safely pull off the road. Historic Preservation and Resource Stewardship: (grant awards range from $1,000 -$50,000) Projects in this category must further the preservation, protection, and/or restoration of historic properties, landscapes, and cultural resources within the National Coal Heritage Area. All structures must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places or determined as eligible for listing by the State Historic Preservation Office. Preservation and restoration of historic structures must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties.” All preservation projects are subject to approval of the WV State Historic Preservation Office and may not proceed until written notice from SHPO is received. Examples of eligible projects are development of a historic preservation master plan for an existing National Register district or structure, structural analysis for the purpose of stabilizing an eligible structure, and interior and exterior rehabilitation. Archives and Historical Record Collection: (grant awards range from $1,000 – $25,000) Grants within this category will serve to increase the public’s access to historical records and documents or to preserve paper-based archival documents. Examples of possible projects include collecting and cataloguing archival documents to be made available to the public and creation of systems to allow on-line access to document images. All work done under this category must focus on improving the public’s access to archival information, but may not include ongoing operational expenses of operating an archival facility. A catalogue of material collected and archived under this grant category must be published and made available to the public either on-line or in print and a copy provided to the National Coal Heritage Area Authority. Greenways, Public Parks, and Non-motorized Trails: (grant awards range from $1,000 – $25,000) Grants within this category must focus on creating outdoor interpretive spaces, be open to the general public, and be generally accessible to the traveling public. Example of projects could include a trailhead facility that relates the coal heritage of the area, interpretive trails that pass across mining lands or through company towns with accompanying interpretive materials, roadside pull-offs featuring interpretive signage and/or historical markers, gateways to coal communities, and non-motorized trails that connect historic resources. Design plans and feasibility studies for these types of projects are also considered to be eligible. In general playgrounds and recreational facilities will not be eligible for funding, unless they contain an interpretive element. Plans for maintenance of the site must be clearly defined with a responsible entity identified. All design plans for approved projects must be submitted to the National Coal Heritage Area Authority for approval before actual construction begins. Educational Activities and Events: (grant awards range from $500 – $10,000) Grants within this category will focus on providing education opportunities within the community or schools. Educational activities should focus on preserving and sharing the history of the region with children, young adults or community members or involving those groups in collecting and preserving history. Eligible activities include: Field trips when combined with other educational activities, art projects that explore the history and culture of coal and coal communities, including drama, literature, photography, visual arts, music, dance, and public art projects, special speakers or presentations when combined with other educational activities, historical research and documentation including oral and family histories and digital stories created by students and community members, and workshops or presentations designed to assist communities in preserving and interpreting their history. VISTA position begins May 2014 and is a one-year position. It may be extended for 2 – 3 years depending on VISTA’s project development and fundraising. The VISTA will be assigned to the following projects:
2015 Marks the 75th Anniversary of the historic Homestead Elementary School, the last of the 99 schools built under the New Deal program of rural development following the Great Depression to still be in active service. The school is the heart of a struggling rural community and is faced with closure. A local group has organized to commemorate the history of the school and its community, one of the original New Deal Resettlement Homesteads, to fight to keep the school open, and to develop much needed jobs through heritage tourism. The centerpiece activity currently is planning an anniversary celebration which will include publicizing the history, organizing public and financial support, and archiving their collection of documents, photographs and artifacts pertinent to the history of the Homestead. This project will not only commemorate this milestone anniversary, but will also help to move the sponsor organization forward in its efforts to preserve the school as a working elementary school and historical site and enhance its depository of artifacts and data from this New Deal settlement. This economically challenged rural area is struggling to do this with an older volunteer effort and a VISTA would enable a the project to move forward with this mission in the true spirit of the efforts of the New Deal “work to live” programs. Tygart Valley Homestead School is located about 15 miles south of Elkins, WV. Please contact Gibbs Kinderman at gibbskinderman@frontiernet.net for more information or to apply. *This position has been filled.
