CEDAR Coal Exhibit at The Mountain Arts Center (MAC)
In March, 2007 CEDAR, Inc. and the Mountain Arts Center (MAC) in Prestonsburg, KY entered into a partnership to erect a permanent coal display to be constructed in a portion of their lobby area.
The display known as the “CEDAR Coal Exhibit” focuses on the coal industry’s role in the heritage of the eastern Kentucky area, including social, economic and other important facets of life in the region. It also serves as an informational and educational tool enabling visitors to make a real life connection between themselves and the industry, as well as many of the benefits the industry has and continues to provide each of them, either directly or indirectly, in their personal lives.
The exhibit is expected to attract the interest of students and adults participating in the MAC’s educational and entertainment programs, giving them a new knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their heritage as it relates to the mining industry of eastern Kentucky.
The “Exhibit” will demonstrate the importance of the industry, not only to each viewer’s heritage, but also its importance to our region’s economic and social well-being. It will also show how the coal industry provided the resource that fueled the industrialization of America and how it has and continues to play a significant role in our nation’s security, as well as providing the highest standard of living in the world by providing the most abundant and affordable energy source.
The exhibit consists of industry related artifacts, as well as projects entered in past CEDAR Coal Fair programs, along with photographs depicting early life in the eastern Kentucky coal fields, including but not limited to a focus on coal-camp life in the early years of the industry.
The MAC plays host to an estimated 110,000 visitors per year and it is expected that for many of them the CEDAR Coal Exhibit will instill a renewed sense of pride and awareness of the importance the coal industry has and continues to play in our local, state and national landscape.
“COAL CAMP SCHOOL DAYS”
As part of the Coal Exhibit different segments of Coal Camp life from the early to mid-1900s are spotlighted. From November 2015 through November 2016, the theme was (Coal Camp Farm Days), depicting the education part of coal camp life.
The Mountain Arts Center (MAC), located at 361 North Lake Drive, Prestonsburg, Kentucky, is open Monday-Friday (10am-6pm) and Saturday (10am-4pm). You are welcome to tour the Cedar Coal Exhibit free of charge when visiting the MAC.