Preservation Alliance of WV is seeking an AmeriCorps VISTA to begin immediately in assisting with organizational development, educational outreach, and program development. Preservation Alliance of WV is the statewide, grassroots organization for the Mountain State, in addition to being the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program administrator and statewide partner for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. VISTA oversight is provided through the National Coal Heritage Area Authority VISTA program. Applicant should be self-directed and have degree or background in public history, public administration, marketing, or related field. For more information about VISTA http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/choose/vista.asp For information about Preservation Alliance of WV, visit www.pawv.org. VISTA will serve at the Darden House in Elkins, West Virginia, and the position is for one year and is available to start immediately with renewal possibility for one term. For the right person, multiple terms as VISTA could possibly transition to a staff position, if development efforts are successful. Responsibilities will include:
To Apply: Application will consist of resume and cover letter expressing why you think you are right for this position. You will also submit an AmeriCorps VISTA application to the National Coal Heritage Area. Applications will be reviewed as received and will be accepted until position is filled. Materials can be delivered in any one of these ways:
Historic Beverly Preservation, Inc. and Beverly ON TRAC are seeking an AmeriCorps VISTA member to focus on Beverly revitalization development, organizational capacity building and fundraising. VISTA will report to the Beverly Heritage Center director, and will work closely with AmeriCorps member who provides direct service at the site, as well as with board and volunteers.
VISTA oversight is provided through the Pocahontas Communications Cooperative VISTA program. Applicant should be self-directed and have degree or background in public history, public administration, marketing, or related field. For more information about VISTA http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/choose/vista.asp For information about Beverly Heritage Center and Historic Beverly, http://www.beverlyheritagecenter.org Beverly is located in Randolph County, 6 miles south of Elkins, West Virginia. Start date will be in May 2014 for a one year term, renewable for one additional term. For the right person, multiple terms as VISTA could possibly transition to a staff position, if development efforts are successful. Responsibilities will include:
To Apply: Application will consist of resume and cover letter expressing why you think you are right for this position. You will also submit an AmeriCorps VISTA application to Pocahontas Communications Cooperative. Applications will be reviewed as received and will be accepted until position is filled. Materials can be delivered in any one of these ways:
The Craik-Patton House Museum (craik-patton.org) is seeking an individual with exceptional development and fund raising skills for the position of Executive Director. Major responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:
This is the only paid position at this time. Qualifications:
Please mail resumes to Jeanne Grubb, 2809 Kanawha Blvd., E., Charleston, WV 25311 or email to info@craik-patton.org. It must be that time of year because there have been a lot of Proposal requests. This one comes from the Greenbrier Historical Society.
The Greenbrier Historical Society (GHS), located in Lewisburg, West Virginia, is seeking speakers in May and June 2014 as part of our Vietnam Graffiti Project. The project is a collaborative effort with Carnegie Hall, Inc. (www.carnegiehallwv.org) and LZ Rainelle: The West Virginia Veteran’s Reunion (www.lzrainelle.com) to host a series of special events and programs surrounding a traveling exhibit called Marking Time: Voyage to Vietnam. The exhibit has never before been displayed in West Virginia and contains original graffiti-covered canvas bed-racks as well as additional artifacts left behind on the General Nelson M. Walker troopship by soldiers during the Vietnam War. For more information on the exhibit, please feel free to look at the website: http://www.vietnamgraffiti.com/ To complement the Marking Time exhibit, the Greenbrier Historical Society will host a small exhibit discussing the Vietnam War and its impact in West Virginia. GHS would also like to host three to four lectures throughout May and June 2014 that touch on a number of different Vietnam Era topics – from the war itself to counterculture movements such as the “Back to the Land” movement. The Greenbrier Historical Society is inviting historians, veterans, and students to submit proposals for presentations by March 1, 2014. Presentations should be between 40 and 90 minutes long and may include more than one speaker. Topics can be wide-ranging as long as they speak to the Vietnam Era (preference will be given to those with West Virginia connections). Proposals need to be no more than a page and should include your name, contact information, and brief description of the presentation. If you have any questions or to submit a proposal, please contact Elizabeth McMullen at 304.645.3398 or director@greenbrierhistorical.org. Note: Presentation dates are flexible and some travel assistance and/or honorarium may be available for presenters. |
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